Re: [MiNT] PLIP-driver

[Martin-Eric Racine <q-funk@pp.fishpool.fi>]

On Mon, 1 Nov 1999, Torsten Lang wrote:

> concerning the renaming ideas of Martin-Eric:
> 
> I personally dislike the idea for the following reason: It
> WILL confuse users who already know and use PLIP if you
> rename the old stuff and put some new under the SAME name!

Which is not what I'm doing at all.

Keep track of the broader picture:

I have friends porting our implementation of PLIP to Linux.  Do
you honestly think that the Linux community is gonna rename their
drivers?  No, they will obviously point out that their PLIP is
older and runs on a wider variety of hardware (which has 100% of 
the Centronic port's signals - Ataris do not), so they are _not_
gonna introduce it in their source three using the name PLIP.

> So if you want to write new drivers simply give them new
> names and document what you've done - that's ok for all.

I am _not_ writing new drivers for MiNT.  I am porting our
drivers to Linux, with help from friends.

> BTW, The Linux PLIP uses 4 bit data transmission plus some
> handshake lines which is impossible with the original Atari
> hardware.

Yes, I have read the docs, thank you....

> So since you will also have to write a new PLIP driver for
> Linux (and Amiga and any other interesting platform if you
> want to have a "compatible" protocol) simply give it a new
> name and all will be happy. 

Which is what I'm doing here:  I'm renaming _our_ protocol, to
avoid confusion with the similarly named protocol of a larger
platform we are trying to interact with.

> It may even worth a thought of porting the actual MiNT-Net
> PLIP to Linux. 

See above.....

> AFAIK the Atari PLIP also allows multiple machines to connect
> together (at least I think to remember Kay telling me so)
> which is quite interesting. 

Nope.  That would require a host with multiple Centronic ports.

> But I never evperimented with that since the Yamaha sound
> chip is very sensitive and ports are easily and quickly
> destroyed when collisions occur!

*sigh*  Have you even read Kay's PLIP docs?

> I'm not adhering to Linux  so I see no necessarity to be
> "compatible" in the way that every driver name, every file
> name and so on tastes like Linux.

Ever heard about NetBSD?  They support the exact same PLIP
variant as Linux; so do other Unices.  

(note:  the NetBSD source tree includes support for PLIP but, for
obvious hardware deficiencies, it is #undef for the Atari port)

Since _we_ are the minority here, _we_ have to bow and be
considerate to the majority of users out there.

PS:  while you obviously don't give a damn about Linux, bear in
     mind that for _MANY_ people on this list, interacting with
     other Unices, especially Linux, is a top priority.  As our
     MiNT-Net maintainer, you simply cannot dismiss that fact.

-- 
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Martin-Éric Racine            The Atari Stacy and TT030 Homepage
Lappeenranta, Finland          http://members.tripod.com/~TT030/
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   "When the time comes, I will know and I shall be."  Q-Funk