[Coco] Cutting the cord (Was: Retro-momentum and disk image servers (Was: Re: MESS needs a C++ programmer dedicated to the Coco))

[Aaron Wolfe]

>
> That may be in part because there are other hardware solutions for the C64
> that don't involve tethering a PC to machine. My personal preference would
> have to be a solution that is independent of a PC. I suspect a lot of others
> feel the same way. Each to their own...
>

I'd like to see this happen too.  I see DriveWire as a step along the
way, not as the end goal.
All of the network programming interfaces for DW are designed with the
idea that someday, it won't be DriveWire behind them, with hopes that
a program written that uses DW networking today can use dedicated
networking hardware tomorrow without any changes to the code.

We've taken one step by moving to a server that can run on small
devices instead of needing a full PC.  You can use a small router or
one of the wallwart PCs and basically hide the server, maybe even
stick it in the MPI or something.   I have the server running on a
nokia tablet that is only a little bigger than the average smartphone.

A possible next step could be a rompak that contained enough
processing power to run DriveWire inside it.  We're not far from that
being practical in price and size I think.  Or maybe we can go
directly to real hardware for some of the functions DW provides.

I any case, I am excited to see how far we can go towards a "100%
CoCo" networking solution, and rather than an alternative to that, I
see DW as a step towards it.  Provide the APIs now, start working on
some network clients and such, and hope for the hardware later :)

-Aaron