[Coco] Thought

Mark McDougall msmcdoug at optushome.com.au
Thu Sep 23 18:22:40 EDT 2004


Jim Cox wrote:

> How about USB networking with a PC along the same lines as the DriveWire 
> from Cloud 9?

What do you mean by 'networking'? AFAIK the DriveWire simply emulates a
floppy disk - exactly what I intend with my device.

Are there any IP stacks and/or internet software available for the CoCo? I
was thinking of using the PC as a 'conduit' to the net and emulating a
simple network device to allow the CoCo to surf the web...

> 
> A USB hard drive would be nice (I may be misinterpreting what you said 
> about the CoCo being deivice only, can you clarify?)

The CoCo would appear as a USB 'device' to the PC. However, that in itself
does not preclude the PC acting as a server to the CoCo. And from the CoCo's
perspective, the USB hardware would appear to be a normal floppy disk, for
example.

I just noticed the SuperIDE i/f on the cloud-9 page. I really have been 'out
of the CoCo scene' for many, many years now... not sure what advantages my
device would have over this except that you could share disk images (files)
between the real CoCo and an emu on the PC. Of course this also means you
have the ability to archive (backup) your CoCo data (e.g. burn to CD) and
also allow 'multi-boot' or even experimental OS installs by simply switching
disk image files around.

What can't be done using this hardware is to connect other USB devices to
the CoCo, for example, you couldn't plug a USB flash disk into the CoCo.
That would require the CoCo to have USB *hub*, much like a PC mobo. (Yes, I
am aware of peer-to-peer USB 'on-the-go' devices but the h/w I have designed
doesn't support this).

Regards,

-- 
|              Mark McDougall                | "Electrical Engineers do it
| <http://members.optushome.com.au/msmcdoug> |   with less resistance!"




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