Why can't a windows machine do it.

[Waccoon]

This is a scheduling issue, and it is an age-old problem that plagues all OSes.  It has nothing to do with hardware, and many other OSes have this problem, depending on what the system is doing.

If you play an "OS friendly" game on the Amiga, it might have studdering issues, too.  You can only get guaranteed performance if you disable multitasking.  Of course, this defeats many of the reasons for having an OS in the first place, and is not an acceptable option these days.

If you run the DirectX test suite, you'll almost certainly get perfect vsync with no studdering at all.  I never get studdering when running the test.  Ever.

Also note that many modern game consoles are having studdering/tearing issues, too.  The reason is because thanks to the HD craze, developers are trying to code consoles as if they were PCs, where the software is not hard coded for just one screen resolution, but instead has to adapt to different video orientations (including widescreen).  They are also using OSes instead of just writing memory blocks wherever the heck they want.  Does that mean console hardware sucks, too?  No, it's a coding issue.  Whether it's an OS or a game issue, or both, is a matter for debate.

My take is that people just don't care about refinement these days.  It's all about max framerates and bragging rights.  If Microsoft were to make changes to Windows so video performance were more consistent, but was slower, you'd better believe PC enthusiasts would b**ch about it to no end.

The only solutions is to make a gaming OS, or switch the OS into "game mode".  That's easier said than done, given how many games are installing kernel-mode DRM drivers and otherwise taking control of your PC away from you.  It's a sad situation, but for the most part, everyone is to blame... at least in terms of software.

PC hardware today isn't what PC hardware was 20 years ago.  It doesn't suck anymore.  The last remaining Amiga enthusiasts still haven't figured that out.

[Waccoon]

nBit7:  OK Direct X seems to be the only way too get smooth video.  So why don't apps like Powerpoint make use of it?

1 - Hardware support.  Powerpoint often runs on crap hardware like business laptops.

2 - Powerpoint is just crap.

3 - Powerpoint works more like a web browser (for example, XML and XSL) and less like a game engine (blits and virtual textures).  Do you get smooth scrolling from Java applets?  I don't think so.

nBit7:  I would think people would like change that made a noticeable difference."

What's "noticeable" varies depending on taste.  Microsoft caters to the common people, and to a lot of the population, smooth scrolling isn't a noticeable improvement to justify the work that goes into the system.

Windows may not be very good, but you do have to understand the priorities of Microsoft's customer base.  They don't think like Amigans, that's for sure.

But the user experience most certainly still does suck. eg. clicking on a menu can sometimes take several seconds while on a Amiga it was instantaneous.

That usually depends on the GUI toolkit, not the OS.  The only app on my machine that has a woefully slow GUI is Firefox, and only since I updated to v2.  I find it amazing the the file requester in that app is ridiculously sluggish, while every Windows app I have, including Photoshop and even Java (!), has instantaneous response.

whiteb:  Try Burning a DVD, and watch the *ENTIRE* system pause when the Burn starts (Lead-IN), and then everything goes at 30x speed to catch up when the main track is started.

I had that problem constantly when I was using Win98.  Since upgrading to Win2K (and now XP), I've never had this issue, or made any coasters.  Win98 actually had tons of scheduling issues when playing games, too, supposedly all related to memory management.  The upgrade to Win2K simply amazed me.

I don't like the design of Windows, but since dumping Win98, I have few few complaints about its performance.  Almost every problem I have with the system can be traced to my SoundBlaster drivers (Creative Inc. is infamous for their horrid drivers).