[comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d] Procomm Plus

batman@watsci.uwaterloo.ca (Marcell Stoer) (12/21/89)

I've been trying to use Procomm to call into another PC and shell to DOS,
so that I can work on that machine.  I'm working at home from a NEC Multispeed
and I'm trying to log onto a 386 or sometimes a 286, which are much more
useful to do some work on.  Has anyone tried this?  I'm able to log on
and shell to DOS, but I cannot run software such as QUATTRO or anything
that requires "good" graphics.  The NEC has an LCD if you don't know.  When
I start up the software it runs on the other machine (if the enhanced graphics
are required) and my machine appears hung untill it completes.  

I've heard of Procomm Plus (I only have Procomm) and I'm wondering if
it is a lot better.  Does it let you use com3 or even com4?  Where could
I get a copy?  I have no access to SIMTEL or BBS.

Thanks,

Marcell

--

delong@frith.egr.msu.edu (12/21/89)

> 
> I've been trying to use Procomm to call into another PC and shell to DOS,
> so that I can work on that machine.  I'm working at home from a NEC Multispeed
> and I'm trying to log onto a 386 or sometimes a 286, which are much more
> useful to do some work on.  Has anyone tried this?  I'm able to log on
> and shell to DOS, but I cannot run software such as QUATTRO or anything
> that requires "good" graphics.  The NEC has an LCD if you don't know.  When
> I start up the software it runs on the other machine (if the enhanced graphics
> are required) and my machine appears hung untill it completes.  
> 
> I've heard of Procomm Plus (I only have Procomm) and I'm wondering if
> it is a lot better.  Does it let you use com3 or even com4?  Where could
> I get a copy?  I have no access to SIMTEL or BBS.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Marcell
> 
> --

Procomm is not able to send screen or keyboard information like
REMOTE or CARBONCOPY can.  All it can do is redirect standard io.
So any program that does direct memory screen or any kinds of
graphics (except ansi text graphics) won't work.

Procomm Plus lets you use com3, com4 and anything else you devise...
but it still won't work like you want with remote operations.

Unfortunately, REMOTE and CARBONCOPY are both "Pay For" programs,
and you need to buy one for each side of the communications.  (They
check to make sure each side doesn't have the same serial#.)
On the plus side, they work very well, esp. REMOTE.  REMOTE will
transmit even VGA graphics.  I believe it can even translate from
one graphic mode on one system to a different graphic mode on another.
So if you had a VGA at work and a CGA at home, it would still work.
(Of course it wouldn't look quite as nice on the CGA) 
As always though, check with the company to make sure...

Keith
delong@frith.egr.msu.edu

ts@uwasa.fi (Timo Salmi LASK) (12/21/89)

>> I've been trying to use Procomm to call into another PC and shell to DOS,
>> so that I can work on that machine.  I'm working at home from a NEC Multispeed

>> I've heard of Procomm Plus (I only have Procomm) and I'm wondering if
>> it is a lot better.  Does it let you use com3 or even com4?  Where could
>> I get a copy?  I have no access to SIMTEL or BBS.

I will try not to repeat the useful information already given by
delong@frith.egr.msu.edu but give some more.  Procomm Plus is not
shareware at all, but a full commercial product, so it should not be
available at any ftp site nor BBS.  And, it is true, that Procomm
does not have, nor is meant to have, full remote capabilities.  The
same goes for Procomm Plus.  Procomm and Procomm Plus are at their
best in calling BBSes.  For remote control of a PC see the
advertisments of commercial programs eg in the PC Maganize.  And
perhaps someone here will have information on a shareware option?

...................................................................
Prof. Timo Salmi                                (Site 128.214.12.3)
School of Business Studies, University of Vaasa, SF-65101, Finland
Internet: ts@chyde.uwasa.fi Funet: vakk::salmi Bitnet: salmi@finfun

delong@frith.egr.msu.edu (12/21/89)

Prof. Timo Salami is correct, Procomm Plus is not shareware.  However,
there is Procomm Plus Test Drive...a full working Procomm Plus from
the Procomm author (less keyboard remapping)...and it is free to distribute.
Even using the "Paid For" version, I never use keyboard remapping anyway.
It's a good way to "try before you buy" (boy, is that an old slogan).

Keith DeLong
delong@frith.egr.msu.edu

mbb@cbnewsh.ATT.COM (martin.b.brilliant) (12/22/89)

In article <5867@cps3xx.UUCP> delong@frith.egr.msu.edu (Keith) writes:
(in response to a query about procomm)
>> I've been trying to use Procomm to call into another PC and shell to DOS,
>> .....
>> I've heard of Procomm Plus (I only have Procomm) and I'm wondering if
>> it is a lot better.  Does it let you use com3 or even com4?  Where could
>> I get a copy?  I have no access to SIMTEL or BBS.

