plug the semi-official PLUG prospective topics list, V0.1

[campbell at gear.torque.net]

> Date:          Sun, 7 Jun 1998 18:12:18 +0800 (WST)
> From:          The Thought Assassin <assassin at sleepless.south.networx.net.au>
> To:            plug at linux.org.au
> Subject:       Re: plug the semi-official PLUG prospective topics list, V0.1
> Reply-to:      plug at linux.org.au

> On Sun, 7 Jun 1998 campbell at gear.torque.net wrote:
> > Put me down for the following topics:
> > > How to write Linux device drivers
> > > How to write Linux modules
> > This is for me is definitely a "been there, done that" exercise.
> > (2 and a "couple of bits" drivers to my name).
> > David Campbell
> 
> Great!! When do you think you'll be able to do it?

Err... How about in a fortnight.

> I for one would really enjoy this talk, and I am sure that whatever
> level you want to aim it at will be appreciated. Perhaps you could
> do a brief tour throught the drivers you have written? (what were
> they, btw?)

Claim to fame (or noteriety as the case maybe):
a) Rewrote the parallel port ZIP driver (several times) with huge 
   speed, performance and reliability gains.

b) First draft of the parallel port sharing code (2.1.x kernels)
   This was to silence a couple of "poms" who were bombarding the
   linux-parport (parallel port) mailing list about theories on how 
   to do this.

c) Rewrote chunks of the lp driver (I last touched this 12 months   
   ago when I wrote the original parallel port sharing code). Most 
   notable change was breaking the linkage between device numbers
   and parallel port base addresses. Under 2.0.x it is possible to 
   have a /dev/lp1 but not a /dev/lp0.

d) Coded up the ZIP Plus driver within 12 hours (ZIP Plus is a 
   version of the ZIP drive that can do both SCSI and parallel 
   ports). Having Iomega sending the technical manual as a pdf by 
   email helps a lot :-)

> Is this a talk that can be done easily at UWA?

Should be easy enough. I wouldn't need a running Linux box, I would 
try to gear this towards an explanation of how the drivers are coded. 
Probably need some presentation package (I am trying to avoid making 
references to PPT).

Probably later in the night we would pick to peices something like 
the lp driver. While we are at it we can explain some of the 
mysteries about kernel modules.

David Campbell

PS: My .sig file relates to some of the problems that I have 
experienced with parallel ports.