Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!bellcore!faline!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!husc6!cmcl2!nrl-cmf!ames!amdcad!sun!pitstop!sundc!seismo!uunet!steinmetz!itsgw!imagine!pawl17.pawl.rpi.edu!jesup
From: jesup@pawl17.pawl.rpi.edu.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Multiple serial ports
Message-ID: <218@imagine.PAWL.RPI.EDU>
Date: 16 Jan 88 05:04:33 GMT
References: <2245@cup.portal.com> <22374@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <202@imagine.PAWL.RPI.EDU> <530@nuchat.UUCP> <217@imagine.PAWL.RPI.EDU>
Sender: news@imagine.PAWL.RPI.EDU
Reply-To: beowulf!lunge!jesup@steinmetz.UUCP
Organization: RPI Public Access Workstation Lab - Troy, NY
Lines: 56
Posted: Sat Jan 16 00:04:33 1988

[ This is cross-posted from BIX - Sorry, no quotes from original ]

Joanne -
	It seems your sole motivation in calling them 'serialN.device' is
for pattern matching directory scans of devs:.  One problem: it makes it
hard to remember which 'serialN.device' applies to which board.  (if you
for example remove a board, which driver do you remove?)  

	The expansion drawer doesn't have to mean the device is loaded.
It would be easy to have them create just a memory-resident structure, ala
manx envirionment variable, saying what the name of the driver is if it is
not already loaded, and what types of things it is, from the Tool Types in it's
icon.  (psuedo-code:
		get tooltypes
		if (library doesn't exist)
			create it
		get a new node
		set it up (
			driver = devs:mbserial.device
			units = 2
			attached devices[0] = <names from tooltypes>
			attached devices[1] = <names from tooltypes>
			<whatever else, flags, etc>
		)
		add to memory-resident list
		cleanup and shutdown.	
).  This would take almost no memory, and wouldn't require the devices to
be loaded when there are not needed.  The mapper would use this to find the
devices and what their names are.  Not having to have all the serial devices
in memory is one of the reasons why I prefer it to the unit number approach
to serial expansion.

	Parameters files are ok, but it can cause confusion for icon-oriented
users.  Think of joe user: he removes the icon for the expansion product
from the expasion drawer, and gets all confused because it keeps trying
to open the device.  They aren't totally evil, but I think a expansion
drawer file/icon will be needed anyway, so why not put them in there?  You
can still have a single program that allows you to edit them all, ala prefs.

	Requesters for remapping the serial.device are easy.  (Should also
have a 'force' to another port option.)  Just write a fake device to replace
serial.device that does the requester, and move serial.device to
oldserial.device.  A bit reminicient of SetAlert.

	I do thank you for your input, Joanne.  Remember, I'm not doing
anything official here, I'm just concerned about making whatever becomes
'standardized' something _I_ don't feel obliged to re-write as well. :-)

	Randell Jesup

P.S. I will x-post this to usenet...

     //	Randell Jesup			      Lunge Software Development
    //	Dedicated Amiga Programmer            13 Frear Ave, Troy, NY 12180
 \\//	beowulf!lunge!jesup@steinmetz.UUCP    (518) 272-2942
  \/    (uunet!steinmetz!beowulf!lunge!jesup) BIX: rjesup