Re: freebsd-hackers-digest V4 #576

[Stephen Hocking-Senior Programmer PGS Tensor Perth]

> 
> I believe the joystick driver in FreeBSD could probably be redone, to support
> all the non-standard joysticks that many people (like me :) have. Having
> just recently converted to FreeBSD from Linux, though, I don't know the best
> way to go about it. Here are some ideas (sorry if my terminology is wrong):
> 
> (1) Redefine the core joystick code as a controller, and then have all the
>     different joystick types ride on top of it, like:
> 
> controller      joy0    at isa? port IO_GAME # Serves joystick port 0x201
> #device         jan0    at joy0 # Analog joystick
> device          jgpp0   at joy0 # Gravis GamePad Pro
> etc...
>     This would also allow for modules to be used for all the different joystick
>     types, I think.
> 
> (2) Have a monolithic joystick driver, with options to pick the proper type:
> 
> device          joy0    at isa? port IO_GAME # Just like it is now
> options         JOY_ANALOG
> options         JOY_GRAVIS
> etc...
> 
> I also believe it should use the Linux joystick's device interface, so that
> folks that have already written their games to use the Linux joysticks can work
> in FreeBSD with minor effort.
> 
> Any help or comments are appreciated.
> 

I'm partway through porting Vojtech's Linux joystick code to FreeBSD, as a 
series of loadable modules. There is the main module (which is mostly 
converted, although some of the Linuxisms are a bit hard to come up with an 
equivalent to, even with the Linux device drivers book) and a seperate module 
for each of the different hardware devices. You'll kldload the main module 
first, then the device specific module, which'll call a joystick registration 
routine to make itself known. You've just spurred me into action and I hope to 
get the main module finished this weekend.

The recent chatter about allowing kldload to give modules arguments is very 
interesting, as it would allow one to specify port addresses and the like.

        Stephen
-- 
  The views expressed above are not those of PGS Tensor.

    "We've heard that a million monkeys at a million keyboards could produce
     the Complete Works of Shakespeare; now, thanks to the Internet, we know
     this is not true."            Robert Wilensky, University of California




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