Del,
> Yes, but the data conversion is the "easy" part.
This is true if the data is in standard formats.
(e.g. PIC, gif, aiff) in which case the communication
software has nothing to do with data conversion.
Many applications exist to translate Mac files
to other common formats.
convert
PIC <-> GIF
incl with ImageMagick-4.8.?
Dupont public license
dbf2dif(?)
DBF (FoxPro, Dbase III) -> DIF
public domain perl(?) scripts
sox
SND <-> AIFF
GPL(?)
> (For example, it does not matter what endianness the
> computers have, since communications software [...]
> should take care of that, shouldn't it?)
Communications software SHOULD NOT take care of
endian issues, unless it knows how to parse the
file into chars, shorts, longs, etc. and thus knows
where to apply the endian conversions.
Division of function (each application does
one thing well) precludes communications software
from being more than a pipe that transfers files
and messages as a single unit. As new formats arise, either all
communication software must be updated
to parse the new format, or communication software
will mishandle or ignore it.
The normal approach is that communication
software simply transfers an ordered array of bytes.
Presentation software usually translates the information
between known formats (e.g. tiff) and local memory
formats (e.g. big endian octet bytes).
Another practical approach use a general purpose
format (e.g. ANSI DIF, a.k.a ISO 9945-2) so the
presentation software can use standard libraries to
parse and translate the information.
In a few cases, general purpose syntax
descriptions like XML (W3C ???) allow translation
of information.
> Nobody described, however, how to set up any hardware
> connection (except one person who said it can be done
> with a cable that has to be built first).
I apologize for lack of clarity. I had built
a cable because it was convenient for me to do so.
You should be able to buy an IBM<->Mac cable at a
local computer shop for 10-100 USD. At that time
(1982), I could research and build one in 4 hr, while
it would have taken me 3 hr to research it, and 20 USD
to have it built.
Dr. Robert J. Meier FANUC Robotics North America
tel:+1.248.377.7469 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
