Date: Tue, 5 Nov 1996 16:55:51 +1030 (CST) From: Michael Smith <msmith@atrad.adelaide.edu.au> To: peterh@prognet.com (Peter Haight) Cc: freebsd-hardware@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Device driver specs and an ATAPI CD-ROM (Sanyo Torisan CDR-S1G Message-ID: <199611050625.QAA22700@genesis.atrad.adelaide.edu.au> In-Reply-To: <3.0b36.32.19961104214507.011c0f04@prognet.com> from "Peter Haight" at Nov 4, 96 09:45:08 pm
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Peter Haight stands accused of saying: > > Finally, we have hit my question: How can I get the specification for this > drive to determine whether such a command exists? > > I have searched on the web quite a bit for anything related to Torisan, > CDR-S1G, and/or Sanyo, but haven't come up with anything. I'm having > problems even getting an address or phone number for Sanyo which I could use. > > Any suggestions? Is there some repository for this sort of information > somewhere? Is ther some secret way to get companies to give you specs? Welcome to the frustrating world of the free software device-driver author. You have a number of options : - Lie outrageously to the manufacturer. Tell them you have an embedded application, and that you want to use their device for <some reason>. Tell them that you plan to sell 10,000 units or more in the first 6 months, but that it is crucial that you have full access to the interface spec of their device. You need to be good at keeping your story straight, and avoid any questions along the lines of "would you like to commit to an order". It is sometimes desirable to rent a PO box for the receipt of said spec, and avoid giving them any details that could lead them to you. You may still be forced to an NDA here, at which point you lose. - Blackmail the manufacturer. This works best in the Linux community, with their incredible capacity for generating invective out of thin air, but has been quite effective at bringing large manufacturers (eg. Diamond) around. Generally works best if the device in question is a popular unit and lots of people want one. Avoid this until you are _certain_ that the manufacturer won't give you the spec, as otherwise you're likely to offend them. - Reverse-engineer the supplied driver for another OS. Requires some serious hacking studliness; not for the faint-of-heart. There are other techniques (hunting down a kindly tech/programmer working for the company is often a good way to go) which can sometimes be effective, but the above are the most popular. -- ]] Mike Smith, Software Engineer msmith@gsoft.com.au [[ ]] Genesis Software genesis@gsoft.com.au [[ ]] High-speed data acquisition and (GSM mobile) 0411-222-496 [[ ]] realtime instrument control. (ph) +61-8-8267-3493 [[ ]] Unix hardware collector. "Where are your PEZ?" The Tick [[
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