Xref: utzoo comp.sys.mac.apps:773 comp.sys.mac.hardware:4360 comp.sys.mac.comm:580 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!uupsi!bse.com From: eberard@bse.com (Edward V. Berard) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.apps,comp.sys.mac.hardware,comp.sys.mac.comm Subject: Plea to All Application Developers: Use the Communications Toolbox Summary: With the Communications Toolbox, Applications can access more than two serial ports Keywords: serial ports, communications toolbox Message-ID: Date: 14 Jul 90 11:09:57 GMT Organization: Berard Software Engineering, Inc. Lines: 47 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 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------