Steven_M_List@cup.portal.com (01/09/88)
I am trying to find a terminal emulator/file transfer package that will satisfy all my needs. A small request, don't you think? The two key issues are: a solid terminal emulator (that's almost every one out there); the ability to do background file transfers. The second question is the tough one. All of the terminal emulators out there (I've looked at Procomm, Qmoded, ZCOMM, Term, and Reflection) are good and reliable. What I really want is to be able to initiate a file transfer and then, using a hot key, have it continue in the background while I do something else in the foreground. Please mail me information about your favorite package. If I get sufficient answers, I'll post. Thanks for your help.
karthur@codas.att.com (Kurt_R_Arthur) (01/11/88)
In article <2341@cup.portal.com> Steven_M_List@cup.portal.com writes: > > I am trying to find a terminal emulator/file transfer package that will > satisfy all my needs. A small request, don't you think? > > The two key issues are: a solid terminal emulator (that's almost every > one out there); the ability to do background file transfers. I've been very happy using Mirror II, which is a superset of Crosstalk XVI, complete with all its terminal emulations and a background file transfer facility. P.S. Mirror II is cheap (list around $70). Kurt Arthur Software Services of Florida, Inc.
herb@hpindda.HP.COM (Herb Gellis) (01/12/88)
I believe the commercial program MIRROR does precisely what you want. It is (1) a Crosstalk (?) clone, and (2) has foreground/background capability. Sorry for the ?'s. . . |=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-| "What will I be when I grow up? | Herb Gellis | You are already grown up. | {ucbvax,...}!hplabs!hpindda!herb | You mean this is as UP as I will get?..." |=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-| | | David Gerrold, "When HARLIE Was One" --- ---
jgray@toad.UUCP (01/12/88)
In article <2341@cup.portal.com>, Steven_M_List@cup.portal.com writes: > I am trying to find a terminal emulator/file transfer package that will > satisfy all my needs. A small request, don't you think? > The two key issues are: a solid terminal emulator (that's almost every > one out there); the ability to do background file transfers. > I don't have an answer for this but it raises and interesting question I would to get feedback about from members of the net. I have noticed that some of the terminal emulators we have tried here (Vterm, Procomm and a few others) have a problem with port servicing latency when running high buad rates and there other things competing for the processor's time. These "other things" could be TSRs or device drivers. The efficiency of a device driver can effect the bandwidth of file transfers and the additional overhead in our NFS ethernet drivers (which intercepts the disk interrupts) was enough to cause 19.2 Kbaud transfers between PCs to fail. I suspect there may be a basic problem with background file transfers in that you would have to be very carefull about what you are running in the foreground and the TSRs you have active. The luxury of background file transfers might have to be paid for with a low bandwidth (read set port to 4800 baud or less) transfers. I can just see VMUSIC being run during background file transfers. Any comments anyone? --------------- Jerrold L. Gray UUCP:{ihnp4|caip|tektronix|ucbvax}!uw-beaver!tikal!pilchuck!jgray USNAIL: 10525 Willows Road N.E. /C-46 Redmond, Wa. 98052 (206) 881 - 6444 x470 Telex: 15-2167
jjw@igloo.UUCP (John Welch) (01/12/88)
In article <2341@cup.portal.com> Steven_M_List@cup.portal.com.UUCP writes: (looking for terminal emulator that runs in background) >The two key issues are: a solid terminal emulator (that's almost every >one out there); the ability to do background file transfers. Well, I've had experience with 2 that can do this, BackComm and Sidetalk. Of the two, I am more familiar with BackComm (LaSalle Micro, Schaumburg, Il) aving been the author of it. It works, but it is quite intimidating to the novice user,and the manual is the pits. However, it IS STILL pretty good, and once you get it all set up it runs like a champ. It does emulate various terminals, although the VT100 is pretty lame. Sidetalk (Lattice, someplace in Illinois) also runs in background. It uses less RAM than BC, but seems considerably less flexible. That *CAN* be a good thing, if you're not really technically inclined. We have used this only for a short while, at my current job, so I cannot really evaluate it (besides, I'm kind of prejudiced anyways ;-). Sidetalk is around $100, BackComm was last seen at around $140. -- ========================================================================== John Welch ..{codas,ihnp4}!ddsw1!igloo!jjw "I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, de-briefed or numbered. My life is my own; I am a free man!" - #6
