From: utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!info-vax
Newsgroups: fa.info-vax
Title: Broadcast in passall
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.499
Posted: Thu Dec 23 22:23:56 1982
Received: Fri Dec 24 07:28:20 1982

>From coar.umass@UDel-Relay  Thu Dec 23 22:17:17 1982
Mail-From: ARPANET host SANDIA rcvd at 23-Dec-82 1703-PST
Mail-From: ARPANET site UDEL-RELAY rcvd at 23-Dec-82 1759-MST
To: info-vax.umass@UDel-Relay
Cc: coar.umass@UDel-Relay
Via:  UMASS-ECE; 23 Dec 82 19:50-EST
Remailed-Date: 23 Dec 1982 2045-PST
Remailed-From: the tty of Geoffrey S. Goodfellow  <Geoff5 at SRI-CSL>
Remailed-To: Info-VAX@SRI-CSL: ;

Concerning patching the terminal driver (VMS) in order to receive
broadcast messages in passall mode: I myself am violently against
such a patch, at least for V3.x. Version 3 of VMS includes a method
of handling these messages (see the I/O User's Guide section on
terminal/mailbox interaction), and I think it should be used, rather
than re-invented. I can see the need for such a thing on older versions
of VMS, but patching DEC-supplied drivers is ALWAYS risky, particularly
when the driver is a fairly new release: your patch may interfere with
subsequent DEC-released patches.

If anyone needs details on this broadcast-trapping (or would like
a copy of the routine I wrote to enable Emacs on VMS to catch them)
I am always willing to spew forth what I know.

People waiting for symbiont specs: please be patient; I am putting
them together, but this is a very busy time of year. I haven't
fergotten youse, no fear!

	ken
	coar.umass@udel-relay