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APSoft willing to make new socket services build.

Started by RTB2011, 2011.04.25, 17:31:29

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RTB2011

I recently emailed APSoft regarding a build for a TI x515 chipset.  They replied they'd be able to add support for it and several other chipsets, but need cash to do so...  Around 3k euros.  Is there any community interest in this?  It's a lot of money to be sure but supporting these chipsets would go a long ways towards future proofing OS/2 on newer laptops.

The complete list of what they could support with their Socket Services driver update is displayed below, taken verbatim from an email:

·         Texas Instruments PCI1515, PCI4515, PCI6515 and PCI7515 CardBus adapters

·         Texas Instruments PCI4512, PCI6412, PCI6612, PCI7412, PCI7612, PCI8412 CardBus adapters

·         Ricoh R5C477, R5C485, R5C486, R5C522, R5C551 ,R5C554 ,R5C803, R5C811, R5C812, R5C841, R5C842, R5C843, R5C847, R5C853 CardBus adapters

·         O2Micro OZ6922, OZ711MP1/MS1, OZ711EZ1/MZ1, OZ711SP1, OZ6933E, OZ711MP3/MS3 CardBus adapters

I obviously can't afford it,  but maybe the community could start a donation pool or something if there is enough interest.

miturbide

Hi RTB2011

I can try to organize a donation pool here if there is support for the idea.  But I have two questions, please take it as constructive criticism, not as negative rant.

1) Are those only PCMCIA devices? I really think that PCMCIA technology is getting discontinued this days. PC Card are getting removed from laptop, now it is harder to get a modern laptop with it. But please correct me if I'm wrong.

2) It will be great if the source code can be negotiated too. Not only paying to create a new version as binaries, but also provide the source code under an OSI open source license, to have the choice to keep enhancing it in the future.

Any comments are welcome.
Martín Itúrbide
OS2World.com NewsMaster
Open Source Advocate

Skype - martiniturbide
Google Talk - martiniturbide@gmail.com

abwillis

Source is likely to cost a pretty penny.  If this offer is like the earlier one a few years ago then basically the 3000 Euros comes down to 50 people buying a license at 59.99 Euros apiece.  So, part of the setup will be to keep track of who purchased a license for when it is complete for them to receive it. 
As to whether pcmcia is being removed, that is quite possible as but I am not sure about pccard.  PCMCIA is 16 bit so it is likely the 64 bit systems do not have them, I do not know about PCCard as that is 32bit. 
Two things I see as being really needed for a newer sspcic.sys.
One is for it to be able to work with the cbenabler or better to perform the function that cbenabler would have (cbenabler allows some cards, to be seen as a PCI device - the PCCard wireless cards that work require this for instance). 
The second is for it to be sure it works with ACPI, in particular with /APIC (I am not entirely sure if the current version works with ACPI or not but I know id does not with cbenabler).

RTB2011

Quote1) Are those only PCMCIA devices? I really think that PCMCIA technology is getting discontinued this days. PC Card are getting removed from laptop, now it is harder to get a modern laptop with it. But please correct me if I'm wrong.

That is actually an excellent point, so much for futureproofing.  I checked a few of the list above and none of them appear to be expresscard controllers. :(

Glenn

Quote from: RTB2011 on 2011.04.25, 17:31:29
I recently emailed APSoft regarding a build for a TI x515 chipset.  They replied they'd be able to add support for it and several other chipsets, but need cash to do so...  Around 3k euros.  Is there any community interest in this?  It's a lot of money to be sure but supporting these chipsets would go a long ways towards future proofing OS/2 on newer laptops.
[...]
I obviously can't afford it,  but maybe the community could start a donation pool or something if there is enough interest.

I contacted them a few years ago with the same request, and got the same answer. I began collecting names of people who could be interested in paying for a new driver, but
- I could never get enough commitments (so I could never turn in the list)
- There were too many requests that APSoft was *not willing* to satisfy (especially guarantee that such and such chipsets would be supported - the very chipsets that were used by some who could have been interested in sponsoring the updated drivers).

So... I am with you as for PC Card support, but I am not very optimistic. Unless SSI/Mensys go into talks with APSoft to get the source of an updated driver and include it in the next eCS, I do not think much will happen.

It is very sad that OS/2, that had always had excellent backward compatibility, is encountering so many issues today whose solution is "Either new hardware is supported (but old hardware does not work anymore), or vice versa". Not possible to have a modern laptop working with ACPI and PC Cards (Using my SCSI scanner on my 3.5 year-old laptop is already impossible..).