Keith's response:

>Procomm is not able to send screen or keyboard information like
>REMOTE or CARBONCOPY can.  All it can do is redirect standard io.
>.....
>Procomm Plus lets you use com3, com4 and anything else you devise...
>but it still won't work like you want with remote operations.
>
>Unfortunately, REMOTE and CARBONCOPY are both "Pay For" programs...

Excuse me.  Small flame.  Procomm is also a pay-for program, only you
pay for it after you try it out.  It's what they call shareware.

I tried out Procomm on COM3 and it worked.  I must have used a more
recent version of Procomm, but that was almost a year ago.  It came
with my cheapie internal modem.  I didn't pay for it because I also
tried out alternatives, and I preferred, and paid for, BOYAN 4.0.

If you have Procomm, send in your registration and you will get the
latest version.  That should run on COM3 and COM4.  But, as Keith says,
it won't do what REMOTE and CARBON COPY do.

Procomm Plus is also a commercial product.  I've seen it listed in ads
in Personal Computing.

Thank you for your patience.  Sincerely,

M. B. Brilliant					Marty
AT&T-BL HO 3D-520	(201) 949-1858
Holmdel, NJ 07733	att!hounx!marty1 or marty1@hounx.ATT.COM
After retirement on 12/30/89 use att!althea!marty or marty@althea.UUCP

Disclaimer: Opinions stated herein are mine unless and until my employer
	    explicitly claims them; then I lose all rights to them.

steve@wintermute.ucsd.edu ({Darkavich}) (12/22/89)

In article <1989Dec21.122025.25155@uwasa.fi> ts@uwasa.fi (Timo Salmi LASK) writes:
>I will try not to repeat the useful information already given by
>delong@frith.egr.msu.edu but give some more.  Procomm Plus is not
>shareware at all, but a full commercial product, so it should not be
>available at any ftp site nor BBS.  And, it is true, that Procomm
>does not have, nor is meant to have, full remote capabilities.  The
>same goes for Procomm Plus.  Procomm and Procomm Plus are at their
>best in calling BBSes.  For remote control of a PC see the
>advertisments of commercial programs eg in the PC Maganize.  And
>perhaps someone here will have information on a shareware option?

You are correct in saying this, but also you are wrong.  I work at a 
retail computer store and there is a version of Procomm Plus that is
commercial and a version that is share ware.  I have been unable to tell
the difference between the share-ware version and the commercial version
other than the fact that some of the command keys are different.

	Steve Misrack
	smisrack@ucsd.edu

marksal@blake.acs.washington.edu (Alan Marks) (12/22/89)

In article <5867@cps3xx.UUCP> delong@frith.egr.msu.edu () writes:
>Procomm is not able to send screen or keyboard information like
>REMOTE or CARBONCOPY can.  All it can do is redirect standard io.
>Unfortunately, REMOTE and CARBONCOPY are both "Pay For" programs,
>
>Keith
>delong@frith.egr.msu.edu

Has anyone yet tried the brand new PCMagazine utility called PCRemote?
It was described in the latest issue.  If anyone has it and wants to 
upload it to SIMTEL, I'm sure many us could use it.  It purports to
have many of the same functions as the abovementioned utilities. 
Attention all you Compuservers out there :-) .

Alan Marks  (no sig. just marksal@blake.acs.washington.edu)

ts@uwasa.fi (Timo Salmi LASK) (12/22/89)

In article <10562@ucsd.Edu> steve@wintermute.ucsd.edu ({Darkavich}) writes:
>In article <1989Dec21.122025.25155@uwasa.fi> ts@uwasa.fi (Timo Salmi LASK) writes:
>>delong@frith.egr.msu.edu but give some more.  Procomm Plus is not
>>shareware at all, but a full commercial product, so it should not be
>>available at any ftp site nor BBS.  And, it is true, that Procomm
>
>You are correct in saying this, but also you are wrong.  I work at a 
>retail computer store and there is a version of Procomm Plus that is
>commercial and a version that is share ware.  I have been unable to tell

If you are referring to Procomm Plus Test drive there are, in fact,
a couple of more differences.  Furthermore, as far as I know, the
Test drive was officially meant for the States only, even if it
seeped to Europe, nevertheless.  It is futile to split hairs, but
perhaps the Test drive (if this is really about it) is not quite
what is conventionally meant by shareware, that is you just try the
program out and if you like it you just register your copy.  Be that
as it may, yours is interesting information.  What does the initial
screen of your shareware version say as compared to the principal
Plus? (Perhaps we should continue by email for the sake of the other
netters if this gets too specific for general posting.)

