Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!tellab5!toth
From: toth@tellab5.tellabs.CHI.IL.US (J. G. Toth Jr.)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: kermit and the lower left corner!
Summary: Some history of the problem
	 hardware and software
Message-ID: <1117@tellab5.tellabs.CHI.IL.US>
Date: 6 Dec 88 15:30:14 GMT
References:  <8812021714.aa20222@SMOKE.BRL.MIL> <9061@smoke.BRL.MIL>
Organization: Tellabs, Inc. Lisle, IL
Lines: 61


In order to eliminate confusion, my system was purchased as an Enhanced //e
and included the Apple 80 column card an an Apple Super Serial card to drive
my ImageWriter.  I purchased the AST Multi/IO card around two years ago.

I use Kermit for all of my operations when using a modem.
A friend let me try his Apple Access II and Ascii Express Pro when I bought
my AST card.

Kermit not only allows interrupts, but REQUIRES them.  The Apple Super Serial
card works perfectly when the strap is set to enable the interrupts, and the
80 column card does not get in the way at all..

My friends programs work with the Super Serial Card even with the strap set
to enable interrupts since they override the processor interrupt.  I don't
know how they do it, but they have no problems when the page scrolls.

Since Kermit worked, I didnt't bother purchasing either of the others,
especially since we couldn't get vt100 emulation working on the Ascii
Express Pro ( but that is beside the point ), and use Kermit with my
Apple Super Serial Card.

Not one of the three programs work with AST card using the 6810 chip.
  Kermit - since I don't have information on how to enable interrupts,
           or the RS-232 control signals for data flow control.
  the other two - due to timing since the cards ignore the use of the
           RS-232 control signals for data flow control.

The big problem again comes to the lack of adequate documentation and support
for products.

I had to search for information on the 6810 chip used on the AST card hoping
to find out more about their register formats for word length / parity
control and interrupt operation control, since there is only a short section
in AST's manual about configuring word length/parity.

What I find is, it appears that AST uses a memory location for programs to
write the word length / parity configuration, and then the ROM firmware
reads this an writes to the 6810 registers.  This means that the average user
has no way of configuring some of the other NICE features of the 6810 chip.
Even people who know how to use all the features of a 6810 won't know how
to use it when on one of these cards since there is no correlation between
the chip's registers and the memory addresses used to set the information
in the register ( why can't the registers be directly mapped to an address? ).

Their manual gives no information on how to enable the interrupts.

And the worst part is that it generally takes so long to find out that there
are serious flaws in the design of a device that your card is out of warrenty
and/or are unable to return the card for a refund.

Since I have yet to hear from my letters to AST, I hope that somebody is out
there listening so that manufacturers change their policies.  I envision
being told that the fixes are in a PROM upgrade that will cost me almost
as much as the card did when new, and/or that I need to purchase a detailed
programmers manual to get the fixes/information that should have been part
of the package to begin with...
-- 
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Things can't really be as bad as they seem...	| Joseph G. Toth Jr.
Or CAN they!!!!					| ihnp4!tellab5!toth