Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 11:30:16 +0200 (IST)
From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz AT is DOT elta DOT co DOT il>
X-Sender: eliz AT is
To: Richard Dawe <richdawe AT bigfoot DOT com>
cc: DJGPP workers <djgpp-workers AT delorie DOT com>,
        Michael Callahan <mjc AT rodagroup DOT com>,
        "Peter J. Braam" <braam AT cs DOT cmu DOT edu>
Subject: Re: Integrating BSD socket networking into DJGPP
In-Reply-To: <36D9AB86.52F13C41@meridian22.net>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.990301112947.2578P-100000@is>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Reply-To: djgpp-workers AT delorie DOT com


On Sun, 28 Feb 1999, Richard Dawe wrote:

> 	I was wondering what the position is on integrating something
> like libsocket into DJGPP, in order to provide BSD socket networking.

I'd vote for it, in general.

But please tell more about the meaning of ``integrating''.  Is there
anything beyond providing a library against which DJGPP programs can
be linked?

> 1. It doesn't work under plain old DOS.

This is unfortunate, but IMHO shouldn't be a show-stopper.  If the
need arises, others could come up with solutions for plain DOS.  Most
computers connected to the net boot Windows (or Linux ;-) these days
anyway.

> 2. It needs lots of configuration.

This could mean there's a need for a configuration tool.

Can you explain what configuration is needed, and why ``lots'' of it?

> 3. It has too many bugs for my liking, and is still in rapid development.

Obviously, bugs need to be removed before any package is released ;-)

> 4. It comprises a lot of code.

How much is ``a lot''?

> Having said this, the Coda project's SOCK.VXD would allow a much cleaner
> interface than the one needed by Winsock's WSOCK.VXD, so it might be
> better to dump libsocket and write the BSD socket networking from scratch.

Are we sure SOCK.VXD will always work?  Can some future Windows
version break it?

And why does it allow a cleaner interface?  Is it simply because its
interface is documented, as opposed to Winsock's?