As supplied, RISC OS, has serial input and output buffers of about 256 bytes.
Most communication programs will extend these, by loading a "buffer" module.
The reason for extending the buffers, is usually not so much that the program
can't keep up with the input data, as it may not get the chance. At 19,200
baud, about 2000 characters per second may arrive. It is quite possible for
the time between polls to exceed a second.

The problem is that the conventional RISC OS 2 serial buffer modules are not
compatible with RISC OS 3. Acorn have produced a module "SerialUtils" which
is supplied with RISC OS 3. Loading this before running a comms program
allows it to work. However, SerialUtils simply prevents the buffer module
from doing anything. You might as well not bother loading the buffer.

Under RISC OS 3, there is a better way of implementing extended buffers,
using the buffer manager.

Here then, is a buffer module for RISC OS 3. It will default to a 2K output
and 16K input buffer.

There is one *command;

 *SerialBufferSize <input> <output>

this sets the size of the input and output buffers.

As usual, the buffer should be RMLoaded in the !Run file of your comms
program.


Any comments to:

David Pilling
P.O. Box 22,
Thornton Cleveleys,
Blackpool.
FY5 1LR.

email

Arcade BBS (081-654-2212), #134


======

Thanks to Acorn Computers for explaining how to do this.


