Microsoft Corp, with help from Adaptec Inc, Compaq Computer Corp, NCR Corp and Western Digital Corp, has come out with a layered device driver architecture for the OS/2 operating system, providing a standard way for hardware vendors to write OS/2 device drivers for SCSI, AT, EISA, Micro Channel and other device interfaces: Microsoft claims that the layered structure means that it can reduce by approximately 90% the time necessary to develop device drivers because hardware vendors need develop only code for those portions of a device driver that are specific to their device; available next month, the device driver development kit; the specifications are in the public domain.
