Re: [NTLK] [ANN] Einstein Platform 2006.6

I believe that what this means, and please correct me if I'm wrong
(Paul or others), is that one can now write a new NIE (or Blunt)
implementation that interacts directly with the host operating
system's native networking APIs through the use of Relativity.

To do this, one would:

- Make a new NIE stub that mimics the NIE 2 API
- Fill out the stub using Relativity calls to the host OS's
networking APIs (i.e. no need to emulate Newton-compatible networking
hardware)
- Extend the NIE API to provide new features and functionality while
still providing full backwards compatibility
- Eventually write a branch of this new NIE that implements a newer
TCP/IP stack and hardware compatibility for existing MessagePad hardware

Of course, this is only one way of doing this, and it's possible that
there's a better way of doing it. Paul may already be doing something
of this nature, considering the other work he's putting into the
Einstein Platform. The major benefits of this method are:

- Compatibility with existing Newton Internet and networking software
that is written to take advantage of NIE 2
- Provides a roadmap to developing a new NIE (NIE 3?) for existing
MessagePad hardware (Adriano's "Upgrading Newton Internet Enabler"
initiative -- http://u.nie.notwen.com/ -- nudge-nudge, wink-wink, say
no more)

Obvious downsides:

- May not be able to take advantage of features and/or functionality
that don't easily fit into the existing NIE 2 APIs.
- NIE's API may not be the most efficient and/or practical for a
modern networking stack

Of course, Eckhart Köppen has an advantage here in that he designed
Blunt (http://40hz.org/Blunt/) and fairly recently, so he doesn't
necessarily have to conform to an old API (as is evident in his
development of a new Blunt 2) and the only application I'm currently
aware of that relies on Blunt is its BlueTooth Setup utility.

Here's hoping we start seeing some development using Relativity
relatively soon (sorry, I couldn't resist).

Sincerely,

Morgan Aldridge

--
morgant@makkintosshu.com
http://www.makkintosshu.com/
On Jun 1, 2006, at 1:53 PM, Nicholas Melnick wrote:
> Fantastic work thus far, Paul.  Would this also enable drivers to be
> written for the host's ethernet/wireless or bluetooth?
>
>   - Nick
>
>
> On May 31, 2006, at 9:03 PM, Paul Guyot wrote:
>
>> Relativity is Einstein Platform latest technology. It allows the
>> merge of host and newton technologies inside Einstein Packages. It is
>> easy to use and developers can take advantage of anything on the
>> host, from OpenGL on the Mac to Japanese Handwriting Recognition on
>> the Zaurus.
>
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