szmanda@aluxp.UUCP (szmanda) (02/07/85)
I have been using VersaTerm now for about a month and am convinced that it
is, quite simply, the best terminal emulator available for the Macintosh.
Its author, Lonnie Abelbeck, should be congratulated.
The program itself (Version 1.4) occupies about 54K of disk space and yet
does a fine job of emulating the DEC VT 100 (by now, an almost universal
standard), the TEK 4014 (with full crosshair support), and the DG D200
(a rather uncommon terminal, but quite useful in certain applications).
Furthermore, VersaTerm supports the various Xmodem conventions for
data and program transfer, and provides a simple data capture routine
which is quite useful with commercial services such as Compuserve.
Of course, the TEK emulation provides the kind of graphics resolution that
we have come to expect from the Macintosh. In addition, the program
offers full graphics hard copy capability in which commands are issued
from the host or locally, four character sizes, incremental and special
plot modes and a nice mouse driven interface to the crosshairs. The latest
version of the program also includes an option that converts the plot
area to a MacPaint document and back again. This is particularly useful
to those who wish to edit a plot before it is printed.
To my mind, the important features of the VT100 are well supported. These
include such things as cursor movement, line drawing graphics, erase
commands, character insert/delete, inverse video and keypad support. In
addition, I really enjoy the convenience of the mouse driven EMACS and
VI interface.
Under VT100 emulation, the program performs well at 7200 baud without
flow control, but requires XON/XOFF handshaking at higher speeds. According
to the documentation, average usage may be slower than the quoted maximum,
so one should exercise caution. Aside from speed issues, there are several
other unsupported vt100 features. Among these are the LED's and double wide
double height, boldface and blinking characters.
I have not had much experience with the D200 emulator. I can say that it
supports all of the mouse related features of the VT100.
Most people have come to expect high quality terminal emulation from a
number of commercial software packages. I believe that VersaTerm is
extraordinary because of the attention to detail paid by its author. Even
the character set is designed for easy reading and convenient access. A
zero is easily recognized as such and distinct from an upper case O. Also,
the tilde (~) is readily accessible via the shift key.
If one frequently uses different computer systems, VersaTerm automatically
selects the proper settings when the number is dialed. Furthermore,
VersaTerm supports any modem command protocol because the user is free to
store her/his own commands during setup. Other often used commands
to the host can be stored under a special menu item.
Several other features are worthy of mention. The "Cut," "Copy" and "Paste"
commands are much faster than those offered by MacTerminal. I presume
that this is because the Clipboard is stored entirely in memory. Also,
when the TEK emulation is active, the graphics display is refreshed
after the pull down menus are accessed. Another feature is the "Print
Stream" command. This allows the simultaneous printing of text as it is
displayed on the screen. I missed this feature when I tested MacTerminal.
The manual is thorough, well written and includes an index. Even cable
wiring diagrams and Termcap entries are included.
I do regret the author's decision to copy protect both program disks
included in the package. However, a non copy protected disk is available
for $15.00. One must also sign a separate agreement to obtain the non
protected copy. This is not too great a hardship and, to my mind,
represents a reasonable compromise.
The program is offered at a fair price ($99.00) and is available from
Peripherals Computers and Supplies, Inc.
2232 Perkiomen Avenue
Mt. Penn, PA 19606
(215) 779-0522.
This is going to be my terminal emulator program. I highly recommend it.
Chuck Szmanda
aluxp!szmanda
Disclaimer:
The opinions expressed in this review are my own and do not necessarily
represent those of my employer. I have no financial relationship with
the author and will not gain in any way from the sale of this program.farber@rochester.UUCP (Dave Farber) (02/10/85)
I too have used VersaTerm for about three weeks. It is so superior to
MacTerminal that I used my Macterminal backup disk for scratch.
besides working well with macput/macget on the vaxes, I have
used it with Compuserve for up/.down loading. Real nice total
interface.
Only nit I have is noise on the line sometimes throws it from VT100
emulation into tek. Simple mouse click to go back.
It also works well with all desk accessoriesI have tried.
--
Dave Farber
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