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.