Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!clarkson!grape.ecs.clarkson.edu!nelson From: nelson@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Russ Nelson) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans Subject: Re: What is NDIS? Message-ID: Date: 13 Jan 91 17:22:27 GMT References: <1991Jan9.233040.13698@nntp-server.caltech.edu> <2603@excelan.COM> Sender: @grape.ecs.clarkson.edu Reply-To: nelson@clutx.clarkson.edu (aka NELSON@CLUTX.BITNET) Distribution: usa Organization: /home/sun.soe/ecs/nelson/.organization Lines: 37 In-Reply-To: donp@na.excelan.com's message of 11 Jan 91 20:34:16 GMT In article <2603@excelan.COM> donp@na.excelan.com (don provan) writes: (*sigh*) Well, I knew when I stated such a bald opinion that people would disagree. I stand by that opinion. There *isn't* that much difference. >ODI drivers are fairly scarce because manufacturers would rather >write dedicated Novell drivers since they're more efficient I'd have to see some references here before i'd believe this. From where i sit, it appears that manufacturers don't have ODI drivers yet because they already *have* dedicated Novell drivers so there's no rush. > (a dedicated driver will always be more >efficient than a general purpose driver). Well, i suppose this is true, but i don't believe the difference in efficiency is necessarily significant. The things that make a driver general purpose just aren't that costly compared to the other aspects of a datalink interface. Well certainly if Novell sits down to make a driver for their product it's going to be efficient. I had more in mind the hypothetical case of Novell and Microsoft getting together and writing a driver that would serve both Netware and LAN Manager (if you *can* imagine such a thing happening :). Such a driver would likely please neither party completely, and would not be as efficient as NDIS is for LAN Manager or ODI is for Netware. Which is, of course, part of the reason why we have NDIS and ODI and packet drivers. The other part of the reason is political. -russ -- --russ (nelson@clutx [.bitnet | .clarkson.edu]) FAX 315-268-7600 It's better to get mugged than to live a life of fear -- Freeman Dyson I joined the League for Programming Freedom, and I hope you'll join too.