I can get news from around the world, but not to the next room

[Ben Schmidt]

In article <1990Nov30.023317.6385 at wiskit.pdx.com> herbw at wiskit.pdx.com 
(Herb Weiner) writes:
> I'm now receiving netnews on my A/UX machine at home :-) :-) :-) :-)
> 
> Problem: My wife wants to read news on her Mac (running the standard
> Mac OS) in another room.  The Macs are currently connected with AppleTalk
> (actually, PhoneNet).  Is there any reasonable way that my wife can login
> to A/UX without tearing up the walls to run additional cabling?
> 
> The only solution I am aware of would be to purchase an Ethernet card,
> a foot of Ethernet cable, a Kinetics FastPath or Cayman Gatorbox, and
> an additional AppleTalk connector, and contact the Guinness Book of
> World Records to see if they have a category for World's Shortest
> Ethernet.  (Total cost: aproximately $2,000; Reasonable: NO!)
 
(Agree that Ethernet can be expensive if you can't get your hands on an 
old 2 port transceiver someone doesn't need, but you don't need an 
Ethernet card *and* a FastPath, it's an Ethernet card *or* a FastPath. :^)

> Some solutions that I've investigated that SEEM reasonable, but which
> DON'T work are (1) NCSA Telnet, since the A/UX TCP/IP driver(s) refuse
> to talk over AppleTalk. (2) ADSP (AppleTalk Data Stream Protocol), since
> ADSP refuses to talk to A/UX programs (it will only talk to Mac programs
> running under A/UX).
> 
> On the Mac OS side, I would prefer a solution based on the Apple
> Communications Toolbox, but would consider using NCSA Telnet.
> 
> On either or both sides, I would consider commercial software, public
> domain software, or a "roll your own" solution.  (I consider myself
> a proficient programmer, but I haven't done much network programming.)
> 
> I would be interested in the following input:
> 
> 1.  Recommendations for commercially available (or public domain)
>     solutions.  Please include vendor and price, if known.
> 
> 2.  Recommendations for solving the problem myself, if necessary.
>     Specifically, what protocol (e.g. ADSP, TCP/IP) to use, what
>     pieces (e.g. development kits and manuals from APDA) I will
>     need, etc.
> 
> 3.  The level of demand for such a solution.  Specifically, if you
>     are looking for the same thing, please let me know.
> 
> Herb Weiner (herbw at wiskit.pdx.com)

How about just hanging your wife's mac off the A/UX serial port and 
letting her run any async terminal emulator to login to A/UX as a terminal 
and fire up whatever newsreader you use?  Are both your A/UX Mac's serial 
ports in use now (e.g. for your newsfeed and printer)?  Can you do without one of them (courtesy of an A-B box while she's reading news?). regards,

Ben Schmidt     Bell-Northern Research, Ltd.   Ph: (613) 763-3906
Information     P.O. Box 3511, Station C       FAX:(613) 763-3283
Technology      Ottawa Canada K1Y 4H7          bschmidt at bnr.ca