Re: [NTLK] Recommend PCI wifi card that handles appletalk?

From: Peter H. Coffin (hellsop_at_ninehells.com)
Date: Tue Sep 07 2004 - 11:41:25 PDT


On Tue, Sep 07, 2004 at 03:17:19AM -0400, resellerz_at_650dialup.com wrote:
> > >PS I think this is more about the driver then the hardware.
> >
> > Thanks, I'll look for an alternate driver. Any recommendations on
> > that?
>
> \In short, D-link products are not recommendable for Appletalk
> applications.
>
> That's informative but not very helpful. It's been a while since I've
> used a real Mac and I forgot that Apple basically locked themselves
> into Airport for all their wireless networking--

You misunderstand; Apple didn't lock themselves into *anything*. They
continued to support the Appletalk protocol just as they always had.
OTHER manufacturers, like Linksys, D-link, etc. looked at the Appletalk
specs, and decided that they couldn't be bothered to since there were
few enough Appletalk networks to not care. Many wireless cards don't
support VINES or SNADS either, for exactly the same reasons. Apple
thinks people will still pay for Appletalk support, and have an interest
in maintaining their customers. D-Link doesn't care.

> I can't even find
> a standard PCI wifi card on eBay that appears to be Appletalk
> compatible. I guess if I want a wireless NCU connection I'm going to
> have to shell out for an iBook.

Or you could buy an Airport (or Netgear MR314) and a $50 beige G3, or
solve it by many other means that we're happy to help with. It's just
not a thing that can get solved by running down to Best Buy and picking
up any old wireless card and sticking it into your PC. It's not a cheap
thing to do.

> Still it does seem to me that there ought to be some software
> trick that could fool a tcp/ip wifi board into handling appletalk
> packets. This is probably not the correct forum to ask about that
> though.

The software trick is called "driver software". Getting any changes to
driver software, or learning about it, is a Difficult Proposition, as
the manufactures seem to generally consider such things top secret
information.

> I'll just get a Newton-compatible wired Ethernet card and use a
> conventional router. Thanks.

That'll likely work.

Remember, Newts don't generally spend a lot of time connected to
anything, wireless or wired. They're very independant beasts, and can
usually make a quick connection and get unplugged again.

-- 
If any foreign minister begins to defend to the death a "peace conference,"
you can be sure his government has already placed its orders for new
battleships and airplanes.  -Joseph Stalin, Soviet Premier
-- 
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