Re: NTLK backtalk and infrared email?

From: Bill Davis (newton@ecity.net)
Date: Sun Mar 05 2000 - 03:48:07 EST


On 3/2/2000 6:32 PM, Ed Kummel [mailto:tech_ed@yahoo.com] wrote:

>GASP!?!
>You mean that the Newton has the potential of
>conforming to an industry standard? You gotta know
>that my true agnostic side must see this for myself
>for evidence! Not that I don't trust your knowledge,
>but Apple's had a very bad habit of creating
>"standards" that only Apple adhered to...

What Apple-only standards are those, Ed? Only one I can think of
off-hand is ADB on the hardware side and Appletalk on the
software/networking side (which Microsoft and other PC vendors also
support, by the way, as to major hardware vendors like HP, Lexmark,
Konica, etc.)

Or do you mean industry standards like SCSI? ATAPI/IDE? Firewire? USB?
  PCI? PCMCIA? Ethernet? NuBus? Unicode? Last I checked those were
all industry standards that Apple has supported for years, and in some
casees (notably Firewire and Unicode) been heavily involve in creating in
conjunction with others or separately. Sorry if I seem sarcastic here,
but I honestly don't know WHAT you're talking about. Certainly the very
obvious and visible evidence seems to disagree with you.

As I understand it, IrDA is an evolving standard, with new protocols
being added often. The IrDA of today is different from the IrDA of two
or three years ago when the 2x00's were released. It's hardly fair to
criticize a discontinued machine for not supporting things that didn't
exist when it was discontinued.

I use my Newton 2x00 all the time with IrDA capable HP printers. I can
also print to those same printers over Ethernet, Localtalk, etc, from my
Newton or my Mac PowerBook.

I stuck a Windows-labeled USB PCMCIA card from HiVal in my Mac...worked
perfectly.

I bought a Windows-labeled Hayes modem for my Newton...worked perfectly.

Seriously, Ed, you've got to get over this incorrect or misinformed
problem you seem to have with Apple equipment. ;-)

I realize you apparently had a bad experience when you were using Macs,
but I can assure you that it's the exception rather than the rule. I've
been in EXACTLY the same situation you were in and did NOT have those
problems. Your comments the other day about having to upgrade all your
software every time you change the Mac OS or CPU was the most
unbelievable thing I've ever heard. I was half-tempted to think you were
a "troll", as they're called, trying to stir up trouble with false info.
I know that's not true, but my experience has been so contrary to yours,
I confess to thinking it for a minute.

I've owned half a dozen different Macs since 1984, and used dozens more
at work. My personal hardware even includes one motherboard swap in a
laptop to go from 680x0 to PowerPC and I have used EVERY OS version since
1984, and can only recall a handful oftimes where I've had to upgrade a
piece of software due to a new OS version, and it was usually very old
software too. It happens, sure, but not to EVERY piece of software every
time, as you said. I've used Apple equipment since 1984, and ran a tech
support department for many years supporting customers and staff at three
different Apple software vendors (including the vendor of QuickMail and
QuicKeys you said you had problems with) from 1987 thru 1998 and never
seen or heard of anything like the problems you said you had.

Oh, and I do use and program on Windows equipment too. Every day. I've
been doing so (not every day, but for many years) since 1985 or 1986.
I've got a 400Mhz Dell box at work, running Windows'98 and am presently
learning Microsoft Access. Most poorly written, buggy, needlessly
complex pieces of junk around, both of 'em. (My current Dell box is
pretty nice, though. I was running Windows and Access in VirtualPC
emulation on my mac, and still do from time to time at home.) I have
nothing installed but what Dell sold us, and it's flaky as heck. My
heavily customized Mac PowerBook is far more stable, and I've got a
zillon devices hooked up to it, to boot.

>I'ld like to get a copy of this application and see if
>it works! "for my first trick, I will beam my card
>from my Newton to my HP 320CE device"

I don't recall if they support WinCE yet, but definitely Palm and some
other devices, and working on more. Search Info-Newt (URL below) for
BackTalk and you'll find the URL.

>This must be one heck of some complicated
>code...create an IP connection and then it must

Huh? Who said anything about IP? What are you talking about?

>redirect all data to the IR device (and we all know
>how the Newton chews up batteries when it uses it IR
>device) and send the data in a format that is
>recognizable to the recipient! Man would I like to see
>that...If this works...WOW! I've almost gotten to the
>point that when I'm confronted with a group of work
>associates with Palm Pilots, I don't want them to know
>I've got a Newton! They look and smile egotistically
>knowing that I can't participate in any of their
>reindeer games...Hah! This will be fun!

Well, you can beam back and forth to 'em now! And your handwriting
recognizer, screen size and backlight are far better (I've got a Palm
IIIx, too, so I know what I'm talking about). AND you can do Ethernet
(well, you could if you were using a Mac <grin>) although reportedly
there is a Palm Ethernet cradle coming this year. That'll be nice!

>Ed
>Web/cellphone guru with a new purpose!

Hey, it'd be great if you could come up with a web site with info on
using cellphones and wireless stuff with the Newton, you appear to have
quite a bit of knowledge and experience in that area!

 - Bill

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