Serial Communications Developer's Guide

Rating:
Summary: An excellent source for Windows applications
Review: Although the book requires a lot of reading, it describes the use of the CD's source code in great detail. Included source code is for both DOS applications, DOS programs running as "Terminal" applications under Windows as well as for Windows applications.

Microsoft's MSComm Active X is ok where dialog based Windows applications are desired. But in a Windows 98 application that rapidly sends, receives and checks incoming data without user input, this software is an absolute MUST to have.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent source for Windows applications
Review: Although the book requires a lot of reading, it describes the use of the CD's source code in great detail. Included source code is for both DOS applications, DOS programs running as "Terminal" applications under Windows as well as for Windows applications.

Microsoft's MSComm Active X is ok where dialog based Windows applications are desired. But in a Windows 98 application that rapidly sends, receives and checks incoming data without user input, this software is an absolute MUST to have.

Rating:
Summary: Me gustaría tener este libro!
Review: Estoy desarrollando un sistema de corte de planchas de acero controlado por computadora y necesito comunicar el PC con los controladores de los servomotores. Buscando un libro que me pueda orientar sobre el tema, encuentro que éste es ideal, pues tiene 800 páginas de jugosa información.

En libro es una guía completa de cómo realizar un sistema de comunicación particular y/o estandarizada entre el computador y cualquier sistema que se desee construir.

Además hace referencia contínua a la programación en C++ que es el lenguaje en el que solemos trabajar estos sistemas.

Me gustaría tener este libro!

Rating:
Summary: This book is good, but it could be better
Review: First of all, I have to say that this book provides you with a lot of details about serial communications. It even provides you with a complete library so that you can write the serial communication programming in half an hour.

The bad part is that I found later that Microsoft had included a MSComm control with VB and VC and it makes the library provided by this book useless. I used the library to write my project and it worked. Then I tried MSComm control and found that MSComm control was better than the library provided by this book. MSComm class gives you more control and it's much easier to use. eg: you don't have to worry about the multithreading because MSComm control has done that for you.

So, IMHO, if you are a VC or VB programer and you only want to write some simple Win32 serial port program, you'd better use MSComm control instead of turning to this book.

Rating:
Summary: Reader From England
Review: I bought this book to learn how to program Win32 serial communications. It's obvious that the author knows his stuff. Chapters 3 thru 9 apply to MS-DOS and are not really relevant anymore. Otherwsie the source code is a excellent study in how to write a class library in C++ in addition to multithreading which, by themselves, make the book worth the price.

I used the libraries to write an ActiveX control that has an interface that only a FoxPro programmer would love. My money was well spent.

Rating:
Summary: Serial Communications
Review: I bought this book to learn how to program Win32 serial communications. It's obvious that the author knows his stuff. Chapters 3 thru 9 apply to MS-DOS and are not really relevant anymore. Otherwsie the source code is a excellent study in how to write a class library in C++ in addition to multithreading which, by themselves, make the book worth the price.

I used the libraries to write an ActiveX control that has an interface that only a FoxPro programmer would love. My money was well spent.

Rating:
Summary: Reader From England
Review: I recently purchased this book for my Meng Project, involving
controlling a vision head focus,zoom through a pic serial port connected to a pc with vision modelling.
I am surprised, that the code is written in a fashion which is
totally unbearable, hard to understand and just reflects the authors perception and imagination rather than discussing the
important communication building blocks and instructions.
Its totally ambigious to distinguish the original c++ routines and the invented commands written in form of classes.
I think if i read through all that material in header files i will lag so behind completing my original project.....
The paper quality is poor and not very pleasant to read.

Rating:
Summary: The latest tools and best techniques for fast results
Review: Now thoroughly revised and updated with new material on the 32-bit windows platform, this comprehensive guide delivers everything you need to write robust applications for embedded, data logging, point-of-sale, and other communications systems. Expert programmer and instructor Mark Nelson gives you a complete introduction to serial communications basics, tips on getting the most out of Windows APIs, methods for maximizing data exchange rates over high-speed modems, and the latest techniques for object-oriented programming. Featuring a CD-ROM packed with ready-to-run code modules, this is the one guide you need for successful serial communications development.

INSIDE FIND OUT HOW TO:

Write communications programs that are easily ported between different operating systems and hardware platforms

Access modems or other serial devices across networks

Use standard and intelligent multiport boards

Implement file transfer formats such as XMODEM, YMODEM, ZMODEM, and Kermit

Interface with the latest high-speed modems at data rates of 57.6Kbps and higher

Write terminal emulation code that works on a wide variety of systems

Write communications programs that take advantage of Windows 95,98, and NT communications APIs

Use TAPI and take the mystery out of modem settings

Rating:
Summary: Wow-Sirs
Review: This book has lots and lots and lots of good information.

I read a few of the beginning chapters on serial port communications, and then skimmed stuff about the history of RS232, including BIOS interfaces, etc...

The thing that i found amazing was the variety of information. The author, for example, actually includes a home-brew windowing system. you can tell that this guy loves to do what he does, and he likes to think about *every* part of the system, from the O/S, to the user interface, to the software design.

I went to the Win32 section, since I wanted to use the windows communications API. I was able to write my application in less than 7 days!, so its better than a "in 21 days book!" however, i have been using Win32 for quite some time.

i also got, and will probably return, Serial Port Complete because I have Parallel Port Complete (a gem) and the content seems to overlap.

the Serial Communications Developer's Guide, IMO, will awe you with both minute technical detail as well as a good dose of pratical system level insights!