Re: [NTLK] NCU-like software native MacOS X: what prevents it

From: Paul Guyot (pguyot_at_kallisys.net)
Date: Mon Jan 28 2002 - 08:46:53 EST


Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2002 17:11:04 -0500
From: Stephen Jendraszak <stevehj_at_mac.com>

>I can understand Apple not supporting serial connections in X, since
>less than a handful of supported machines have serial ports. But what
>concerns me, being an iMac owner, is EtherTalk. If I could get a native
>connection in X, over ethernet... I would be willing to pay for that.

OK. Let me put it in another way *again* and for the last time.
Connection to NewtonOS from MacOS X via EtherTalk requires a protocol
for which there is no documented API. Nicolas thinks that this
protocol is nevertheless available (it seems to be in Darwin),
though. But until we find out how to call that, the only way is to
implement it ourselves. You'll understand that I have other things to
do than writing ADSP support for MacOS X.

On a side note, EtherTalk support for a NCU replacement isn't all. If
you lose all the information on your Newton, you need a way to get
the Lantern package (Newton Devices) and the Ethernet driver for you
Ethernet card before your Newton can connect via Ethernet. After a
brain wipe, to install these packages, the only ways are Beam, IrDA,
Serial and LocalTalk.

Additionally, please have in mind that some people (not loaded enough
to afford a new apple computer every 2 years, especially if they
invested in "no longer supported technologies" such as SCSI) use old
macs such as this G3/233 beige which I'm typing on and which has two
serial ports (and apparently refuses to work properly under MacOS X).
Such people sometimes happen to be "concerned" by folks like you who
believes in the ads saying that MacOS X is the best OS on Earth and
wants NewtonOS connection with it.
And with no serial port, no Newton low-level debugging is possible.
Serial ports are not that "out". Just in case you wondered how some
similar people work on drivers just because you "are concerned" by
cheap storage, for example.

Paul

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