Mike,

I don't doubt that the hardware issues can be overcome just like you
suggest below.  But the simple fact is, that RS232 has nothing to do with
what gets pushed across it.  And there is no one protocol that encompasses
everything that gets pushed across.  Think of all the different
peripherals that you can plug into a serial port.  Can you imagine that
they all talk exactly the same thing?  Why do you think you have to tell
JFW or WindowEyes what speech synth you have when you install it?  You
don't just say, "I have an external synth attached to com1" and expect
your screen reader to know exactly how to talk to your synth.  Although,
there are now better protocols for that.

That's why you have protocols like TWAIN for scanners.  TWAIN is a
protocol for scanners.  There are other protocols for other devices.  But
there is no one protocol for every device talking to a computer via an
RS232.

Remember that it isn't necessarily just ASCII text being pushed across an
RS232.  Anything can be pushed across there: an image, data, audio,
whatever.  The computer needs to know what kind of device it is talking to
and it needs to know how to talk to that particular kind of device.
That's what a protocol is.

Hope this helps.

Blue skies.
Dan Rossi
Carnegie Mellon University.
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
Tel:    (412) 268-9081

 On Fri, 21 Jun 2002, Michael Obrien wrote:

> Dan:
>
>         I'm aware of the hardware and software issues.  I thought there was a
> popular software protocol, as well as hardware RS-232 standard that many
> devices with this type of port adhered to.  I know that not all seriel
> devices use this protocol.
>
>         Concerning tom Fowle's question about these ports in outdoor settings,
> couldn't this be addressed by instalation of an automatic sliding protective
> cover, which is used to protect ATM earphone jacks when not in use?
>
> Mike
>
>
> VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
> To join or leave the list, send a message to
> [log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
> "subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
>  VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
> http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
>
>

--
Blue skies.
Dan Rossi
Carnegie Mellon University.
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
Tel:    (412) 268-9081


VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
 VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html