#: 12205 S12/OS9/68000 (OSK)
    12-Sep-91  04:17:14
Sb: #OSK standards
Fm: Ed Gresick 76576,3312
To: Robert A. Larson 75126,723 (X)


 Bob,

 I appreciate your response and input.

 Are you on DELPHI?  If so, could you upload 'oskstand.doc' there.  If not,
 may I do so?  The discussions re standards are going on there.  I'm trying
 to keep people on the other boards/nets informed so, I'd like to upload
 your file to Fidonet.

 My comments -

 I agree with you re TERMCAP.  One point - to the best of my knowledge,
 TERMCAP does not address graphics.  Extensions could be added but this
 would be ill-advised since the dominate users of TERMCAP come from the
 mainframe and UNIX communities.  They could decide to add their own
 extension creating possible conflicts.  Therefore, graphics, mouses (or
 mice), etc. data should probably go into a separate environmental file.

 Re S-ISHARE.  Never thought of that.  Has possibilities but I think every-
 one will have to agree to that.  So far as I've seen, most programmers
 are using some sort of lock file.  I do see one problem - how would you
 know what the pid is of the process controlling the port so you could
 remove it for outgoing calls?

 Printers present the same problem terminals do.  I heard that someone
 has already written a PRINTERCAP file.  Needs looking into.

 On OSK, 'xmode' can get and set type and baud rate already without
 deinizing so I assume you can do the same thing with getstat/setstat calls.

 I think that writing a bi-directional driver to handle both incoming and
 outgoing calls 'simultaneously' as you suggest would be a bear.  Could be
 done but I'm not sure it's necessary.  I already use a common port for
 both incoming and outgoing calls on my CoCo.  My set-up does require a
 lock file.

 (Continued in part 2)

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