Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ginosko!ctrsol!emory!stiatl!tom From: tom@stiatl.UUCP (Tom Wiencko) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: PRODIGY Summary: Series/1 and lots of proprietary code Message-ID: <7111@stiatl.UUCP> Date: 1 Oct 89 00:32:08 GMT References: <4185@cuuxb.ATT.COM> Reply-To: tom@stiatl.UUCP (Tom Wiencko) Organization: Wiencko & Associates, Inc. Lines: 28 In article <4185@cuuxb.ATT.COM> att!spock!jcd (Jack Dixon) writes: > >Does anyone know how the PRODIGY service from Sears/IBM handles the >communications between the PC and the host machine? I was wondering whether >it was custom software or whether there is an available library of functions >that provide the transport layer over a dialup link. I'm assuming that they >are using some error correcting protocol. Thanks for any info you can give. Last I checked they were using a *very* proprietary protocol, with custom software on the PC, a special set of comms code running on regional IBM Series/1 mini-computers, and some sort of (I believe) SNA flavored mainframe interface over MCI long distance lines. I got a call from some Series/1 contract head-hunters (I am one of the few people left in the world that speaks Series/1) about a long, long project fixing and enhancing Series/1 code for IBM to try to make this stuff work. Did not take the job. Near as I can tell, the code and the PC side protocols are *very* proprietary, and they are not even publishing an interface specification, much less a transport library. They want to *force* you to use their software, no matter how bad it is. (Can't have you taking out the ads or being able to print things....) Tom -- Tom Wiencko (w) (404) 977-4515 gatech!stiatl!tom Wiencko & Associates, Inc.