Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!decwrl!ucbvax!mtxinu!taniwha!paul
From: paul@taniwha.UUCP (Paul Campbell)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.comm
Subject: Re: Comm Toolbox
Message-ID: <622@taniwha.UUCP>
Date: 13 Aug 90 16:54:11 GMT
References: <1990Aug8.190931.22255@IRO.UMontreal.CA> <43776@apple.Apple.COM>
Reply-To: paul@taniwha.UUCP (Paul Campbell)
Organization: Taniwha Systems Design, Oakland
Lines: 42

In article <43776@apple.Apple.COM> austing@Apple.COM (Glenn L. Austin) writes:
>dubuc@IRO.UMontreal.CA (Martin Dubuc) writes:
>
>>It has been more than a year that the CTB is out. I do not understand
>>why there is so little software that uses it. I suspect that there are
>>still some problems with the CTB, or it is too difficult to cope with it
>>unless all the major softwares (White Knight, MicroPhone, NCSA Telnet,
>>ZTerm, etc...) would be CTB compatible. By now the only product that I know 
>>which uses the CTB is VersaTerm, but I didn't see it run. I would like to
>>have your impressions about it. I am particularly concerned since I am myself 
>>hesitating to integrate the CTB in MultiXfer.
>
>The main problem is that it requires a MAJOR change in most of the commercial
>software source code.  It's actually easier to write for (just ask Lonnie)!
>
>As for your hesitation, CTB solves some MAJOR problems with the Mac
>serial drivers, and allows your app to be more useful in more environments
>rather than just over serial data lines.

My impressions are that most serial applications are changing bit by bit.
Some stuff is easy to do (for example use the CRM to find extra serial
ports and support them - adding this code takes about 1/2 an hour -
but since it gives you names and icons for all the ports in the system 
(and their associated serial driver's names) you may have to change your
interface to allow scrolling lists of ports).

You can then add the other managers one by one - some people I've seen
have dropped in the File Transfer stuff first, others the Connection Manager.
However if you are doing the whole thing at once you are probably looking at a
major rewrite (Apple give away a sample application which makes a good base)
People who nave big applications, scripting languages, features that don't
fit well with CTB etc etc may take much longer.


	Paul Campbell
	Taniwha Systems

-- 
Paul Campbell    UUCP: ..!mtxinu!taniwha!paul     AppleLink: CAMPBELL.P
What most people don't realize is that those plastic cover slips that your 3
inch floppies come in are actually condoms for protecting your computer from
harmfull computer viruses - practice safe computing ..... :-)