1237a580aeac
tech



Hello Wayne - 

--8<--cut 

WC>> Had to check but because the 28800 modem was working
WC>> without retraining I knew it was a high speed buffered UART 

CA>> People think the 8250s and 16450s are less capable than
CA>> they are. From my testing 57600 is not a problem for
CA>> either of them. 

WC> You're smarter or just put more time into it than me than. 

No, sadly, I was burning up what hours I have left to satisfy a
'friend' who wanted to use his only machine, an 8088, to access
the Internet using his external modem (the only one he had) and
DOS software. I happened to have several old machines including
an 8086, 80286, 80386SX all working at the time and he did not.
I very carefully set minimal configs on the machines and did a
dozen transfers at each baud using DSZ on both machines until
they began to display resends and then assured him that his
machine could do 56K transfers but with no 'speed bursts' using
compression. Locked speeds of 115200 are not a good idea,
obviously. 

That 'friend' is the same person who now reviles me and has,
just recently, flamed me once again in the W95 echo. 

fwiw: I see the same potential in a few 'gurus' in the W95 echo
getting ready to launch a defense trying to prove that short
filenames within the registry are not a problem for Windows
even though Microsoft admits to the problem. :-( 

WC> I thought about using a ramdrive as buffer but did not
WC> pursue it. 

I used no special configuration, just minimal DOS and a null
modem cable. I happen to know it works because I was there. ;-) 

WC>> and yes it is 16550AF. 

CA>> That will allow some 'speed bursts' then, good. :-) 

WC> Not an issue now as I no longer have an operating 486 with
WC> unbuffered UART in operation. For fun in a few months time
WC> I may try salvaging a 16550 UART from my defunct
WC> motherboard and putting it into the good 486. 

With other machines that can connect to the Internet for you
this may not be worthwhile? 

WC>> Still going after the RAM for the Pentium 1 box but my
WC>> options have vastly expanded (VBG) Gotta check out H.P's
WC>> web site and see what the maximum processor for this baby
WC>> is. 

CA>> See? I told you I could see you going over to 'the dark
CA>> side'. ;-)

WC> Hey, if I had a hardware external 56K voice, FAX, data
WC> modem I'd likely trash 98 for a time and play with 3.1 on
WC> the big box, it DOES have one ISA slot currently occupied
WC> by a network card. 

Just teasing. I will be moving to a newer Windows version some
time in the near future myself. Lack of LFNs is causing me to
make mistakes and overwrite files here and on the FTP servers I
use. 

WC> Not a clue as to type of CD-ROM but noticed the _second_
WC> OEM CD has a whole slew of drivers including SoundBlaster
WC> and drivers for DOS, an entire CD with not a single bit
WC> remaining full of additional drivers! 

Don't lose that, I may request a copy someday. :-) 

CA>> You could now keep Linux on it's own system and Windows on
CA>> it's own system without the multiboot thing. 

WC> I still prefer to boot Linux out of DOS and I do want
WC> redundacy in depth much as I used to prefer to keep two
WC> motorcycles so as to not be without not that that ever came
WC> up. 

I'm finding that using one OS that uses SFNs and others that
use LFNs is a problem. Easy to forget and make mistakes. Using
8x3 requires thinking in those terms or things go wrong. 

WC> Currently PO'ed at 98 and all the automated setup and
WC> braindead OEM provided browsers with no apparent way to
WC> manually enter my news provider, SMTP, POP3, ect. 

ISPs got into the act and have arranged to box people in along
with their purchase of a computer. I find that extremely
annoying and think it should be illegal. It would be like an
assymetrical bead on automobile tires forcing you to buy from
that manuf or replace all your rims. 

WC> I _can_ setup the dialer and get a connection at Verizon
WC> through Explorer however. I just may load the ramdrive
WC> Basic Linux 1.8 onto the machine just to download Netscape
WC> with Links and install it in it's own directory. 

If you're going to download software for Windows and store it
on the hard drive just don't forget to unmount the drive before
you exit BasicLinux. ;-)

WC> I bought a stainless steel cart with wheels of substantial
WC> strength from my next door neighbors yard sale initially to
WC> facilitate the making of home brew as I cannot lug around
WC> the large water filled containers I figured this was just
WC> the thing and cut my beer expenditure to 12 dollars a month
WC> of real quality brewsky. Stands right about at sink and
WC> stove level and can be rolled out of the way on hardwood
WC> floors. 

Wish I had the room for that. I would enjoy attempting to make
my own beer. I am a beer drinker when I do drink. Never found
much of any other alcoholic beverage I like but I do enjoy
beer now and then. 

WC> Now what's sitting on that cart? An H.P. computer, monitor,
WC> keyboard and slew of manuals, disks, ect with me and the
WC> Pit Bull in between. I'm beginning to feel a little cramped
WC> like Roy ;- ) 

I have four computers here in this room in a somewhat circular
pattern and a swiveling chair on wheels. It looks absurd
truthfully. People just stare at it for awhile and then pretend
to not notice. I need to get rid of at least two of them but
hate to put useful things in the trash. 

>
>        ,                                        ,
>      o/      Charles_Angelich  - DOS Ghost       \o       ,
>       __o/
>     / >  www.undercoverdesign.com/dosghost/faf/  < \   __\__
 

___ * ATP/16bit 2.31 * 
... Santana-ish MP3 http://www.devedia.com/dosghost/ram/jdaniels.m3u

--- Maximus/2 3.01