eberard@bse.com (Edward V. Berard) (07/14/90)
Folks, Recently, I posted an article in which I said: > > This is a plea to Mac software vendors: Please consider > > the fact that some Macs can have more than just the two > > "standard" serial ports. At least give me the _option_ of > > choosing a serial port other than the printer port and the > > modem port. Sak Wathanasin me clarify my request. He wrote: >Until the recent introduction of the "Communications >Toolbox", there was just no way of finding out about extra >ports. The *system software* assumed that there were only 2 >ports, and there were no calls to, for example, ask the >system how many ports there were. > >Of course, if you are a s/w developer who worked with a >particular manufacturer, there were ways to deal with his >comms card, but there was no easily available, system-wide, >Mac-model-independent way of scanning for ports. But now >that the CTB is widely available, this problem will go away. This, by the way, has some very interesting implications. Probably the most important implication is that _since_ _virtually_ _all_ _Mac_ _applications_ _make_ _use_ _of_ _at_ _least_ _one_ _serial_ _port_, _virtually_ _all_ _Mac_ _applications_ _should_/_must_ _use_ _the_ _Communications_ _Toolbox_. One very common mistake will be Mac applications developers who will say things like "my application has nothing to do with 'communications,' therefore, I don't have to worry about the CTB." If your application give its users a choice of which serial port(s) to use (or _should_ give users a choice), then you should consider the CTB. Thanks for your time and consideration. -- Ed ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Edward V. Berard | Phone: (301) 353-9652 Berard Software Engineering, Inc. | FAX: (301) 353-9272 18620 Mateney Road | E-Mail: eberard@bse.com Germantown, Maryland 20874 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
han@apple.COM (Byron Han, Project Scapegoat) (07/17/90)
In article <b.G19STF@bse.com> eberard@bse.com (Edward V. Berard) writes: > This, by the way, has some very interesting implications. Probably the > most important implication is that _since_ _virtually_ _all_ _Mac_ > _applications_ _make_ _use_ _of_ _at_ _least_ _one_ _serial_ _port_, > _virtually_ _all_ _Mac_ _applications_ _should_/_must_ _use_ _the_ > _Communications_ _Toolbox_. Sounds like a good idea to me :-) +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Disclaimer: Apple has no connection with my postings. | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Byron Han, C---T---b-- Scapegoat "Not Working 100 hrs/wk and loving it!" Apple Computer, Inc. -------------------------------- 20525 Mariani Ave, MS 69L Internet: han@apple.COM Cupertino, CA 95014 UUCP:{sun,voder,nsc,decwrl}!apple!han -------------------------------- GENIE:BYRONHAN CompuServe:72167,1664 ATTnet: 408-974-6450 Applelink:HAN1 HAN1@applelink.apple.COM ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
dorner@pequod.cso.uiuc.edu (Steve Dorner) (07/17/90)
In article <b.G19STF@bse.com> eberard@bse.com (Edward V. Berard) writes: > _since_ _virtually_ _all_ _Mac_ >_applications_ _make_ _use_ _of_ _at_ _least_ _one_ _serial_ _port_, >_virtually_ _all_ _Mac_ _applications_ _should_/_must_ _use_ _the_ >_Communications_ _Toolbox_. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't comprehend this the tiniest little bit. Few mac applications use the serial ports, unless you count apps that use the printer drivers. Now, if you're suggesting that Apple use the Comm Toolbox in the printer drivers, so we can attach printers however we like, I understand. I'm sure you won't find Apple to be receptive to that idea, though. But I fail to see otherwise why "virtually all" applications use serial ports, or should worry about the CTB. -- Steve Dorner, U of Illinois Computing Services Office Internet: s-dorner@uiuc.edu UUCP: {convex,uunet}!uiucuxc!dorner