From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Mar 23 00:58:20 2005 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0036816A4CE for ; Wed, 23 Mar 2005 00:58:19 +0000 (GMT) Received: from smtp.knology.net (smtp.knology.net [24.214.63.101]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with SMTP id 48C8D43D1F for ; Wed, 23 Mar 2005 00:58:19 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from dkelly@HiWAAY.net) Received: (qmail 16583 invoked by uid 0); 23 Mar 2005 00:58:18 -0000 Received: from user-69-73-60-132.knology.net (HELO ?10.0.0.68?) (69.73.60.132) by smtp7.knology.net with SMTP; 23 Mar 2005 00:58:18 -0000 In-Reply-To: <1111507893.751.298.camel@lorna.circlesquared.com> References: <423E116D.50805@usmstudent.com> <423EEE60.2050205@dial.pipex.com> <334ed8bd3d1e5ee9582b706d65919fb4@chrononomicon.com> <20050322133006.GB22896@pcwin002.win.tue.nl> <1111507893.751.298.camel@lorna.circlesquared.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v619.2) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed Message-Id: <6d0f6ca428b7b2c085df02fdcaaff3be@HiWAAY.net> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit From: David Kelly Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 18:58:14 -0600 To: FreeBSD_Questions FreeBSD_Questions X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.619.2) cc: Peter Risdon Subject: Re: old scsi adapters and the benefits of open source [was: Anthony's issues [Slightly OT]] X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2005 00:58:20 -0000 On Mar 22, 2005, at 10:11 AM, Peter Risdon wrote: > By contrast, I maintain a networked Windows machine that controls > plasma > cutting systems for a manufacturing business. It uses a serial port > connection to send cutting patterns to the plasma controller. The > serial > port communications software was custom-written and runs only on > versions of DOS that shipped with Windows up to and including 98. It is > specifically incompatible with Win ME and all the NT family including > XP > and 2000/2003. I don't have access to the source code either of the > custom application or any currently maintained version of Windows (of > course), so no hacked upgrades are possible and we have to run Win 98 - > which is desperately horrible and insecure in a networked environment. I don't use Vmware, but what you describe sounds like a good application for it. Run a Win98 virtual machine. Let a modern OS host, wrap and protect the virtual machine. Do all the networking with the host. -- David Kelly N4HHE, dkelly@HiWAAY.net ======================================================================== Whom computers would destroy, they must first drive mad.