Driver basics

Anyone know of a site explaining the basics of drivers and how to write a simple driver?

On Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:27:42 -0800, Guv Bob wrote:

Anyone know of a site explaining the basics of drivers and how to write a simple driver?

There must be some on some of the Linux site. Linux is so superior to
Windows and getting better over time. Most of the drivers in Linux are
privately written and not included in mfg hardware boxes.

Guv Bob wrote:

Anyone know of a site explaining the basics of drivers and how to write a simple driver?

Bob, I've only written a couple of device drivers in my life, but one
thing you must have is a complete hardware description of the target
device. The other things you must have are full definitions of the
printer modes and languages you wish to support with your driver.

Postscript is a good example. A full definition of the Postscript
language will include all the syntax and commands you would need your
driver to translate into hardware commands interpretable by the printer
hardware or firmware, whichever the case may be.

Forgive me if I miss a concept or two; I remember little about the
subject (my experience is circa 1980 through 1995 and deals with VAX and
Encore), but it's not a trivial project and much very specific technical
data regarding the target device and the data output of the host
computer must be understood to get a driver to work properly.

Gauss

On Mar 24, 4:27 pm, "Guv Bob"
wrote:
Anyone know of a site explaining the basics of drivers and how to write a simple driver?

Same as a modem in terms of simplicity. Provided a printer
manufacturer's command sytax, plug in the necessary values into a
resident table or program to access the modes for the printer. Can be
a little tricky in Windows, depending on the program -- setting up
simple drivers and adding DOS layering into Windows, for such as from
PC Magazine, which is a user-defined ASCII table to specific printer
codes for outputting to the printer port. Printing text, of course,
in most basic terms. To go slightly beyond, as in the above PC Mag
utility, might be a convenience of switching native fonts, say between
Roman or Bold typefaces. Beats stopping and reaching across to the
printer to change commands from the panel interface. Further, adding
detailed graphics and WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) becomes
the best of Word Processing is capable, from Word Perfect (a whole
tent city of lucrative programming, located in Utah, into American
business offices), to Microsoft and Word For Windows, which eclipsed
and cemented the practical aspect of printing to the present era of
computerizing along in the Bill Gates' programme.

Interesting behavioral lab setup, that W4W, during extensive
development, at the time which did as much for propelling a
standardized GUI, almost as an ancillary or aide to workable word
processing at the corporate forefront.

Thanks, all, for the info. Sometimes I miss the days when you connected a dumb printer to the centronics port and it printed.

wrote in message ...
On Mar 24, 4:27 pm, "Guv Bob"
wrote:
Anyone know of a site explaining the basics of drivers and how to write a simple driver?

Same as a modem in terms of simplicity. Provided a printer
manufacturer's command sytax, plug in the necessary values into a
resident table or program to access the modes for the printer. Can be
a little tricky in Windows, depending on the program -- setting up
simple drivers and adding DOS layering into Windows, for such as from
PC Magazine, which is a user-defined ASCII table to specific printer
codes for outputting to the printer port. Printing text, of course,
in most basic terms. To go slightly beyond, as in the above PC Mag
utility, might be a convenience of switching native fonts, say between
Roman or Bold typefaces. Beats stopping and reaching across to the
printer to change commands from the panel interface. Further, adding
detailed graphics and WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) becomes
the best of Word Processing is capable, from Word Perfect (a whole
tent city of lucrative programming, located in Utah, into American
business offices), to Microsoft and Word For Windows, which eclipsed
and cemented the practical aspect of printing to the present era of
computerizing along in the Bill Gates' programme.

Interesting behavioral lab setup, that W4W, during extensive
development, at the time which did as much for propelling a
standardized GUI, almost as an ancillary or aide to workable word
processing at the corporate forefront.