🚀 go-pugleaf

 
Howdy.
 
I need to open COM1: at 9600 baud, even parity, 8 data bits, and 1 stop bit.

I WAS using QuickBasic for this application, but it chokes on
     OPEN "COM1:9600,E,8,1"  ("bad filename" error)
while it swallows
     OPEN "COM1:9600,N,8,1"
just fine.  The fine people at Microsoft Support basically said that "GOD
told us not let anybody open a serial port with 8 bits AND a parity bit 
because that makes the total number of bits (including start and stop) 11
and GOD said the maximum number of serial bits per word was 10."  When
I pointed out that QBasic accepted 
     OPEN "COM1:9600,N,8,2"  (2 stopbits -> 11 bits total)
and that my terminal program supports 8 bits with parity, they said they'd
look into it.  So much for technical assistance and background.

So my two questions are:

1) Does anybody know a way around this in QBasic?

and 

2) Can anyone recommend a C compiler that will let me have my 8 bits and
   parity too?

This seemed like such a simple thing this morning...

BTW, the Microsoft people didn't actually mention God by name, but they
certainly made the problem sound like it was out of their realm of control.

Thanks for any and all replies.  Please send me mail directly as I don't
read newsfeeds that often. 
-- 
Fred Hamilton                  Any views, comments, or ideas expressed here
Harris Semiconductor           are entirely my own.  Even good ones.
Santa Clara, CA