Installing UniBasic on ES 3.0

[Rick Stevens]

gerry nix wrote:
> Hello all,
>  
> Hope this is not too off-topic.  I have to install UniBasic
> runtime on ES 3.0. It comes with a (what I think we used to
> call a "!@*%&!" Dongle)... A box that plugs into a serial port
> to give "full functionality" to the software.
>  
> I suppose I'll have to add a line in /etc/inittab to get the
> OS to "talk to" the serial port. Printed on the box, it only
> says it is set for 19200.  Should the following work?
>  
> /sbin/agetty 19200 /dev/ttyS1

You shouldn't have to do anything.  No changes to /etc/inittab.  No
spawning of gettys.  Nothing.

> Or do I need to add the -i -n to supress /etc/issue and login
> prompt? When I do the former at the command line, the process
> is started. When I add the -i -n, it blows me off the system.

If you must do this, use "ttyS1" not "/dev/ttyS1" (see the man page).
Also, the use of "-n" will prevent the system from determining the
parity character size, stop bit or end-of-line handling and will default
to space parity, 7-bit characters, 2 stop bits, and CR eol handling (can
you say ancient UUCP settings?).

The software should open the serial port and verify that you have the
farking dongle installed.  You shouldn't have to do anything like spawn
a getty to the serial port or log into the thing.  It's just a "proof
of purchase", anti-pirating geegaw.  If you have to tell the software
which serial port the thing is on, the first serial port (COM1 in the
DOS world) is /dev/ttyS0, the second (COM2) is /dev/ttyS1.

If you're telling us that you have to plug a serial terminal into the
dongle and log in that way to use the package, hoo boy!  I'd really get
on the morons who wrote it and tell them that this is the 21st century
and we like GUIs to develop code in.  Requiring one to use a VT100 or
ADM-3 over a serial port to use their software is spectacularly stupid.
That is 1970's technology.  90% of the companies that used such silly
things (dongles, key disks, etc.) are long-since dead.  Good riddance,
too.
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- Rick Stevens, Senior Systems Engineer     rstevens at vitalstream.com -
- VitalStream, Inc.                       http://www.vitalstream.com -
-                                                                    -
- grasshopotomaus: A creature that can leap to tremendous heights... -
-                                                ...once.            -
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