erick@sunee.waterloo.edu (Erick Engelke) (03/12/91)
I believe one of the major dilemmas facing the MS-DOS TCP/IP community is the total lack of a standard kernal interface. Developers of new applications, PD or commercial, must pick a stack and work to that spec, or deal with the pain of matching multiple APIs which sometimes even means switching compilers these days, or going back to the assembly language API level. I would like to see a vendor independant standard API, perhaps even as an optional TSR layer, which could be called from user apps. Much like the commendable FTP Packet Spec., not all functions would necessarily be available in a particular vendor's product, and likewise this new API would not necessarily have advantage of all the super-features in a particular vendor's product. Since it would be an additional, optional TSR, the advertised kernal size would not even have to be increased. Obviously users will benefit from the wider variety of applications available. Likewise, kernal vendors would retain their existing API's and use the robust internal features and speed for their own products. I don't see any vendor sufferring from such a service, it merely seems an extension to facilities such as the TNGLASS or compatible product most already offer. Even when PD groups make spec. compatible products, the speed, support and other features/programs will eventually lead most potential customers to the best commerical stacks and their NFS, etc. Comments, ideas, proposals? Erick -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Erick Engelke Watstar Computer Network Watstar Network Guy University of Waterloo Erick@Development.Watstar.UWaterloo.ca (519) 885-1211 Ext. 2965