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Apple Releases Free, OS-Independent, FireWire SDK
mcwop writes "Apple announced the release of a free FireWire SDK for embedded devices. The kit is not OS-dependent. Is this a response to the release of USB 2.0 or is Apple simply trying to keep a steady stream of FireWire devices coming? What effect will this have on FireWire b? What are the effects on the Open Source community developing FireWire interfaces? Time will tell. Nonetheless this is an interesting development."
Apple Releases Free, OS-Independent, FireWire SDK
Then reading the body: [...] The kit is not OS-dependent. [...]
... which means exactly the same.
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I read the EVALUATION LICENSE, which states for example:
"This Evaluation License does not grant a license to incorporate the FireWire Reference Platform, any portion of it, or any Modification into any board, module, integrated circuit, macrocell, core or other assemble or device. To obtain a license to develop or distribute assemblies incorporating the FireWire Reference Platform or Modifications, visit http://www.developer.applce.com/mkt/swl""
So, it seems that this is strictly for evaluation, or did I miss something?
I have two FireWire ports on my G4, and a nice FireWire cable that came with it. I've never used any of them for a damn thing. My printer connects via USB, my ZIP drive connects via USB, my webcam connects via USB, and of course the Apple keyboard and mouse connect via USB.
It would be nice to see more devices (printers, external HDs) supporting FireWire.
Firewire has taken several industries, such as digital recording and portable hard drives, by storm.
It has proven itself to be very popular in a variety of areas and now they can use "FireWire" as a name.
Just the way it goes.
Integrate Keynote and LaTeX
IEEE 1394 is also called a DV connector, I.link (sony).
It's used on the playstation 2 (to connect to other playstations 2 among other things), every selfrespecting digital video camera has such a connector, there are a large number of external HD/CD-R/DVD peripherals that use the IEEE 1394 connector. You can get a IEEE 1394 card for your computer from a large number of different vendors.
Firewire is already embedded in the market and while USB 2.0 might become a competitor because of it's name, the peripherals are just now comming into the market. In the PC world however they seem to serve different markets (IEEE 1394 for video, USB 2.0 for peripherals).
I think IEEE 1394 will stay on the PC, although mainly used in video. Apple will continue to push (and improve I've seen stories talking about the next versions going to 1600 MB/s) firewire.
As a note to anyone who believes him, he says, "The 1394 drivers somehow interferred with my current DVDROM so that it wouldn't even be seen from DOS or the system BIOS." DOS or the BIOS aren't going to know about what drivers you have installed in Windows; it isn't possible for a Windows driver to cause the BIOS to not see your DVD-ROM drive.
As far as the keyboard and mouse...well, let's not push it!
There ain't no rules here; we're trying to accomplish something.
USB 2.0 has a PEAK performance of 480 Mb/s, but Firewire has a SUSTAINED performance of 400 Mb/s.
Firewire still kicks USB 2.0 for video stuff. It's a shame that Intel's 480 Mb/s marketing bullshit is working so well...
Way ahead of your: http://dvbackup.sourceforge.net/
All editorial writers ever do is come down from the hill after the battle is over and shoot the wounded.
Firewire works in a beautiful way. USB sometimes still hangs machines.
Actually, if you're using windows you can use directx / directshow to access a firewire DV camera.
So virtualdub could've implemented support for streaming video to and from a DV camera.
Firewire aka IEEE 1394 is the better technology. Why? Because you don't need a central host. This is important.
Firewire devices can interchange data point-to-point. USB always needs a host (read: PC, Mac, whatever) to keep the bus up. This is why Intel is pushing USB. Not because of technical aspects (ok, maybe to punish Apple), but because they want you to have to keep some central device (PC) to be able to exchange data between (USB) devices.
Again, on Firewire, this is not needed.
42. Easy. What is 32 + 8 + 2?
Please define "greedy." According to Apple, the fee is exactly $0.00 for the license to use the name and logo (you can even apply on-line and save the cost of a stamp):
- the firewire stack (the bit this article is intended to refer to, given the release date) is cross-platform but only free for evaluation purposes
- the firewire SDK is not cross-platform
Given the story's so misleading, perhaps an editor could fix it?
The FireWire reference platform IS OS-independent. The SDK you reference is Mac-specific. SDKs for other platforms are available from other sources.
*** Quantum Mechanics: The Dreams of Which Stuff is Made ***
Latency is dependent on the application. If you want a *minimum*, then sending asynch requests *typically* gets to it's destination in 5usec or less (for short msgs ... add on appropriate numbers for longer msgs, worst case packets [2k bytes at 400 Mbits/sec] would be about 80 usec). If there is a lot of traffic on the bus, and you need deterministic access with a lower max, then you need to use "isoch" requests which deliver a packet every 125 usec (with some jitter depending on the current traffic load ... worst case delay is about 200 usec). ... and the 1394b spec defines how to run gavanically isolated using UTP and various forms of optical fiber