Newton 2.x Q&A: Differences between MNP, Modem, Modem-MNP, and Real Modems

Differences between MNP, Modem, Modem-MNP, and Real Modems

One of the Newton 2.x OS Q&As
Copyright © 1997 Newton, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Newton, Newton Technology, Newton Works, the Newton, Inc. logo, the Newton Technology logo, the Light Bulb logo and MessagePad are trademarks of Newton, Inc. and may be registered in the U.S.A. and other countries. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. All other trademarks and company names are the intellectual property of their respective owners.

For the most recent version of the Q&As on the World Wide Web, check the URL:


http://www.newton-inc.com/dev/techinfo/qa/qa.htm

If you've copied this file locally, click here to go to the main Newton Q&A page.
This document was exported on 7/23/97.

Differences between MNP, Modem, Modem-MNP, and Real Modems (2/5/96)

Q: I want to just connect to a Newton device over a cable from a MacOS or Windows machine - what do I need to use to get reliable communications?
Q: I want to have the DILs answer an incoming call over a modem. How can I do that?
Q: What's the difference between the "Serial" and "Modem" Mac connection types?

A: In release 1.0 of the DILs, the best way to connect to a Newton device is by using a MNP connection over a serial cable. This is what you're using when you set connection type "Modem" on MacOS computers and "MNP" on Windows computers. This actually has nearly nothing to do with modems as such; it means you're connecting over a serial cable using MNP error correction and compression. (And on Windows, it's the only supported option at this time.)

Currently you cannot use a true modem with the DILs to connect to a Newton device.

In general, you will never use the "Serial" connection type on a MacOS computer; that connects over a serial cable (like "Modem" does) but offers no error detection. Therefore, you would have to write your own code to check that data arrived safely.