Re (2): [Oberon] simplifying Dialer

[peasthope at shaw.ca]

Joerg,

Thanks for your reply and particularly for the 
reference to the OSI layers.  I've never seen 
Linux chat and pppd explained so concisely.

js> ... provide a kind of "chaining mechanism"
(e.g. script) to facilitate things.

Precisely what Dialer.Dial does. The last statement 
of the Dial script is normally "CALL PPPMain.StartInst".  
When dialing a telephone call this is omitted of course. 

js> Personally, I would not mix layer 1 and layer 2 
functionality in one program ...

Understood.  The changes I imagine are merely to 
generalize parameter handling and would affect 
only the layer 1 capability.  Specifically,  
(1) make the target number an optional parameter of 
the command rather than a constant in the Dial script and 
(2) make the device parameter optional.  Considering 
that the syntax is quite specific---"Device0" or 
"Device1" or "Device2" ... ---the source code would 
 not be excessive.  This syntax might be acceptable.

"Dialer.Dial" ScriptName [Parameter [Parameter]] "~"

Parameter = Device | TargetNumber.
Device = "Device0" | "Device1" ... .
TargetNumber = Number | "P"Number | "T"Number.

(For most modems, "P" and "T" invoke pulse and tone 
dialing.) 

Regards,          ... Peter E.