Return to BSD News archive
Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!usc!rutgers!spcvxb!mauritz_c
From: mauritz_c@spcvxb.spc.edu
Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.misc
Subject: Re: Digiboards and BSDI/386
Message-ID: <1993Jun7.100932.6179@spcvxb.spc.edu>
Date: 7 Jun 93 14:09:32 GMT
References: <1993Jun1.091623.6127@spcvxb.spc.edu> <1ule4l$rq5@wzv.win.tue.nl> <C82Aw4.16s@percy.rain.com> <1993Jun4.094829.6159@spcvxb.spc.edu> <C87uAF.96A@percy.rain.com>
Organization: SPC Community Access System
Lines: 40
In article <C87uAF.96A@percy.rain.com>, nerd@percy.rain.com (Michael Galassi) writes:
> mauritz_c@spcvxb.spc.edu writes:
>
>>I find it somewhat irritating that companies like Digiboard
>>and Diamond can't seem to decide if they're in the hardware
>>or the software business. :-/
>
> Being under non-disclosure and having the developers kit from Digi
> I can see why they do this. Knowing the interface they use could
> save competitors much work. FYI, Digi is in both business's, their
> product without the driver that loads into the board for execution
> by the 80188 would be worth little or nothing and this is the part
> they are trying to protect.
>
> I've no affiliation with DigiBoard or BSDI other than a very satisfied
> customer of both companies.
Well, the bottom line(s):
1. I need a multiport card. I will buy one in less than a week.
2. I have heard good things about Digiboard, but I can't use one
without a proper driver.
3. I am puzzled that Digiboard wouldn't pay someone to write a
driver and sell it in binary form if they are so concerned about
people discovering their "trade secrets."
This isn't really intended as a flame, but I'm just scratching my
head trying to figure out what is going on. You'd figure that if
Dboard could sell 100 drivers, they could probably pay for the man
hours required to write it.
It would be truly unfortunate, if I had to either (a) get another
smart board because of this or (b) buy a dumb board and load down
my cpu with serial I/O.
Regards,
Christopher Mauritz