Subject: [amos-list] Re: TCP commands.
From: Pietro Ghizzoni <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1999 21:08:31 +0200

From: Pietro Ghizzoni <[email-masked]>

Hello one

On 16-Ago-99, one fang wrote: Re: [amos-list] Re: TCP commands.

> Oh yuck.  That's all the Internet needs, more excessively verbose
> protocols.  It's not very Amiga either, to use 16 (plus IRC protocol)
> bytes when 3 will do.  You have replaced a simple Internet port
> programming problem with a complex "first write an IRC client, then
> write your protocol on top" problem.

Ok... you're right!  I know the problem but.... i've just solved *ALL* the
problems in the *most easy to use solution* for all the AMOS coders.

Problem... i'm on-line, and i want to play with you, but i don't know
if you're on-line and your IP address.. how can i open a connection with
your port???.... and  the "simple internet port programming" is simple only if you know how it works ;)

I belive again in the IRC solution because:

- you don't need any specific inetd/sockets knowledge (probably only the 2%
of the users on the list has some real knowledge about it) so everyone can
use it.

- the IRC protocol is VERY simple to use

- you don't need to code a FULL IRC client.. just the essentials are
needed. There is a AmosIRC client example already done in the GUI Extension
archive.

Sure...  it's not the best professional way... but it is a /valid and/
/working solution!/  About the protocol format.. i agree with your point of you.. obviously the format can (must!) be reduced. See below...

> Inetd is designed to listen on certain ports, and start a new instance
> of a particular server proggy for each incoming connection.  Since your
> proggy still needs to do everything except listening for a connection,
> you are probably better off simplifying things by just adding the
> "listen for a connection" part yourself.
> 
> I can't solve this particular problem for you though, I don't even have
> AMOS Internet extensions.

Not a problem... take the .fd file of the bsdsocket.library and the FD
Extension builder.... in few seconds you'll obtain a ready  to use
extension with all the bsd functions inside!

> Oh, and do us all a favour, design a compact protocol that uses all 8
> bits of the bandwidth, rather than having every 8th bit wasted.  It's
> well overdue that the Internet changed to 8 bit protocols instead of 7
> bit protocols and all the encoding that has to go on to cater for
> sending 8 bit data through a 7 bit protocol working over an 8 bit link. 

Hey... it's just a stupid example to explain easly the situation.

You can reduce the 16 bytes to just 3 byets.. example:

the MOVE command can be just the letter M...

the coordinates 50 and 90 can be their ASCII equivalent.. the chr$(50) is
the char 2 and the chr$(90) is the letter Z so:

M2Z (3 bytes!)

can be interpreted as MOVE 50,90

there are even better solutions.... this is just a hint.

> Sorry about that, it's a pet peeve of mine.  All the reasons for using
> innefficient protocols on the Internet went away a long time ago, and
> most of then probably didn't exist when the bulk of protocols where
> designed.

I agree. My examples was so expanded in order to explain better the idea.
Is up to the coder to optimize and setup the  protocol. 

-- 

Bye!

                                     !!!
                                     o o
   +-----------------------------oOO-(_)-OOo----------------------------+
   |                                                                    |
   |  Pietro Ghizzoni - Dairymen Soft              __  /// Amiga 12OO   |
   |     E-Mail:  [email-masked]                 \\\/// 'O3O  5OMhz   |
   |           ICQ 16361472                         \/// 18MB - CD4x    |
   |                                                                    |
   | Amos Development Group Coordinator                 AMIGA RULEZ!    |
   |                                                                    |
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