Updating via a WinCE palmtop <WOB>

[Land Shark <lndshrk@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

<computer geek talk: page down if uninterested>

Sergio Mastronardi writes:

>I believe with good programming and good online help/tutor - software can be used by
>anyone!

 Really Sergio... how many DME's have you updated!??

 NONE.. gee.. *grin*

 Did you know that if the updating process is interrupted by..

 1) Disconnection (oops tripped over the cord)

 2) Corruption of serial data stream (miss ONE charachter at the wrong time)

 3) Low battery voltage

 You end up with one really CUTE DME Paperweight... from which there
 is no recovery short of replacing the flashprom with a soldering iron

 Which of course, is why the first step is attaching a battery charger to the
 vehicle and turning off all accessories..

 And of course, that's why so many DME's have been nuked by the dealer during
 reprogramming.. 

>WinCE is a subset of Win95/98 without the crap!  WinCE was designed so mobile users can
>run a lean windows operating system without the power.  Palmtops with WinCE do the Job. 

 For business apps.. sure.. I use one all day long.. HP620LX.. love it!.. color, 32MB ram,
 lasts 2 days min. on one charge.. reminds me where I need to be.. keeps me (somewhat) same

 *smile*

 BUT.....

 Not for what where talking about here.. Jesus.. do you think I make this
 stuff up.. I was working with Siemens MS41 serial reprogramming before anyone else
 in this country knew it existed.. demonstrated my program LIVE in front of four
 audiences in MARCH at Gateway Tech.. WinCE was tested.. BEFORE then.. and rejected..

>As for WinCE serial ports not being stable - ha!  I have users where they are
>transferring files of 5Mg in size via modem every nite with 33.6 modems with 98% success.

 EXACTLY.. and what serial port are they using???

 The one in the MODEM.. not the built in one.. from an ASSEMBLY language driver/dll call in
 the OPERATING system.. not the one you need to use from the car

 Also, since I'm pretty sure you've never written an application for WinCE serial comms
 via the hwdre. serial port.. let me clue you in (as someone who was involved in the betas
 of all the active X controls for VCCE and VBCE) on something..

 The mscomm control for WinCE is not stable enough to do sustained 9600 baud binary
 comms.. I was told this.. also didn't believe it.. and verified it myself..

 The MSCOMM control is what anyone excepting an OEM willing to write in assembler 
 is going to use..

 Unless of course, you'd like to write me a new X control for binary serial comms..

 It doesnt matter if your 320i can do the 1/4 mile in 2 sec if it don't have tires!!

 The problem with all "user programming" for WinCE is that we don't yet have the
 richness of Active X Controls that the Win32 folks have

>Software designed for WinCE can also be recompiled for Win95/98,

 Not exactly.. you leave out the big limitations.. let's take VBCE as an example..

 1) CE only allows VARIANT data types.. so you need to rewrite a lot of the code
    to go from Win32 to WinCE.. (hint: I've done it!)

 2) CE only allows one Basic Module.. so if you program modularly for Win32 you
    have to smush (technical term;) all the modules into one (hurl!)

 3) CE has no database access (ADOCE is still in BETA.. )

 Now, don't get me wrong.. I love WinCE.. I use it for Internet Access, Email, wireless
 comms, and with my Rex I have the ultimate road warriors combo...

 But it isn't the tool for updating DME's ...

 Win32 is.. as in Win95/8/NT...

 Jim Conforti

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