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Just wondering if anybody thinks that multitasking is over-hyped? I'm not into doing more than one thing at a time because it cuts quality of the outcome. I don't like multitasking because it makes individuals stressed and overworked and it is not necessary. I think it kills the brain cells! movie ref I am a manager and I have found that the people who are most successful are focused on ONE task and are capable of completing that task on a time line. |
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In the real world, it's probably best to do one thing at a time. Computers are quite different. Your computer multitasks constantly. Think of sorting a deck of cards. Makes the cards easier to find, yeh? Same thing with computers, except... well, they're probably not cards... Maybe they're URLs in your history. Why sort 1 card at a time when you can sort 4 cards at a time? Computers can handle this well... Another example: your GPU (video card) is great at doing the same 200 things at once. Sending pixels to the screen, shading algorithms, collision testing, etc, etc. I think there's a difference between multi-tasking and multi-threading. I believe the OP is asking about multi-tasking, in the sense of multiple applications running concurrently. They're fairly similar terms. @Seb, I disagree; multi-threading is technical and specific, and the multi-tasking the OP is thinking of is logical and user-centric. What makes multi-tasking non-technical and unspecific? What makes multi-threading illogical and non-user-centric? Why can they not overlap? Maybe I used the wrong words. The concept of a thread is not user-centric; threads are a method, not a result. On the other hand, a task is completely user-centric, and can span multiple threads, processes, or programs. Tasks are what the user interacts with. We have different definitions of "task". A task to me is a job, whether user-centric or not, that needs to be completed. A task can be made up of or inherit from multiple other tasks. A thread is a means for completing one or more tasks, possibly repeatedly, but in a sequence that involves completing one task before moving onto the next. Multithreading implies that multiple tasks are being undertaken (concurrently), on the user's behalf or on the system's behalf. Multitasking implies that multiple tasks are being undertaken (whether concurrently or by timesharing). It's commonly a way to categorise operating systems eg. co-operative multitasking and pre-emptive multitasking.
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Sometimes, one task requires multiple applications. For example, I am a developer. I may have my console open for source control, my IDE open for code editing, and my browser open for documentation. Sometimes, I have my IDE launch a debugger which lauches the program I'm working on. Maybe my IDE launches my unit tester which launches small parts of my program to test them. Although I consider all of this one unit, there are multiple applications involved. However, this example is desktop-centric. What about the mobile platform? Say you're browsing the web and you get an IM from one of your friends. This is only possible with multi-tasking, because the IM client must be running along-side your browser. If multi-tasking was not present, you could not receive an IM while browsing the web because your only task would be the web browser. If you want to read the IM, you can hide your browser and view the IM. Let's say the IM is a link to a Youtube video. Depending on your setup, the link may bring you to your Youtube player or your web browser. Assuming your friend linked you some music on Youtube, you don't want to be stuck inside your Youtube player. You would maybe want to listen to the music and continue browsing the web, or maybe respond to the IM. If you're not multi-tasking, you're probably not using a computer properly. |
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I like to have the option to multitask when needs be like incodeing video. Other times like reading a book thats a task and/or pleasure i enjoy to do in a singular fashion. |
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It is not over hyped, it is really amazing. You can chat, listen to music, and browse the web all at the same time. It is really great. Everyone multi-tasks on their computer without knowing it. |
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We distract ourselves from two tasks we don't want to do by doing them both at the same time. |
