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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!rutgers!seismo!umcp-cs!cvl!umd5!zben
From: zben@umd5 (Ben Cranston)
Newsgroups: net.periphs
Subject: Re: RS-232 vs. The Apple LaserWriter
Message-ID: <1331@umd5>
Date: Sun, 26-Oct-86 20:50:00 EST
Article-I.D.: umd5.1331
Posted: Sun Oct 26 20:50:00 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 27-Oct-86 05:31:21 EST
References: <2457@phri.UUCP>
Reply-To: zben@umd5.umd.edu (Ben Cranston)
Organization: University of Maryland, College Park
Lines: 18
Keywords: DTE, DCE, RS-232
Summary: Sometimes pc's DO have DCE connects...

In article <2457@phri.UUCP> roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) writes:

> ...  Is it common practice in personal computers ... to have comm
> ports wired DCE?

Not all that common, but sometimes it happens.  Our office Apple ][+
has a CalComp serial port that is wired as a DCE.  This makes it really
easy to attach a printer, but when one wants to use a modem one has to
use the Bizarro-world equivalent of a null modem cable.  What would one
call such a thing?  A null-terminal cable :-)

The UART (ACE) was designed to be a DTE, and cross-wiring it as a DCE
causes muy braindamage - weird in-out interactions like not being able
to disallow input with CTS while sending a break.  A pox on the designer.
-- 
                    umd5.UUCP    <= {seismo!umcp-cs,ihnp4!rlgvax}!cvl!umd5!zben
Ben Cranston zben @ umd2.UMD.EDU    Kingdom of Merryland Sperrows 1100/92
                    umd2.BITNET     "via HASP with RSCS"