I said:

> >You don't have to use the IBM version, but few, if any of the
> >truly public domain TCP stacks will work worth bothering with. We
> >use the FTP Software TCP stack, and I know others that use
> >Beame&Whiteside and Novell's LAN Workplace code. As a university,
> >you might seriously look at the FTP Software stuff; it's
> >reasonably inexpensive, and it`s really high-quality code.

Pete said:

> This is only true for the ADSM MS-Windows client !!!
> It is not true for either the DOS or OS/2 clients.

I'm running the DOS client with FTP Software's PC/TCP. It
works fine -- and happens to be one of the supported platforms.
His question was 'Do I have to buy the IBM TCP/IP product?', and the
answer is 'No, other stacks work too'.

> Since no binary
> compatible API like WinSock exists for either DOS or OS/2, the only
> TCP/IP stacks which will work are those which IBM has officially
> announced support for.

Now *this* I'll agree with.

> It would be nice if WinSock existed for platforms other than Windows (and NT)
> but unfortunately, at the present time at least, it does not.

It would be even nicer if there was a *true* socket programming
interface instead of WinSock.

> Pete Tanenhaus
> ADSM Client Development

David Boyes
postmaster, ricevm1.rice.edu
dboyes AT rice DOT edu