A86: Re: TI-UX

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A86: Re: TI-UX


The calculator is really not the best piece of hardware to be running unix
on.  Just use it as a telnet terminal instead.  Boot linux on your PC and
set it up a dialup server.  Get an external modem and term86 and log into
your home computer with it's 8 gigs (instead of 128k) while processing at
the speed of 400mhz (rather than 6mhz).

The external modem/cell phone combo can be very costly and slightly bulky
depending on the modem used.  The USR's are huge!  Addonics has a 56k modem
the size of a half-inch thick credit card but costs a pricy $150 (yes it is
an EXTERNAL modem and not a card modem).

Why doesn't someone make a radio link or TI-modem ?  Not only would this
task probably be much easier than making a unix OS, but it would be much
more worthwhile since accessing your computer also means possible internet
access.

Someone made an IR link, so I'm sure there's more electronic buffs out there
to do this one.  I say we need two parts:

1) Box to connect to the TI linkport
2) Box to connect to a standard RS-232 serial port (com port) on a computer.

So you'd plug one of these pieces into the computer and the other one into
the calc.  They would simple bridge the connection.  If the program on the
calc sends a byte out the linkport, then the radio link will send this to
the link on the computer.

By building a device like this, you can have the unix OS on your calc by
dialing into a unix dialup server (just run Linux at home and set it up to
do so).  This way, your calc-unix will be exactly like Linux because it IS
Linux.  It will also process extremely fast since it's processing off of
your host PC.  The internet part is a nice bonus also.  At school you could
connect the comport piece of the device set to a computer at your school's
library and then as long as you remain on campus (to be in range) you'd have
internet access also!  Chat with your friends in other classes or do
research on a project without having to ask to go to the library =).

*note*: when linking with a school computer, you'd have to run some
server/client program (which i'd be totally willing to make if someone
designed a radio link like this) that would contact your home PC to give
linux to your calc even if the school PC is windows.  so, yes, you can get
unix on your calc with a school computer as a host.

Possible questions arise:

1) How big of a range would this device be able to work in?  If you lived 2
miles from school, would you be able to use your home PC to give you unix at
school or is that out of the question?

2) How fast could the device transfer data?  The 9600bps limit has already
been reached by the most recent TI terminal programs so the question is how
fast will the device go?

3) How much will it cost to make?


Anyways, I think that it'd be much easier to make a radio link (and by far
more worthwhile because of internet access) than an entire unix on the calc.
You may complain about having to be in range, etc, which is the only real
argument for the calc-unix.  But I'd stay close to home if it meant I could
control FTP downloads to my home computer using a TI in a restaurant. =)

-Justin Karneges [Infiniti]
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