Re: Ada and WinNT

[mfb@mbunix.mitre.org (Michael F Brenner)]

Namely, I need to create a structure and store it at a predefined address
Jeramie > (ie for X'Address use A)  
        > WinNT has that wonderful element called the
        >  Hardware Abstraction Layer, and I cannot seem to break through.
  
This problem is increasing as the number of nt interfaces grows. How
do you do the following in Ada (or C or assembler for that matter):

   (a) light up a dot using x'address in a Ring 0 module without
             being thrown into 16-bit emulation mode

   (b) light up a dot using the ordinary nt interfaces

   (c) light up a dot using active x

   (d) light up a dot using direct x

   (e) get a reliable stream out of the COM port, 
       the keyboard UP and DOWN strokes, 
       the mouse strokes, 
       etc.

NT's lack of reliable streaming IN (mouse, keyboard UP strokes, 
serial, parallel, etc.), and streaming OUT (to memory addresses, 
pixels, serial, parallel) is quite troublesome. Private modules 
and unsafe commercial applications are being produced specificially 
because of lack of these features in NT. 

It would be nice to have a web site showing how to do these things,
so nt's could get the information from their memory mapped devices
like other operating systems can, and so programs can light up the
dots on the screen in realtime.