discuss: Serial-Programming-HOWTO
Subject:
Re: Serial-Programming-HOWTO
From:
"Gary Frerking" ####@####.####
Date:
18 Jun 2004 22:26:53 -0000
Message-Id: <000a01c45583$5b192db0$6701a8c0@GARYLAP>
David,
I've tried to get in contact with Vern re: his materials (and to gain direct
permission to use them) and have had no luck.
So, I agree with your "what do we do with this one?" question.
Your point that I have not submitted anything since our discussion last year
is also well taken. I've simply been buried in too many personal and
business matters in "real life" to raise the priority to a high enough
level. I'm currently involved in moving myself and my family halfway across
the country, so I don't see the situation stablizing for at least the next
month or two.
I'm honestly still interested in helping; but realistically speaking I'm not
sure when I'll be able to complete the work and associated testing. Right
now, all my Linux boxes are packed up ready to move. Given all this, I
reluctantly agree that it makes sense to look for someone else to take over
the HOW-TO... that is, if a qualified person is available (and willing) to
do so. Serial programming is obviously a specialized field.
Please not that my email address is 'gary' not 'gray' as you had in your
email.
-- Gary
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Lawyer" ####@####.####
To: ####@####.####
Cc: ####@####.####
Sent: Friday, June 18, 2004 2:18 PM
Subject: Serial-Programming-HOWTO
> This HOWTO is dated Jan. 1998. In 2001, it was taken over by Gary
> Frerking and converted to DocBook but the text is still all as written
> in 1997. The tragedy is that in 1999 Vern Hoxie revised it, but refused
> to submit it due to the discussion on the list where some were
> suggesting that DocBook be required and that people would need to use
> CVS. This never happened at LDP and I explained that to him later but he
> still wouldn't submit it. He didn't like LinuxDoc either although
> that's what he wrote it in.
>
> Vern Hoxie started from scratch and redid the HOWTO, leaving out some of
> the advanced examples in the original, but offering a much better
> explanation of basic concepts which were often omitted from the
> original. I think the Hoxie's version is significantly better than the
> original. I discussed with him why he left out advanced topics and he
> implied that they could be learned elsewhere and would just require too
> much explanation. I think he's likely right but I still think that some
> of the material in the original needs to be incorporated in the HOWTO.
>
> So in Mar. 2003, I wrote this list and Gary F. about the fact that
> nothing had been done to merge these HOWTOs. Gary F. said he would try
> to find time to merge them, etc. But as of today it still hasn't been
> done. So 5 years have passed since Verne Hoxie's revision and it still
> hasn't been incorporated into Serial Programming.
>
> Another complication is that Vern Hoxie not only rewrote the HOWTO but
> rewrote the man page "termios" which is needed for the HOWTO. But I
> just checked the current man page as supplied by Debian and apparently
> his man page was never accepted as the man page. So should LDP have a
> HOWTO which is actually a man page to replace (or clarify) an existing
> man page? Probably not. I guess it should be included in the
> Serial-Programming-HOWTO, with the suggestion that the info in it be
> merged into the man page: termios.
>
> So what to do now? I only have very limited knowlege of serial
> programming and wrote a couple of simple programs about 20 years ago.
> So I'm not qualified to merge these HOWTOs. For example, Vern H. say to
> try to avoid using the select() system call while the original says to
> use it. I'm not qualified to evaluate this point as I've never used
> select(). And I just don't have the time to learn this material. So
> I'll ask on the serial mailing list if anyone wants to take on the task
> of merging and updating this HOWTO.
>
> David Lawyer
>
> ______________________
> http://lists.tldp.org/
>
>
>
>
