Path: utzoo!dciem!nrcaer!julie!mcr
From: mcr@julie.UUCP (Michael Richardson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: X windows, Ethernet, Dnet && sockets.
Keywords: GfxBase X Ameristar Dnet sockets
Message-ID: <0596.AA0596@julie>
Date: 9 Sep 89 19:37:37 GMT
Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Organization: Sandleman Software Works' Debugging Department, Ottawa, ON
Lines: 52


  There was some discussion a week or two ago about
X windows (ala GfxBase) running on Amiga 2000s with Ethernet cards
(presumably Ameristar). These two products were not (I hope)
designed to work specifically with each other... So the gist of
my main question: does Ameristar provide sockets?

  If they do, how? Is it a .library with stubs, built around
exec message ports (this makes sense to me)? Since one
read() and write()s to sockets, that implies a file handle of
some sort. Is this the case? Are sockets perchance opened
something like "SOCKET:host/port"? (While that seems possible, it
doesn't make for terribly easy mapping of Unix's socket/bind/connect/accept...)

  The reason for this question --- I'd like to see X windows running
SLIP of some sort on the serial port (with or w/o modem) connected
to a Unix box. If this is possible there is a possibility that A500s
(perhaps with Viking monitors, perhaps just 1084s or 2084s) with
1meg, 1 disk (for booting, unless someone can think of a way to
boot off the serial.device) may be sold to clients.... (The usual
disclaimers apply here. But since this isn't being posted from
work....)

  I've quite a strong personal interest in seeing some sort intermachine
service standardised on the Amiga --- dnet is neat, but requires
writting stuff specifically for it, making the protocols general
would add a great deal to the spread of `networking' software for
the Amiga. (I see no reason that sendmail can't run across dnet,
which is itself the protocol that was negotiated in an Amiga<->Amiga
WaZoo connection [rather than FidoNet's drab Zmodem stuff])

  I suppose I will email gfxbase (cbmvax!gfxbase ? Does Ameristar
have an address?) concerning this, but email replies are welcome.
I'll sumerise if needed.

(p.s. Is there anyone other than C. Harald Koch that have ported
Smail? I know ARSmail exists, but I haven't seen it. -Thanks)








--

  :!mcr!:
  Michael Richardson                     Amiga
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