Date:	Sun, 8 Nov 1998 13:23:12 +0200 (IST)
From:	Eli Zaretskii <eliz AT is DOT elta DOT co DOT il>
X-Sender:	eliz AT is
To:	karmacop AT my-dejanews DOT com
cc:	djgpp AT delorie DOT com
Subject:	Re: Win32 Internet connectivity - possible?
In-Reply-To:	<723d4k$hp6$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com>
Message-ID:	<Pine.SUN.3.91.981108131624.12632J-100000@is>
MIME-Version:	1.0
Reply-To:	djgpp AT delorie DOT com

On Sun, 8 Nov 1998 karmacop AT my-dejanews DOT com wrote:

> Is there any way to get reliable, compatible, winsock-version-independent
> Internet connectivity under Windows 95/98 using DJGPP?

How can that be possible when Microsoft is actively preventing this from 
working by not supporting DOS programs in Winsock, and by constantly 
changing the Winsock low-level interface?

DOS program, such as those created by DJGPP, cannot use the Win32 API to 
Winsock, so that they need to use the semi-documented entry points to 
Winsock, whereby a far call to a certain absolute address invokes certain 
Winsock functions.

However, Microsoft constantly changes both the entry points and the 
interface used to communicate with Winsock.  This doesn't make the job of 
supporting Winsock easier, right?

> I see things like
> Cygnus gcc-win32 programs connecting with seemingly no problem

Because they use the Win32 API which is inaccessible from DOS programs.  
Install the RSXNTDJ add-on to DJGPP, and you will be able to use that API 
as well.

> but the only
> Internet connection libs I've been able to find for DJGPP haven't worked with
> Winsock 2, which makes things difficult.

Please consider to volunteer to add support for Winsock 2 to DJGPP.  The 
best people to do this job are those who need this the most.

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