ward@hao.UUCP (Mike Ward) (01/21/85)
Every now and then something comes along that destroys long-cherished notions of how the world is made. Such as thing is Versaterm. I'm a text terminal user. I would never have a graphics terminal on my desk, because graphics terminals have always done a lousy job of doing text work. They were slow, or they had annoying long persistence phosphors, or they painted fuzzy characters. There was always a price to pay for being able to paint pictures on the screen. This is so no longer. I posted an article last week complaining about the lack of some file transfer features in Versaterm. Since then, I have received an updated version. I can now say that this is not only the finest terminal emulator on the Macintosh today (faint praise, that) but easily the best terminal software I have ever used on any computer. Versaterm, in fact, makes the Macintosh one of the finest terminals I have ever used. Lonnie Abelbeck has made using the Macintosh as a terminal a pleasant experience. The Mac works like a Mac should work. There's a good sized memory buffer of text saved off the top of the screen, the list of phone numbers resides under a menu, the communication settings are automatically set when a number is called, there's a menu full of macros. And the manual is almost completely unnecessary. This program supports upload and download using plain ASCII, binary Xmodem, text Xmodem (which filters out those hateful linefeeds) and Macterminal Xmodem (which transfers both forks of the Macintosh file). I have been able to do full screen editing using Vi at 9600 baud with no trouble. Versaterm gives you the option + mouse cursor control that Macterminal introduced. The versaterm version of this seems to work much faster, and you can use it with either Vi or EMACS. When in Vi (and other full screen editors), you must turn off XON/XOFF. When listing anything at 9600 baud you must turn it on (Versaterm can handle ~7200 baud without flow control). The XON/XOFF switch is directly under a menu, which makes it quick and easy to change. Versaterm supports the add-on numeric keypad. It also allows you to use the regular keypad for cursor control and function key purposes. (This is the only thing I've seen that I needed manual to find out.) It supports all the VT100 features that I use, which is enough to do full screen editing, but I can't say how well it supports those features I don't use (it doesn't claim to be a perfect VT100 emulator). I cannot report on how well Versaterm works as a graphics terminal, since I don't use graphics. I have used it to do simple pictures - circles, squares, toriods. It seems to do the job. But I'll leave the review of the Tektronix and the DG2000 emulators to those who better understand them. This excellent program is well worth its price, even if you only use it in its VT100 mode. The addition of Tekronix and DG2000 emulation easily make it a bargain. Future enhancements promise to make it even better. For those (like me) who have to deal with brain-damaged and/or toy computers, Lonnie has indicated that future releases will include both Macterminal-type delay-after-line, and MacTEP-type wait-for-prompt ASCII upload. Programmable answerback and true 9600 baud operation are goals I would urge on him. You can buy Versaterm by sending $99 to: Peripherals Computers & Supplies, Inc 2232 Perkiomen Avenue Mt. Penn, PA 19606 (215) 779-0522 I recommend it. THE USUAL DISCLAIMER: I have no personal or financial ties with Lonnie Abelbeck or the organization selling this product. My only interest is in good, quality software for the Macintosh. This program sets high standards for the Macintosh, and is well worth the time we have waited. I hope other Mac developers take heed and do as well. -- Michael Ward, NCAR/SCD UUCP: {hplabs,nbires,brl-bmd,seismo,menlo70,stcvax}!hao!ward ARPA: hplabs!hao!ward@Berkeley BELL: 303-497-1252 USPS: POB 3000, Boulder, CO 80307
thomas@utah-gr.UUCP (Spencer W. Thomas) (01/21/85)
Something I would dearly love to see in a terminal emulator, and which none of them have yet (are you listening Lonnie?) is a "Meta" key. This (for you unitiated out there) is a key which sets the "parity" or 8th bit in the outgoing characters (obviously, one must be running in a "no parity" mode). A certain popular screen editor (emacs) uses this key as a sort of "control" key to give one easy access to a number of editing functions. I know that availability of a meta key would prompt a large number of people to buy the terminal emulator that supplied it. -- =Spencer ({ihnp4,decvax}!utah-cs!thomas, thomas@utah-cs.ARPA) <<< Silly quote of the week >>>