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From: mu106sbn@sdcc13.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.m6809
Subject: Re: Bit Banger port still won't input
Message-ID: <889@sdcc13.ucsd.EDU>
Date: Tue, 2-Jun-87 20:19:44 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdcc13.889
Posted: Tue Jun  2 20:19:44 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 5-Jun-87 02:07:39 EDT
References: <934@vaxb.calgary.UUCP>
Reply-To: mu106sbn@sdcc13.ucsd.edu.UUCP (Stephen Hartford)
Organization: U.C. San Diego, Academic Computer Center
Lines: 30
Keywords: CoCo III, OS9 Level II

In art <934@vaxb.calgary.UUCP> ingoldsby@calgary.UUCP (Terry Ingoldsby) writes:
>  Has anyone managed to get the CoCo III serial port to read
>data under OS9 Level II. 
>Does anyone know if T1 works on input?  Did Tandy use the
>timer or interrupts in reading the port?  Can Tandy write drivers?
>
>                                        Terry Ingoldsby
>                                    ihnp4!alberta!calgary!ingoldsby

I can't speak for the technical aspects of the CoCo 3 port, but I
can relate what our experiences have been at Computerware. We were
trying for a long time to get a driver for the serial port to work
under Level 2, and eventually were told BY TANDY to not waste our
time. The way they see it, the internal port is only for rudimentary
operations such as printers. Their offical policy is that you need
an RS-232 program pak to use a modem under Level 2.

It would have been so pitfully easy to implement a lost-cost,
effective real serial port on the CoCo 3, it's frustrating.
It seems to be another one of the self-imposed limits by Tandy (like
512K) to limit the marketing potential of the 3, so as not to
interfere with the Tandy 1000, etc.  

Sad, but true.

-- 
Stephen Hartford, programmer (a.k.a. student) 		      /// 
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