ADB Prober is a little program thrown together in three hour's time that displays all devices connected to the ADB (Apple Desktop Bus) and tries to identify them. You have buttons to re-scan the bus and to re-set it (you need the latter if you love living on the edge and connect another device while the computer is on. You do risk your ADB chip each time but 'no pain - no game' they say.).
If Prober is unable to identify a device it will either flag it as such or it will try to guess what kind of device is connected. In that case, the program will append a question mark '?' to the description. If ADB finds a device but doesn't believe what it sees, it will flag it as a 'Phantom Device'. Somehow the ADB sometimes lies into the face of the system. I don't know why.
Should you encounter any unknown or phantom devices or have the program flag a device with a question mark, please be sure to tell me about it.
I will then need the following details:
1. Name, Manufacturer and possibly version numbers of all devices connected
2. The output of ADB prober (a screenshot will do nicely, but you may
as well write a list)
Send me a letter to
cfranz@home.malg.imp.com
or (if you don't have Internet access) to:
C. Franz
Universitaetstrasse 93
CH-8006 ZUERICH
Switzerland
If you send in this information, I will be able to update the ADB Prober to
correctly recognize all devices. Of course, feel free to mail me just to tell me your view of the world in general and ADB Prober in particular.
What it knows:
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ADB Prober currently recognizes:
• Mouse
Apple Standard
Mouse Systems optical A^3 Mouse
Kensington Turbo Mouse
• Trackpad (PB 540c)
• Trackball
emac Silhuette
Mouse Systems Trackball
PowerBook 180
PowerBook 140
PowerBook Duo
CoStar Stingray
• Keyboard
Extended II
Apple Keyboard II (various kinds and then some)
PowerBook 540
PowerBook 140
PowerBook Duo
Apple Adjustable
Standard
Cutting Edge Extended
MicroSpeed
• Keypad (from Adjustable Keyboard)
• Joysticks
Thrustmaster
Gravis MouseStick II
• WACOM ArtPad Tablett
• PowerKey
• Dongle
MicroGuard
MacHASP
• Apple AudioVision 14 Monitor (? need confirmation on that)
What it thinks it knows but actually doesn't:
----------------------------------------
The following devices are not correctly recognized:
• MacEnjoy Joystick Adapter (it identifies itself as a mouse)
• SuperMac TrackBall (identifies as Keyboard Apple Standard)
• Gravis GamePad (identifies as Keyboard Apple Standard)
Also, ADB Prober may find more devices than that are actually connected to your system. ADB Prober tries to identify these 'Phantom Devices'. If this happens to you, please email me and tell me your setup and what Extensions you have running.
What it doesn't know:
-------------------
I'm looking for the device characteristics of the following devices:
• Trackballs (excluding the Silhuette, including PowerBook trackballs)
• Gravis MouseStick I & II
• Q-Stick
• UnMouse
• DataGlove (the ADB version)
• Any Graphic Tablet or Light Stick but WACOM's ArtPad
• Any other input device you may come across that's not listed under
recognized
What you should know:
--------------------
If you are using any of the above devices, please run ADB Prober and send me the results (along with a note listing all your connected devices).
If I receive enough information for additional devices, I may even touch up the interface and introduce a real event loop.
I hope you like the program. If you do, you may keep it. If you don't, you must erase it within two weeks from your harddisk ;-)
What my lawyer knows:
---------------------
ADB Prober ('the program') is provided free of charge. I, Christian Franz, retain all rights to this program and it's documentation. You may not charge any amount of money for this program or it's distribution other than the usual downloading fee from BBS. You may not alter either program or its documentation and may not distribute modified versions of program or documentation. If you distribute the program, you must include this documentation.
Use the program at your own risk. I will not assume any liability for any damages received through the use of ADB Prober (or, for that matter, its documentation).
Zürich, February 1995
What I preferred not to have known:
"Sadder still to watch it die than never to have known it". How true.