From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.8 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_DATE, MSGID_SHORT autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!usc!ucsd!telesoft!choll From: choll@telesoft.com (Chris Holl @adonna) Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Keyboard input Summary: Keyboard input from IBM mainframes Message-ID: <1066@telesoft.com> Date: 26 Sep 90 00:16:46 GMT References: <39@screamer.csee.usf.edu> <920031@hpclapd.HP.COM> <2172@sparko.gwu.edu> Organization: TeleSoft, San Diego, CA. List-Id: Posted for Brian Nettleton: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- In article written 06:58 Mon Sep 24, 1990 by mfeldman@seas.gwu.edu he states: >My impression (from only limited experience with CMS) is that single-character >I/O is difficult at best under CMS because the CMS device drivers (or "access >methods" in IBM parlance) assume non-scrolling terminals and line-oriented >input (hence the MORE...) message at the bottom of every screen. This is not >an Ada problem, rather an OS one. In fact, I tried using an _ASCII_ terminal >driver (provided, I think, for interactive APL users among others). Prof. Feldman is essentially correct here, I haven't seen any single- character I/O through standard IBM terminal controllers. However, the problem isn't with the OS so much as the hardware. IBM 3270-series terminals are block-mode devices. Keystrokes modify a local buffer. The user can alter the contents of the local buffer. Transfer of data to the CPU doesn't happen until the user hits enter. We've had some success doing character I/O through a different IBM peripheral called a 3705 Communication Controller (or any 37xx Communication Controller). What we did was to get the mainframe to talk to a MC68000 board for a (now unsupported) 370 to 68k cross- compiler, but the RS-232 cable could have as easily been connected to a terminal and single-character I/O made to work well. -Brian Nettleton TeleSoft