From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
From: Lucio De Re <lucio@proxima.alt.za>
To: 9fans@cse.psu.edu
Subject: Re: [9fans] An old laptop
Message-ID: <20020423121833.I13019@cackle.proxima.alt.za>
References: <8f6cf824.0204221851.61651a27@posting.google.com> <200204230951.KAA22311@cthulhu.dircon.co.uk>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
In-Reply-To: <200204230951.KAA22311@cthulhu.dircon.co.uk>; from Digby Tarvin on Tue, Apr 23, 2002 at 10:51:30AM +0100
Date: Tue, 23 Apr 2002 12:18:34 +0200
Topicbox-Message-UUID: 79e7abe8-eaca-11e9-9e20-41e7f4b1d025

On Tue, Apr 23, 2002 at 10:51:30AM +0100, Digby Tarvin wrote:
>
> I would quite like to have a go at a driver, but the stumbling block
> was that Xircom were never willing to release programming information
> for the PE3.
>
There are other parallel to ethernet adapters, Accton, for one,
used to build such an item.

I don't like the PC parallel port, however, it seems to be quite
weakly supported all round.  My limited electronic knowledge does
not explain why, for example, my WinNT box has so much trouble
printing (admittedly past an HP scanner) - it positively grinds to
a ver slow pace.

Funnily enough, Russ Nelson, who was deeply involved with the
ancient packet drivers for ethernet adapters (anyone remember him?
he still hangs around lugnet and lego robotics, apparently) complained
that Xircom had broken the packet drivers licence by adopting them
for their adapters and refusing to disclose the details.

Might explain why they insist on so much secrecy.

Going back to Accton, someone recently mentioned finding the details
of just such a device from some site that archived drivers that
Accton had stopped providing, I don't recall the exact details,
but I can find out more if it helps.

++L