> 
> >  Does this perhaps suggest that there'd be some way to support this
> >device in a non-PC-architecture machine that has a Centronics-style
> >parallel port?
> 
> When I asked about making a parallel-port driver that was more low-level
> a little while ago, I discovered that not all architectures can control
> all the lines on their parallel port (the Amiga was an example of this).

That sounds odd to me. My understanding was that the Amiga parallel ports
included some level of what was later added to the IBM PC as 'bi-directional'
this sticks in my mind partly because there was parallel port network 
software on the Amiga long before any such things on the PC. (DNet/ParNET)

> It might be possible to do this on machines that use the same parallel port
> IC that the PC uses (doesn't the Alpha use the same one?), but I don't think
> it's possible on all NetBSD architectures.

The Alpha certainly _could_ at least. Put an ISA serial card in it. Com ports
on the motherboard may be a different matter, even by model.

It might be possible to make something work even for ports which can't
manipulate some of the control lines, if there's a spare controllable line
available, a custom cable solution could be made to work. Not the cleanest
answer, but the hardware was only designed to talk to Intel boxes.

							David Maxwell
> 
> --Ken
>