#Creating an Amiga CIM!
11 messages in this thread
I am wondering if there might be a programmer interested in assisting me
with the creation of an AMIGA-CIM… I know that at some point the CIS
officials may want a part of it, but I am tired of using Amax with the (far
too nice) Mac CIM.
My problem is that I am an interface man. I am that type of guy who puts
together a slick interface for fun and then can't do anything about it
because the last time I programmed, it was on a TRS Model 3 and in
Assembler language to boot… It was however a terminal program :> …
That was before I found the joys of the Amiga & the fustrations of
Commodore's Image & Market Strategy (what strategy?) …
My main thought is something along the lines of the Mac CIM but with an
Amiga flavor to it… I already have an animated opening screen as well as
some of the menus (rough layout) and decided that I (and many other Amiga
owners) use CIS enough to justify and deserve an Amiga CIS.
Thanks for reading this…
Don Suhr 73117,1337
Don,
I don't really want to burst your bubble, but ….
CIM (CompuServe Information Manager) is based upon and utilizes a
proprietary, CompuServe developed communications protocol called Host Micro
Interface (HMI). You cannot duplicate the features of CIM (things like
chatting in CO while downloading files, automatically being informed when
someone enters CO, protocol driven message base downloading, etc.) without
using HMI. To use HMI you must be an approved CompuServe developer (to
date, there is only 1 CompuServe approved Amiga HMI developer). To write
an application using HMI you must have the full HMI specification — that
is not available to anyone but developers. You must also have CompuServe
provided link-time libraries. To date, CompuServe has only made those
available for MS-DOS machines and the Mac.
If you're _real_ good and you're willing to spend a hundred hours (or
so) online you can reverse engineer HMI. The problem with that is
2-fold. First, HMI is a packet based protocol. CompuServe can change
the packet at anytime in such a way that programs using their link
time libraries will not break but anything else will -without the
specification of the protocol you'd have no idea what may or may not
be needed in any given packet. The second problem is that CIM and
HMI are CompuServe trademarks.
If you really want CIM for Amiga, GO FEEDBACK and tell them so.
Steve, thanks for the full story on HMI. I haven't thought about it for
awhile.. which is good for my blood pressure. Offhand, how many amiga
programmers do you think would tackle an Amiga CIM if they had access to
the HMI specs/libs? 6? 10? all of us?
Today must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
As I said earlier, to date, there is only 1 CompuServe approved Amiga
HMI developer -me. But, with no library with which to work, that's
doesn't mean much — even if there were "all of us".
Steve, I understand the limitiations about the Compuserve HMI and the lack
of an Amiga specific library, but what I'm basically talking about is a
"front end" – Not a Mac CIM clone… I feel that if an intuitive, graphical
interface was openly released, and it generated enough interest, it might
prompt Compuserve to create an Amiga version, or at the least, a port of
the Mac version.
While I am not fluent with the specifications for HMI (and I don't think
that reverse engineering is a viable option) I know that a good number of
user-written & developed libraries exist for the Amiga. I have long been
playing around with this idea and thought I would throw it out and see the
response.
I understand about the developer problem as well, but if someone
independantly created the "framework" for an Amiga CIM, I feel that the
Compuserve management might provide the necessary information/documentation
to give the Amiga CIM power.
Don 73117,1337
copy of a msg from CIS feedback to M. Gerard 4/30/92….
Steven Woodman
Customer Service Representative
re: Amiga CIM
Thank you for using Feedback!
At this time, I am unaware of any plans to offer an Amiga version of the
Information Manager, as most efforts are being put into the upcoming
Windows version for the IBM compatible. I will, however, forward on your
comments and suggestions to the appropriate individuals. Who knows? Once
the Windows version of CIM is released, the developers may look to a new
project and Feedback messages such as this can only help further the cause.
Thank you.
Steve
—————————————-If you 'd like to voice your
comments/opinions… GO FEEDBACK or send EMail to Steve Woodman/70006,101
Michael
….from the north coast (go Cavs!)
Don,
You still don't understand the issues involved. Without the needed library
you hvae nothing but a user interface that itself does nothing.
Steve,
I'm playing with Mac CIM at the moment thru A-Max, and I think you may
be right about high hopes… There are so many layers of imbedded commands
that unless Compuserve was to provide you (or another developer) with the
complete code and patch routines, the closest I figure I could get is an
inteligent, graphically pretty front end with some nice bells and whistles
and other surface nicities.
I would love to see an Amiga CIM, but I don't think we'll see it unless
Compuserve was to take the Amiga seriously and really assist in the
development of an Amiga-specific library…
Don 73117,1337
Don,
CompuServe does not need to "assist" — the just need to release, to
developer(s), the link time library. The library used for the Mac and PC
is the same C source code, just compiled on the appropriate platform. It
is ANSI C and would likely compile as is under SAS/C. CompuServe has
stated that they do not have the resources at this time to provide end user
support functions for another platform (just look at the CIM Support forums
now and the amount of questions, problems, etc.). CompuServe developer
support really isn't needed (as for as I'm concerned) — they just need to
compile the source, create the library, and make it available.
I didn't say "Amiga HMI developers". I said "Amiga programmers"… I was
just asking how much enthusiasm for cim you thought there was. <sigh>
(I _hate_ it when you get in these moods 🙁 )
Today must be Friday. I never could get the hang of Fridays.
Don, the problem is that CIM uses a special interface called HMI.
This protocol is not available to users. So all I can say is that you
are going to have a hard time developing this program since everbody
might have different settings. Your program would have to mess around
with the settings itself evertime it logs in.
Still, it's a good idea to develop this kind of program.
-Quinten