[comp.lang.smalltalk] ST/V 286

hmjl@utacs.UTA.FI (Harri L{nsipuro) (03/06/89)

	Is it possible to use DOS-programs from ST/V 286 system,
	f.ex. print (filename) ??

	How can I use communication ports f.ex. com1 ?

	How can I use C-programs I've made....




	

elt@entire.UUCP (Edward L. Taychert) (03/07/89)

In article <659@utacs.UTA.FI>, hmjl@utacs.UTA.FI (Harri L{nsipuro) writes:

> 	Is it possible to use DOS-programs from ST/V 286 system,
> 	f.ex. print (filename) ??
  
The index of my manual gives entries on pp 216-219, 288-289, and 500
for running dos programs and shells. Printing a file, however, 
can be done with the disk browser.


> 	How can I use communication ports f.ex. com1 ?
  
  I found inByteFromPort: with the Class hierarchy broswer.
  Its complement, outByte:toPort is documented on page 372.
  I wouldn't plan anything to complicated, the old
  `comm package' was a dog and one of the few things not tossed
  into the 286 version.
  BTW: The methods take I/O addresses. You'll have to find out
  what address com1 is on your system.



> 	How can I use C-programs I've made....

  ( How could anyone? :-) Depends what you mean by `use'.
  Its very unlikely you can get them to interact with STV objects
  in anything but the coarsest fashion. (Like reading and writing 
  data files.)

andya@metasoft.UUCP (Andy Adler) (03/08/89)

In reply to your questions:

	Is it possible to use DOS-programs from ST/V 286 system,
	f.ex. print (filename) ??

Yes.  You start up st/v286 with a parameter that says reserve some space
for dos.  For example "v /d:150" reserves 150K for dos.  Then from within
smalltalk you can run a dos command from the system menu.  I frequently use
it to run a terminal emulator.

	How can I use communication ports f.ex. com1 ?

There is an add in package that provides a set of communications classes. 
Included are primatives to manipulate the comm ports of your machine and 
several useful communication applications.

	How can I use C-programs I've made....

It depends on what you mean.  You can call them as stand alone programs
from smalltalk as described in the answer to your first question.  You can
also incorporate you c-code as primitives that can be called by smalltalk
methods.  I haven't tried to do this yet.  Details are given in the manual
and examples are supplied with the system.  (The communications package is
an example of this, too.)

I hope this helps.

Andy Adler
andya%metasoft@bbn.com
Meta Software Corporation, 150 Cambridge Park Drive, Cambridge MA 02140
617-576-6920