[comp.sys.cbm] Kermit + Batteries Included 80 column card

ray@gibbs.physics.purdue.edu (Ray Moody) (07/27/89)

In article <4513@merlin.usc.edu>, aliu@nunki (Terminal Entry) writes:
>Will kermit + BI80 card allow you to do 80 cols at 2400 on the c64?

    Unfortunatly, No.

    Right now, Commodore Kermit needs a C128 running in 2 Mhz mode in
order to reach 2400 baud.  I plan to support 2400 baud on the C64 in
the next release, though.
								Ray

scott@max.acs.washington.edu (07/27/89)

In article <2387@pur-phy>, ray@gibbs.physics.purdue.edu (Ray Moody) writes:
> In article <4513@merlin.usc.edu>, aliu@nunki (Terminal Entry) writes:
>>Will kermit + BI80 card allow you to do 80 cols at 2400 on the c64?
>
>     Unfortunatly, No.
>
>     Right now, Commodore Kermit needs a C128 running in 2 Mhz mode in
> order to reach 2400 baud.  I plan to support 2400 baud on the C64 in
> the next release, though.
>                                                               Ray
 
Hi, glad to see the author of a fine program....
 
I have several questions for you....
What is the latest released version of Kermit?                    
I see that you are working on the next version. Do you
know when that will be finished and released?
 
And also, I know that having a BI 80 columns cards makes the
display of the characters in 80 columns mode much clear, but
how about speed? Is the scrolling of the screen much quicker?
 
Scott.

aliu@nunki.usc.edu (Terminal Entry) (07/29/89)

In article <2387@pur-phy> ray@gibbs.physics.purdue.edu (Ray Moody) writes:

>    Right now, Commodore Kermit needs a C128 running in 2 Mhz mode in
>order to reach 2400 baud.  I plan to support 2400 baud on the C64 in
>the next release, though.
>								Ray

So you are one (?) of the  programmers that came up with kermit! Congrats!

If you plan to add 2400 baud to Kermit, would that be only 40 cols, or
Kermit+BI80 card? Or will it be available with the simulated 80 cols screen
now avilable? I'd think that that bit-mapped screen is a little slow for
2400bps, especially when it comes to scrolling...

(onw way that couldbe solved is by adding some sort of flow control (^S/^Q)
that would take care of buffer overflow, but that may not be so welcome when
used with certan programs).

Now, my major complaint about Kermit is... KERMIT (protocol)... It is slow,
old, and very unreliable. Will you be considering adding Xmodem or Ymodem
to the new version? (CRC would be nice)...

And finally... any "date of release" set yet?

                                                 Thanks.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 "I was not delivered in this world in defeat, nor does failure course in
  my veins. I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded by my shepherd, I am a
  lion and I refuse to talk, to walk, to sleep with the sheep.

  I will persist till I succed."
                                            -Scroll Marked III

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ray@gibbs.physics.purdue.edu (Ray Moody) (07/30/89)

In article <4542@merlin.usc.edu>, aliu@nunki (Terminal Entry) writes:
>So you are one (?) of the  programmers that came up with kermit! Congrats!

    Yes, I am.  The other Kermit programmer that maintains a presence
on the net is Frank Prindle.  The names of Antonino N. J. Mione, Dave
Dermott, Eric Lavitsky and Michael Marchiondo are also mentioned in
the source code, but I have never seen nor heard from these peope.

>If you plan to add 2400 baud to Kermit, would that be only 40 cols, or
>Kermit+BI80 card? Or will it be available with the simulated 80 cols screen
>now avilable? I'd think that that bit-mapped screen is a little slow for
>2400bps, especially when it comes to scrolling...

    It would work with all of the screen drivers, including the BI-80
and the bit-mapped screen.  You are correct that scrolling is going to
be painfully slow on the bit-mapped screen, but there isn't much that
can be done about that.  (I have some ideas, but I haven't written any
code yet, so I don't know how well they will work.)

>(onw way that couldbe solved is by adding some sort of flow control (^S/^Q)
>that would take care of buffer overflow, but that may not be so welcome when
>used with certan programs).

    Xon/Xoff flow control is already implemented.  I don't know of any
other flow control arrangement other than CTS/DTR, and CTS/DTR isn't
used by any Commodore compatable hardware that I know of.

>Now, my major complaint about Kermit is... KERMIT (protocol)... It is slow,
>old, and very unreliable. Will you be considering adding Xmodem or Ymodem
>to the new version? (CRC would be nice)...

    Xmodem or Ymodem probably won't be added due to memory
limitations, however, I do plan to extend the Kermit implementation by
adding long packets, maybe sliding windows (will be a pain), data
compression, CRC checksums, and anything else that will fit.

>And finally... any "date of release" set yet?

    Ahhh, the $10,000 question.  I really don't know.....

								Ray

jgreco@csd4.milw.wisc.edu (Joe Greco) (07/31/89)

In comp.sys.cbm article <4988@max.acs.washington.edu>, scott@max.acs.washington.edu wrote:
]And also, I know that having a BI 80 columns cards makes the
]display of the characters in 80 columns mode much clear, but
]how about speed? Is the scrolling of the screen much quicker?

The screen is memory mapped, like the C64's 40 column screen.  The
problem with the hi-res 80 column screen is that there are several
bytes and several calculations needed to move  any given character on
the screen.  With a memory mapped display, this is no longer a problem.

I'm used to *instant* scrolls, and Kermit is a lot more pleasant to
use because of the BI-80.
--
jgreco@csd4.milw.wisc.edu		Joe Greco at FidoNet 1:154/200
USnail: 9905 W Montana Ave			     PunterNet Node 30 or 31
	West Allis, WI  53227-3329	"These aren't anybody's opinions."
Voice:	414/321-6184			Data: 414/321-9287 (Happy Hacker's BBS)