Subj : 2/2 - LSPPPDlr 2003 To : Mark Lewis From : Michel Samson Date : Wed Dec 15 2004 03:57 pm [The previous message concludes here.] 2/2 ML> ...running OS/2 with vmodem... ...i also have FDSZ available... ^^^^ Isn't it a shame one of the fastest drivers is also a prototype? I tried `FDSZ' a long time ago so i'm relieved that this one can wait. :) MS> ...not that it is important or that anyone will actually use it... Well, i do care about file transfer matters but i've got priorities so a part of my hobby has been put on the back-burner for some time now. MS> ...the matter of local connection speed... ...sure sounds somewhat MS> "elusive"... ..."unknown" result returned by `MS-Kermit'... ML> ...easy to tell the FOSSIL using software what speed the FOSSIL is ML> running at so that transfer calculations may be performed... MS> Wouldn't it be possible that `Kermit' doesn't depend on a number MS> defined by the ~FOSSIL~ driver to compute the cps transfer speed? ML> ...i was thinking of the "pre" calculation that tells one how long ML> the transfer will take... On a BBS where time may be limited... I see your point, it's important to know how much time the transfer may last before it begins but doesn't the BBS handle it? Luckily, there probably are sufficient arithmetic tools in `MS-Kermit's macro-language, especially if the right internal variable already happens to be defined. MS> ...i wish `RLFossil' were compliant enough... ...i can "share" MS> connections (alternately) using `LSPPPDlr' with `MS-Kermit' run as a MS> Protocol-Driver... ...via `COM/IP'... ...not with `RLFossil'... ML> I prefer to let the FOSSIL developers worry about the serial comms ML> stuff... ...not that i haven't done my share of comms coding... ML> "DOS box" to me means opening a DOS command prompt window... Is ML> this the same meaning you are using it as? Yes, i'm afraid a crutial string ("W32") slipped away as i wrote... MS> ...i sort of abandoned the idea that `COM/IP' will be the perfect MS> alternative someday (TacticalSoftware became so greedy with their MS> costs i bet that's why i've read that Mike Ehlert and his company MS> "discontinued selling COM/IP licensing" after October 14, 2004)... ML> That is exactly why... I have that info from direct and personal ML> contact... ME and i go way way back as we were both beta testers... It seems i don't have to regret that i hesistated too long before i finally decided to register, euh... It's quite a good thing i waited!!! MS> ...`RLFossil v1.23' is improved... ...this is a good reason to MS> bring `LSPPPDlr' to its full completion... ...i'd like to get back MS> to the origins of this project... ...because of no other reason MS> than to prove the BBS community could have done it! ML> Excellent reason... I fear, sadly, that it may fall on deaf ears, ML> though... Too many supposed sysops are really little more than ML> advanced lemmings and like all lemmings, they, too, follow the rest ML> of the pack over the cliff into the sea... Am i detecting some dark poetry in the way you see things?... 8,-D MS> `TelNet Port' suffered from the same problem when i checked... ML> ...you say "share"... ...at the same time... ...do you? MS> ...when a terminal emulator is trying to pass control of the MS> ~FOSSIL~ Serial-Port... ...a very same macro-file succeeds when my MS> terminal emulator launches a Protocol-Driver with `COM/IP's MS> `INT-14'/~FOSSIL~ support and... ...it fails if `RLFossil' is MS> used... ...one is more Level-5 compliant than the other. ML> ...why a coder has to go about readjusting the port settings... The ML> BBS has already been communicating successfully with those on the ML> other end... ...something still has hold of the interrupt vector or ML> is otherwise "still standing in the doorway"... RLFOSSIL must be ML> there since it /is/ the FOSSIL and not a normal TSR FOSSIL driver... I wish i could grasp the full meaning of this. I checked `Kermit's documentation and there's a ~FOSSIL~-related "Disable-On-Close" feature: ________________________________________________________________________ The presumption is an external agent has selected the speed [...] and flow control. [...] Kermit is a polite user of one port via Interrupt 14h. A Fossil driver can also be used [...] lifting the normal upper limit of 4 [...] also enabling block reads and writes [...] certain fossil driver will stop working after its first connection has been closed. The workaround is to fully reinitialize the driver [...] some expect the external application to "deinitialize" [...] others expect it not to do so. MS-DOS Kermit will behave either way, according to: SET FOSSIL DISABLE-ON-CLOSE { ON, OFF } When OFF (the default), Kermit does NOT deinitialize the fossil driver upon exit. When ON, Kermit issues fossil function 05h to deinitialize the fossil driver. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I verified that "Disable-On-Close" is set to "Off"... Do you think "On" is worth a try or is it a problem caused by `RLFossil' exclusively? MS> ...tiny miracles may happen if i'm patient, right? ML> That's about all one can hope for! If i hadn't have any hope i just would have quit pursueing the same goal long ago! :) My quest for an external dialer will be a decade-old project in 2005 so i'm in no hurry but i'm certainly a bit persistent... I don't care much about this goal not being popular but would it be challenging if we all worked on it?... ;-) I just wish the timing were more favourable; i'm preoccupied with domestic matters all the time, my hobby space is so limited i keep moving the mouse as i hand-write! %-b, Salutations, :) Michel Samson a/s Bicephale http://public.sogetel.net/bicephale/ .... `MS-DOS v7.10a', Pkt-Driver, `RLFossil 8088' and `MS-Kermit v3.16' -!- MultiMail/MS-DOS v0.45 - Trying to make TelNet OLMR BBSing UNIVERSAL --- Maximus/2 3.01 * Origin: COMM Port OS/2 juge.com 204.89.247.1 (281) 980-9671 (1:106/2000) .