From: "David Christensen" Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp,comp.lang.perl.misc References: <37b4a540 AT news5 DOT newsfeeds DOT com> <37b8620b AT news5 DOT newsfeeds DOT com> Subject: Re: djgpp, Win98, Perl, and serial port Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1999 13:22:12 -0700 Lines: 77 X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.72.3110.1 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.3110.3 NNTP-Posting-Host: 209.3.225.70 Message-ID: <37b870ba@news5.newsfeeds.com> X-Trace: 16 Aug 1999 15:12:42 -0500, 209.3.225.70 X-Report: Report abuse to abuse AT newsfeeds DOT com X-Abuse-Info: Please be sure to forward a copy of ALL headers, INCLUDING the body X-Abuse-Info2: ALL Spam complaints are acted upon within 24 hours! Organization: Newsfeeds.com http://www.newsfeeds.com 72,000+ UNCENSORED Newsgroups. Instant access!! To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com DJ-Gateway: from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp Reply-To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com Bill: >I think you mean a Perl version build with DJGPP 2.01. Did you compile it yourself, or just use a pre-build binary distribution? Pre-built binary. >I also must ask WHY? The last time I looked, the DJGPP-built Perl ... Because my work, and thus home, boxes are Win98. I want to support the FSF and their "GNU Software for MS-Windows and MS-DOS and Compatible Systems" (http://www.fsf.org/order/windows.html) seems to work well on Win98. The FSF/ DJGPP Perl also works well with Sambar Server (www.sambar.com) for Perl/CGI. >There are at least two common ports for Win98 ... Yup. >> This is my current attempt... >And it ... is doomed to failure on Win9x... Hmmm. Eli suggested that I look into serial I/O using DJGPP first, then try to do it in Perl. I also had the idea of writing test patterns to the serial port from Perl and seeing what happens. >> Searching around on Deja... >People with either of the above ports... OK that's what I thought. My back-up plan has always been CPAN first, ActivePerl second. >>> There is a gentleman in Japan... >I still have not seen results... He is constrained by the DOS (DPMI?) API, which I never learned -- I always programmed to the standard C library when I was on DOS. I did serial I/O once using MS Quick C several years ago, but couldn't figure out my code the last time I looked at it (~6 months?). I think I got the key bits from sample code in the MS Mouse Programmer's Guide. I remember there was one or more bios-something calls, but I couldn't find decent documentation for them or the DOS serial driver. It was monkey see, monkey do. For this project, I ended up learning the Win32 API stuff and writing a console utility to do blocking serial I/O with timeouts. My early development support apps were Win98 batch files calling the console utility. I then migrated the serial code into our Borland C++ Builder production app. The development need is back, and I refuse to use batch files -- thus Perl. But the console utility is slow and the constant open/closing of the serial port confuses everything on the RS-485 bus. The clean Perl solution would be a DJGPP::SerialPort. A work-around might be a Win32 service with a (piped? socketed?) console interface. Thanks for your insight and suggestions! :-) -- David Christensen dchristensen AT california DOT com -----------== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News ==---------- http://www.newsfeeds.com The Largest Usenet Servers in the World! ------== Over 73,000 Newsgroups - Including Dedicated Binaries Servers ==-----