LF: Re^n: long haul QSO's .. >> programming

["Alberto di Bene" <dibene@usa.net>]

DL4YHF@aol.com wrote:
> [...]
> IMO, the serial port will
> exist a bit longer than the "LPT" port, and if not, there are a couple
> of USB->"COM" interface chips available which do not require advanced programming
> because they look like ordinary "COM" ports to an application. Or, as suggested
> earlier, use a PIC16F628 which has a nice UART and (in a PIC programmer's
> world) a large RAM and code memory. You can even program PICs in "C" these
> days as I saw on SM6LKM's page.
>  
Wolf,
   yes, if I recall correctly, the WinIO utility did work
only with the home versions of Windows
(95, 98, 98SE, ME), not with the 32-bit versions.

About the ports, maybe the best solution for those who plan to write Windows code to support
new weaksignal modes is to isolate the last layer of the actual interfacing with the port to a well
defined module, with a clearly defined interface with the rest of the program, such that it will be
possible to substitute the parallel version for the serial one, and viceversa. In this way everybody
will be happy.

73  Alberto  I2PHD