hoff@hp-sdd.HP.COM (Tom Hoff) (01/12/88)
In article <804@pilchuck.Data-IO.COM> jgray@toad.pilchuck.Data-IO.COM (Jerry Late Nite Gray) writes: >In article <2341@cup.portal.com>, Steven_M_List@cup.portal.com writes: >> one out there); the ability to do background file transfers. >to get feedback about from members of the net. I have noticed that some of the >terminal emulators we have tried here (Vterm, Procomm and a few others) have >a problem with port servicing latency when running high buad rates and >there other things competing for the processor's time. These "other things" >Any comments anyone? I've had no problems running Procomm in a DoubleDos background task while it's doing a 9600 baud Ymodem batch transfer. Of course I may be cheating 'cause I'm using an 8mhz 80286 machine, but the background task only gets 1/3 of the cpu. I'm not sure if Procomm is sending a lot of XOFF's, but I haven't hooked up a protocol analyzer to check this out. I suspect that a well written program that does background file transfers will use as much cpu as it needs and give the remaining cpu to the foreground task, or take advantage of XON/ XOFF to throttle the host computer. --Tom -- Tom Hoff (...!hplabs!hp-sdd!hoff) "Dammit Jim, I'm a programmer not a spokesman!"
jjw@igloo.UUCP (John Welch) (01/15/88)
In article <804@pilchuck.Data-IO.COM> jgray@toad.pilchuck.Data-IO.COM (Jerry Late Nite Gray) writes: >I suspect there may be a basic problem with background file transfers in that >you would have to be very carefull about what you are running in the foreground >and the TSRs you have active. The luxury of background file transfers might >have to be paid for with a low bandwidth (read set port to 4800 baud or less) >transfers. I can just see VMUSIC being run during background file transfers. > >Any comments anyone? Well, you're right about being careful about TSRs. Some of them are downright HOSTILE to the system. However, for protocol transfers, if the program running in background is interrupt-driven and has a fairly sizable buffer (as does BackComm, which I wrote part of) you can run as fast as you want. The CPU time for BC is configurable, and at 2400 baud in background the throughput goes down slightly, and the keyboard response lags (sometimes by 2 characters) but it runs. The thing is, use a program that's INTERRUPT driven and MADE to work in background, and not something written in BASIC that polls INT 14 for its input. -- ========================================================================== John Welch ..{codas,ihnp4}!ddsw1!igloo!jjw "I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, de-briefed or numbered. My life is my own; I am a free man!" - #6
kuo@skatter.UUCP (Dr. Peter Kuo) (01/19/88)
In article <2341@cup.portal.com>, Steven_M_List@cup.portal.com.UUCP writes: > I am trying to find a terminal emulator/file transfer package that will > satisfy all my needs. A small request, don't you think? > > The two key issues are: a solid terminal emulator (that's almost every > one out there); the ability to do background file transfers. > > The second question is the tough one. All of the terminal emulators out > there (I've looked at Procomm, Qmoded, ZCOMM, Term, and Reflection) are > good and reliable. What I really want is to be able to initiate a file > transfer and then, using a hot key, have it continue in the background while > I do something else in the foreground. > Look at Mirror II by Softklone Distributing Corp. It claims to multi-task and has terminal emulations for VT100/52, IBM 3101, TeleVideo 912C/920/925, TI 940, ... All these for about $70 US. I have not used it but just saw some ads on it. Peter/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peter Kuo | Bitnet (VMS) : KUO@SASK Accelerator Laboratory | (a.k.a. The Beam Warehouse) | uucp (Unix) : !alberta\ Univ. of Saskatchewan | !ihnp4 -- !sask!skatter!kuo Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | !utcsri / CANADA S7N 0W0 | (Earth) | Ma Bell : (306) 966-8528 Disclaimer: I don't know what I am saying, I'm only a physicist. Don't quote me on anything! I speak only for myself. Opus: "Why, fer cryin' out loud..research physicists need Porsches, TOO!!" -- Bloom County