c++ programming evironment

[Ian Malone]

On 6/21/06, jdow <jdow at earthlink.net> wrote:
> From: "David Fletcher" <fc at fletchersweb.net>
>

> >
> > I'm interested in this thread too, but for different reasons.
> >
> > We have a looming problem at work, which is a test instrument that's
> > controlled by a DOS program on a PC via a serial cable. It works OK but
> > serial ports are fast vanishing from PCs especially laptops.
>
> Um, USB to serial adapters exist. (Two kinds exist, actually. One is
> a three wire serial emulation. The other is a full emulation.) These
> work remarkably well. I've been using them for over a year now. So
> adapting the DOS program to almost anything while maintaining a serial
> port interface should be no problem at all for either 'ix or 'indows
> environments.
>

It is a problem for hobbyists though.  I did a project a few years ago
that used a parallel port to interface with an A/D convertor and a
multiplexer.  This is incredibly easy to program in linux.  You can't
do this with USB without interface chips/dongles, and the software
side is more complicated.

-- 
imalone