From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
From: bwc@borf.com
To: 9fans@cse.psu.edu
Subject: Re: [9fans] General question about hosted interfaces
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Message-Id: <20010712214742.0560A199C0@mail.cse.psu.edu>
Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 17:48:21 -0400
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I've found both the 3com site and the Intel developer's site to be useful.
It still takes digging, but I've been lucky.  The smaller companies are
a problem.  Many of their products are `clones' and they don't even bother
to write a manual.

Also, the PCMCIA, PCI, USB, and other consortia provide the baseline
description of much of this stuff.  The vendors often just say what
parts they really do.  ANSI for the ATA spec, for example.  Since
there are many vendors playing in the same space this makes sense.
Back when only DEC defined what a VAX was, each peripheral's documentation
would fully describe that peripheral.  Now they say `vesa video controller'
and just describe what makes them different.

In 1996 I had top secret copies of one of Intel's chipset I was using.
Today you can the equivilant document off the web.

  Brantley

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From: "Chris Locke" <chris@cjl1.demon.co.uk>
To: <9fans@cse.psu.edu>
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Subject: Re: [9fans] General question about hosted interfaces
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Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 22:09:10 +0100

> So? What makes you think that someone else can?

As an individual (not representing a corporation)
I find it extremely difficult to get hold of data sheets.

I have filled in countless web-forms to register
for the ability to access the 'developer' pages
on a manufacturers site.

I have yet to gain access to a single one!

This make it hard for the hobbyist to get involved in
writing drivers.


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