Date   : Sat, 11 Jul 2009 09:39:40 +0100
From   : info@... (Sprow)
Subject: Master ethernet upgrade

In article <2f806cd70907100115s6e5362d7k83f9835e3f7bada0@...>,
   Rob <robert@...> wrote:
> 2009/7/10 Sprow <info@...>:
> >
> > What's missing at the moment is any kind of API to allow users such as
> > yourself to talk to the network.
> >
> > I guess the simplest thing to do would be present a BSD-a-like sockets
> > interface via OSWord or something similar. Or maybe sockets via a filing
> > system....
>
> I'd definitely like to see a BSD Sockets style interface, as that
> would be the easiest way to port code in to use it.  I assume you'd
> present a general OSWORD call to allow this. 

In article <090710235508@...>,
   Jonathan Graham Harston <jgh@...> wrote:
> I drafted up an Ethernet API way back in 1993 when I was at AFE
> when I drafted <http://mdfs.net/Docs/Comp/BBC/URIFetcher>. I'll see
> if I can dig it up.

Well, let's see if anything turns up. BSD sockets seem to be widely
understood so seem like a good starting point.

In article <2f806cd70907100115s6e5362d7k83f9835e3f7bada0@...>,
   Rob <robert@...> wrote:
> The filing system option
> would be great for BASIC programmers who don't want to get their hands
> dirty in the low level stuff...  So yes, both of the above!

In article <090710235508@...>,
   Jonathan Graham Harston <jgh@...> wrote:
> >  F=OPENOUT"sprow.co.uk:80"
>  
> F=OPENOUT("-http-sprow.co.uk:80") shirley?

Probably not, because the -http- part would be looked up by the filing
system handler in the MOS. The table is of limited size which would
massively restrict the number of protocols (ports) that could be handled.

And the ":80" specifies well known port "http" which is duplication.

Maybe F=OPENOUT("-wan-sprow.co.uk:80")?

> Another idea might be to give a hook into the RS423 code - there's a
> lot of server and client code out there that is just dying to be
> network enabled .. I've added that functionality in BeebEm for Windows
> (available now in v4.02) and there is similar code in the *nix
> version.

In article <2f806cd70907100115s6e5362d7k83f9835e3f7bada0@...>,
   Rob <robert@...> wrote:
> > It does replace the Econet module, but (not knowing much about AUN) I 
> > assume with an API of some sort it could directly talk Econet just over 
> > a different medium.
>
> It should certainly be possible.  'real' Econet sends data in a four
> way handshake, with command codes sent in the fist, packet, and just
> data in the third, each being ack'd. [snip] I've had a RISC OS machine
> logging into and saving files on
> a Level 2 fileserver on an emulated Model B via AUN quite happily.
>
> Obviously it'd need a hacked up, or re-writtem, NFS or ANFS rather
> than doing the man-in-the-middle translation I'm doing for BeebEm, but
> that would probably make it easier to implement!

I'll bow to your superior AUN knowledge, but I was expecting that NFS/ANFS
could probably be operated on in a similar manner to Joh Kortink's patched
disc filing systems which do sector operations via OSWord,
Sprow.