[HN Gopher] mTCP: TCP/IP applications for DOS PCs
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mTCP: TCP/IP applications for DOS PCs
Author : mbbrutman
Score : 87 points
Date : 2022-07-01 17:12 UTC (5 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.brutman.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.brutman.com)
| speransky wrote:
| My number two software after Volkov Commander (thank you Seva)
| when I build an vintage gaming pc, great thing to have a easy way
| to transfer files to old DOS machine. mTCP rocks !
| walrus01 wrote:
| for people who want to try this with real hardware I would
| recommend the 3com 3c503 as the best choice of 16-bit ISA bus
| interface card. Or a real NE2000. There were some weird NE2000
| clones back in the day that were not so great.
| mbbrutman wrote:
| I use the 3C503 in a lot of machines. It is not a great
| performer, but it is well supported and solid. And it is an 8
| bit card, which is handy for the older PC and XT class
| machines.
|
| Other notable cards for older machines include the NE1000 (8
| bit), NE2000, Intel 8/16, Western Digital or SMC 8000 series.
| Many PCI cards work well; just look for a packet driver. For
| those of you without real slots the Xircom PE3-10BT device is
| great, but they are getting more expensive in the wild.
|
| SLIP and PPP work. PLIP works too, but I have not tested it
| myself.
|
| And there are even packet drivers that allow for Token Ring and
| Arcnet to be used; they emulate Ethernet.
| qwezxcrty wrote:
| I'll spread the word to the guy maintaining some tools (RIE, wire
| bonder and mechanical profilometer) running DOS in our university
| micro-nano fabrication center. Hope it can help extending the
| useful life of those >20k$ equipment a bit.
| MrYellowP wrote:
| Wow! Will you eventually implement multithreading?
| chriscappuccio wrote:
| mbbrutman wrote:
| Probably not .. that is a diminishing returns kind of thing. If
| I'm the only user and there are not a lot of programs that need
| it, it's not worth the effort.
|
| What I have now can best be described as cooperative
| multitasking with custom contexts. Example: the FTP server and
| HTTP server keep track of each user connection, provide them a
| buffer, and know the state of the session and how far into the
| file they are that is being transferred. (True multithreading
| would generalize that kind of context as a set of registers and
| a stack for each thread.)
| nikanj wrote:
| The tagline "Friends don't let friends run old code" on their
| page was rather funny, considering it's targeted towards DOS
| users
| jonny_eh wrote:
| > considering it's targeted towards DOS users
|
| I don't see the connection. Is this a reference to something
| from the 80s?
| mrlonglong wrote:
| It comes from C++, an object oriented programming language
| where friends don't let friends access their privates. A nerd
| joke basically.
| IncRnd wrote:
| DOS is old code, so the humor comes from the paradoxial
| juxtaposition of touting the use of old code while
| simultaneously saying, "friends don't let friends run old
| code."
|
| This superposition of statements is set against the backdrop
| of the tech idiom, "friends don't let friends" followed by
| some activity. [1]
|
| This tech idiom is based on a decades-old advertising slogan,
| "Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk," by MADD, Mother's
| Against Drunk Drivers. [2]
|
| [1] https://www.google.com/search?q=%22friends+don%27t+let+fr
| ien...
|
| [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVuu8G8ww6s
| Lammy wrote:
| > DOS is old code
|
| Not necessarily! http://freedos.org/
| progman32 wrote:
| Well, considering the last DOS version is 6.22 (or, if you
| stretch, Windows ME)... by virtue of running DOS, you're
| running old software almost by definition :) Yes, I know
| FreeDOS exists.
| mbbrutman wrote:
| My jokes don't always land well. I'll consider this a success.
|
| I prefer to look at DOS as "stable."
| mbbrutman wrote:
| For those of you missing context, mTCP is a TCP/IP library and
| some of the more common applications. It runs on anything from an
| old 41 year old IBM PC up to emulated virtual machines.
|
| Applications include fresh implementations of a DHCP client, FTP
| client and server, HTTP server, IRC client, Telnet Client, SNTP
| client, Ping, and some other goodies. (These are not stale ports
| of old code.) Everything runs in 16 bit DOS and the library is
| open source.
|
| The target is retro-computing hobbyists and people stuck with
| embedded solutions that use DOS. A good FTP client can be a
| godsend in that situation.
| tssva wrote:
| Didn't see mention of it in the release notes but did you
| happen to implement the ability to disable the ftp server login
| beep via the config file. We exchanged some email regarding
| this a while ago. If I forget to do so manually the beep sends
| my dog into a barking frenzy when I connect. You mentioned
| implementing for the next version.
| mbbrutman wrote:
| Ouch - I thought I had it and I missed it. I'll email you a
| patched version.
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(page generated 2022-07-01 23:00 UTC)