Re: [guide-user] Guide ver 7 and XP

Chris Marriott Dec 3, 2001

----- Original Message -----
From: <gblair@...>
To: <guide-user@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, December 03, 2001 6:27 PM
Subject: Re: [guide-user] Guide ver 7 and XP


>
>
> Robust, asynchronous serial communications under Win2k (and hence WinXP
Pro) are
> a little trickier to implement than they were under any previous MS
operating
> system.

I must respectfully disagree, Grant. If serial comms is carried out using
the standard, documented, Windows API, it works equally well under Windows
2000 and Windows XP Pro as it does under any previous version of Windows.
Moreoever, it's guaranteed to carry on working under any future version of
Windows, too.

What can't be done under Windows NT, 2000, or XP, is the old "MS-DOS" method
of controlling the serial port by directly writing to its "memory mapped"
hardware. The operating system prevents such "tampering" under these
"secure" operating systems.

As I say, however, "obey the rules" and use the documented serial port
access methods and there are no problems.

Regards,

Chris
---------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Marriott, SkyMap Software, UK
e-mail: chris@... Web site: http://www.skymap.com
Astronomy software written by astronomers, for astronomers