[Oberon] Re: Occasional data transfer between boxes ?

[jan verhoeven]

Op Thursday 11 August 2005 09:22 schreef easlab at absamail.co.za:

[Iomega technology]
 > I seldom use mine now, especially since I lost a disk or 2 of files.  I 
 > guess they are redundant given present solid-state devices, now ?

Yes. By far. A 128 MB CF card costs less than a 100 MB ZIP disk. And it is 
more reilable. And it fits many laptops and notebook sized PC's standard.

 > Will anyone want to invest time developing software for
 > redundant hardware ?

No.

 > It's amazing that these mechanical things worked as well as they did.

In 1997 it was a marvelous piece of engineering. It was execellent combined 
with my 80 MB HDD. Nowadays, even the 250 MB device is a waste of money.

 > I can't see why the telco-based-ISP can't 'feed-back' an
 > engaged signal to allow the client to make an intelligent
 > choice of not going on line, then.

I don't know about the canadian situation, but here, the telco gets 5 cents 
for each time I manage to establish a connection, an 'off hook' situation 
at the receiving end. Plus a few cents for every second I am connected.

Many phonebased ISP's get a percentage based on the amount of traffic that 
a certain (range of) numbers generates. So, it would be a waste of money 
for them to issue the 'engaged' signal.

 > I would only know how to ftp via the serial-port &
 > modem to my ISP and back from the ISP to the other
 > box which is 2 meters away.  

Can you ftp to a Linux box somewhere in your office? That would at least 
cut out the telco.

 > How can I ftp [easily] directly between boxes? And why bother to ftp
 > when n-o has a serial-port I/O utility, as has DOS, linux, WIN?
 > Isn't it better to fix/tune the existing ?

You do have a point here. Isn't there a kind of laplink?

 > But I can't understand what is the problem/secrecy with USB; even 
 > IBM/OS2 didn't have the drivers initially ?

You can get the USB manuals from Intel. And there are simpler documents as 
well, but believe me: you don't want to read them. 

It's DULL reading. D U L L  r e a d i n   g  zzzzz 

I need to clear out my dungeon and dedicate one special machine to Native 
Oberon, that uses the right NIC and has the IDE / CF adapter in it.
I wonder whether the adapter will run in one of my old 386's with an ISA 
multi-I/O card.

-- 
Met vriendelijke groeten

Jan Verhoeven
http://fruttenboel.verhoeven272.nl