Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!rochester!cornell!batcomputer!hurf
From: hurf@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Hurf Sheldon)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions,comp.unix.wizards,comp.org.usenix
Subject: Re: dr11w driver
Message-ID: <2097@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu>
Date: Wed, 21-Jan-87 17:47:40 EST
Article-I.D.: batcompu.2097
Posted: Wed Jan 21 17:47:40 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 22-Jan-87 06:23:00 EST
References: <6429@allegra.UUCP> <5127@mimsy.UUCP> <4187@utah-cs.UUCP>
Reply-To: hurf@batcomputer.UUCP (Hurf Sheldon)
Organization: Theory Center, Cornell University, Ithaca NY
Lines: 44
Xref: mnetor comp.unix.questions:789 comp.unix.wizards:680 comp.org.usenix:31

In article <4187@utah-cs.UUCP> cetron@utah-cs.UUCP (Edward J Cetron) writes:
>In article <5127@mimsy.UUCP> chris@mimsy.UUCP (Chris Torek) writes:
>->>If anyone has or knows of a dr11w device driver which runs under
>->>Berkeley Unix version 4.3, PLEASE send me Email. ...
>->
>->Why is it that as soon as it is explained why this is an unreasonable
>->or incomplete request, six of them appear?  The DR11W does not *do*
>->anything by itself.  One can ask for a driver for `a DR11W connected
>->to a Foomix Graphi-Phaser II' or `a DR11W connected to a Blorch Inc.
>->Bus Buster' or whatever, but asking for a DR11W driver is somewhat
>->like asking for a Unibus Adapter driver.
>
>	I disagree, a dr11w is going to use the same general interface
>REGARDLESS of what is on the other end.  You still need to set up the
>same data structures, poke it the same way, and read it the same way.
>Granted that there will be major philosophy differences depending on what
>it will talk to, but I'd rather have a working driver for the right board
>which is CLOSE, then start from scratch......  I think that the hardest 
>part of writing a driver is the device interface and its structures and the
>kernel interface and its structures.... the flow of the code is easy by
>comparison.....
	I agree with Ed....and Chris. Requesting a piece of software should
include the specific application if possible but having a working driver
for the interface you are using is a good starting point if there is nothing
else. The drv11 in particular has a limited set of things you can send to
the board itself and just getting a set of ioctl routines or read & write calls
to work is a difficult task, still. I have been and am trying to get a
hammamatsu digitizer hung on a uVaxII/ultrix system and it is a formidable
task. I will share my driver when it works and if you have an Ultrix source
license I can send you what I got from someone nice at DEC to start with.
	David Brierley(dhb@rayssd.ray.com) says there is a drv11 driver
in the bsd4.2 distribution but I have been unable to find it. The driver
I have was written for a dr11- it took awhile to find out the uVax thinks it
is a unibus machine-and I have yet to see a drv11 driver. I would appreciate
one if anyone has one.
A Foomix Graphi-Phaser II? I thought the 'I' model was the latest one.

>

     Hurf Sheldon			Arpa.css: Hurf@ionvax.tn.cornell.edu
     Lab of Plasma Studies	
     369 Upson Hall			phone: 607 255 7267
     Cornell University
     Ithaca, N.Y. 14853