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Message Digest
Volume 28 : Issue 258 : "text" Format
Messages in this Issue:
Re: Dr. James Marsters, TTY deaf service developer
Re: Dr. James Marsters, TTY deaf service developer
Serial communications (was: Dr. James Marsters, TTY deaf service developer)
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Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:29:19 -0500
From: Jim Haynes <jhaynes@cavern.uark.edu>
To: redacted@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Subject: Re: Dr. James Marsters, TTY deaf service developer
Message-ID: <slrnhb4out.3a6.jhaynes@localhost.localdomain>
In all this discussion of serial port connectors, we need to keep in
mind that RS-232 only specified the interface as a connector mounted
on the modem and a cord coming from the "business machine" to the
modem. If the manufacturer of the business machine decided to put a
connector there, as most of them did, then the pin arrangement was
not covered by the standard and could be anything at all.
I always like to save a portion of the blame for the standards process
in this country: paying for standards work by copyrighting and charging
for copies of the standard. The price is usually not high, but the
pre-Internet process of finding out who publishes the standard and how
to order copies was a significant deterrent. So many equipment designers
learned about the standard the same way they learned about sex, from
hearsay on the streets and playgrounds.
Contrast this with the way the Arpanet/Internet developed, with standards
freely available online.
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:04:07 +1000
From: David Clayton <dcstar@myrealbox.com>
To: redacted@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Subject: Re: Dr. James Marsters, TTY deaf service developer
Message-ID: <pan.2009.09.17.22.04.05.792237@myrealbox.com>
On Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:03:28 -0400, Jim Haynes wrote:
........
> I always like to save a portion of the blame for the standards process in
> this country: paying for standards work by copyrighting and charging for
> copies of the standard. The price is usually not high, but the
> pre-Internet process of finding out who publishes the standard and how to
> order copies was a significant deterrent. So many equipment designers
> learned about the standard the same way they learned about sex, from
> hearsay on the streets and playgrounds.
>
> Contrast this with the way the Arpanet/Internet developed, with standards
> freely available online.
But it just highlights how various people will always disregard any
"standard" if it is convenient.
In the telecoms area I still recall various voice mail systems that used
DTMF in-band signalling who's designers decided that things like the
inter-digit pauses, minimum pulse widths etc could all be cut back from
whatever the standard was because it just worked with whatever other
equipment they were using at the time (why spend 3.3 seconds sending all
the tones when it can be done in 2.8 seconds...... our equipment is
"better" if it does this quicker.....)
The trouble was that later on someone would invariably try and get this
non-standard stuff working with something that was quite finicky with
anything outside the DTMF standard, and many (many) hours would be wasted
trying to work out what the problem was.
--
Regards, David.
David Clayton
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Knowledge is a measure of how many answers you have, intelligence is a
measure of how many questions you have.
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2009 04:29:03 +0000 (UTC)
From: "Adam H. Kerman" <ahk@chinet.com>
To: redacted@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Subject: Serial communications (was: Dr. James Marsters, TTY deaf service developer)
Message-ID: <h8v2af$g67$1@news.albasani.net>
Jim Haynes <jhaynes@cavern.uark.edu> wrote:
>In all this discussion of serial port connectors, we need to keep in
>mind that RS-232 only specified the interface as a connector mounted
>on the modem and a cord coming from the "business machine" to the
>modem. If the manufacturer of the business machine decided to put a
>connector there, as most of them did, then the pin arrangement was
>not covered by the standard and could be anything at all.
It didn't specify the well-known DB-25 connector, but gender of the
connectors was specified, male on terminal and female on communications
equipment. RS-232 standardized the voltage of signals and the functions
of the physical interface pins, up to 20 different signal connections.
I'm doing this from memory. I've got what's his name's famous book on
serial communications around here somewhere.
>I always like to save a portion of the blame for the standards process
>in this country: paying for standards work by copyrighting and charging
>for copies of the standard. The price is usually not high, but the
>pre-Internet process of finding out who publishes the standard and how
>to order copies was a significant deterrent. So many equipment designers
>learned about the standard the same way they learned about sex, from
>hearsay on the streets and playgrounds.
So a widely distributed method that educates the public on standards
could improve sex too? I'm willing to give it a try.
>Contrast this with the way the Arpanet/Internet developed, with standards
>freely available online.
One assumes memos were mailed back and forth in the beginning.
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End of The Telecom digest (3 messages)
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