IGA.LAMBDA@BIONET-20.ARPA (05/20/88)
From: Doug Brutlag <brutlag@IC2060> I have just tried out a new terminal emultor for the MacIntosh which I liked very much. Here is a message sent on INFO-MAC about it. 24-Jan-85 21:49:43-PST,2899;000000000001 Date: Thu 24 Jan 85 21:49:43-PST From: Doug Brutlag <brutlag@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA> Subject: VERSATERM VT100 EMULATOR/FILE TRANSFERS To: info-mac@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA cc: smug@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Three weeks ago I ordered a copy of Versaterm version 1.1 in response to a favorable review on INFO-MAC. I received it 4 days after ordering it and must have gotten one of the first copies of this version (serial number 504). I found two bugs while using it here at SUMEX, one concerned display emulation of the VT100 and the other concerned file transfers hanging on noisy phone lines. I called the company (Peripherals, Computers and Supplies) on a Saturday and they answered! The programmer responsible for Versaterm, Lonnie Abelbeck, called me within minutes. By Saturday evening he had corrected the problems (they did not affect VT100 emulation on VAX systems, only TOPS-20) and actually downloaded a new version of the program over the phone lines to my Mac! Talk about service. In addition, I had a discussion with him about the importance of a vanilla MODEM in addition to MACGET and MACPUT protocols. A week later he downloaded version 1.3 of Versaterm to me with this improvement and several others. I am very impressed, not only with this concern for customer satisfaction but with the quality of the product. Versaterm is 1/2 the size of MacTerminal (only 54 K) and responds much faster. It does a near perfect emulation of a VT100 and it also contains the ability to use the MOUSE in EMACS or VI as a pointing device while editing. It also has support for the VT100 numeric keypad. It has FOUR methods of file transfer including direct stream recording or sending of files, XMODEM for both text and binary file transfer, MacMODEM protocol (compatible with MACGET and MACPUT and other Macintoshes) and of course the ability to cut and paste to and from the terminal screen. It remembers about 5 screen-fulls which can be scrolled. I have used XMODEM up to 9600 baud to transfer files to and from an IBM PC and the other protocols over phone lines to VAX's, 20's etc. The program stores up to eight different phone numbers, login/password commands, and terminal setting specifications all in a single terminal settings file. One can map the backspace to a delete key in the terminal settings. The program also emulates a Tektronics 4014 and a Datageneral D200 terminals but I have not tried these modes. Because of its flexibility of file transfer and display emulation I use it exclusively now for communications and have thrown away my MacTerminal and MacKermit disks. The program is available by phone or writing to Peripherals, Computers and Supplies, Inc. 2232 Perkiomen Avenue Mt. Penn, PA 19606 (215) 779-0522 I have no connection with this firm other than being an unsuspecting beta-test site. Doug Brutlag ------- -------