...................................................................
Prof. Timo Salmi                                (Site 128.214.12.3)
School of Business Studies, University of Vaasa, SF-65101, Finland
Internet: ts@chyde.uwasa.fi Funet: vakk::salmi Bitnet: salmi@finfun

schaut@cat9.cs.wisc.edu (Richard Schaut) (12/23/89)

In article <1989Dec21.122025.25155@uwasa.fi> ts@uwasa.fi (Timo Salmi LASK) writes:
| 
| >> I've heard of Procomm Plus (I only have Procomm) and I'm wondering if
| >> it is a lot better.  Does it let you use com3 or even com4?  Where could
| >> I get a copy?  I have no access to SIMTEL or BBS.
| 
| I will try not to repeat the useful information already given by
| delong@frith.egr.msu.edu but give some more.  Procomm Plus is not
| shareware at all, but a full commercial product, so it should not be
| available at any ftp site nor BBS.  And, it is true, that Procomm
| does not have, nor is meant to have, full remote capabilities.  The
| same goes for Procomm Plus.  Procomm and Procomm Plus are at their
| best in calling BBSes.  For remote control of a PC see the
| advertisments of commercial programs eg in the PC Maganize.  And
| perhaps someone here will have information on a shareware option?

Just a minor correction.  There is a "Test Drive" version of Procomm Plus
available.  I don't know whether simtel has it, but I pulled it off a
local BBS.  Datastorm still adheres (somewhat) to the shareware concept.
--
Rick

"Any questions?  Any answers?  Anyone care for a mint?" -- Rita Rudner

gary@utgard.uucp (Gary Manning) (12/23/89)

In article <5133@blake.acs.washington.edu> marksal@blake.acs.washington.edu (Alan Marks) writes:
>In article <5867@cps3xx.UUCP> delong@frith.egr.msu.edu () writes:
>>Procomm is not able to send screen or keyboard information like
>>REMOTE or CARBONCOPY can.  All it can do is redirect standard io.
>>Unfortunately, REMOTE and CARBONCOPY are both "Pay For" programs,
>>
>>Keith
>>delong@frith.egr.msu.edu
>
>Has anyone yet tried the brand new PCMagazine utility called PCRemote?
>It was described in the latest issue.  If anyone has it and wants to 
>upload it to SIMTEL, I'm sure many us could use it.  It purports to
>have many of the same functions as the abovementioned utilities. 
>Attention all you Compuservers out there :) .
>
>Alan Marks  (no sig. just marksal@blake.acs.washington.edu)

How about PC Anywhere.  We are using version I (one).  There is now a 
second or third version available.  It works very well.  It costs about
$100.

-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| Gary Manning  QMA Inc.               |"A mind is a terrible thing!"         |
| csusac!utgard!pyrgard!gary           |All comments are mine...Blah Blah Blah|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

roy@comcon.UUCP (Roy M. Silvernail) (12/23/89)

In article <1989Dec21.122025.25155@uwasa.fi>, ts@uwasa.fi (Timo Salmi LASK) writes:
> best in calling BBSes.  For remote control of a PC see the
> advertisments of commercial programs eg in the PC Maganize.  And
> perhaps someone here will have information on a shareware option?
> 

I do news admin for my site. I do my work from home, using the trusty
modem and Boyan 4.01, a shareware terminal from Justin Boyan. The
distribution diskettes include external modules for several transfer
protocols, including PCKermit. I have had very good results from
PCKermit, although I installed Zmodem on this site, and use it mostly
(because it's faster).

Boyan's VT-100 emulation is very good. A few of the function keys had to
be reset for this site. The overall utility of the terminal and it's
macro language are excellent. Boyan seems at home on a BBS or a Unix
box. 

Shelling to DOS and working remotely are another question, though, and
don't depend so much on the connection and terminal as on the software
running on the remote machine. Programs such as Remote will let you
drive a PC remotely with programs that do hardware i/o, but those are
commercial programs. I haven't seen a shareware remote program yet... 

-- 
_R_o_y _M_. _S_i_l_v_e_r_n_a_i_l  | UUCP: uunet!comcon!roy  |  "Every race must arrive at this
[ah, but it's my account... of course I opine!] point in its history"
SnailMail: P.O. Box 210856, Anchorage, |        ........Mr. Slippery
Alaska, 99521-0856, U.S.A., Earth, etc.|    <Ono-Sendai: the right choice!>

mmedici@zodiac.rutgers.edu (Mark Medici) (01/01/90)

In article <204@comcon.UUCP>, roy@comcon.UUCP (Roy M. Silvernail) writes:

  [bunch of stuff deleted]

> Shelling to DOS and working remotely are another question, though, and
> don't depend so much on the connection and terminal as on the software
> running on the remote machine. Programs such as Remote will let you
> drive a PC remotely with programs that do hardware i/o, but those are
> commercial programs. I haven't seen a shareware remote program yet... 

In a recent issue of one of the big microcomputer magazines (I beleive it
was a November issue of "PC Magazine"), was an article describing their
own freeware remote control software for PC's.  As I recall, this software
was only effective on text-based programs, but it was NOT limited to those
that use DOS calls (which can usually be redirected to the serial port,
eliminating the need for any intermediate software).

My understanding is that this software is freeware (e.g., copyrighted,
but you are free to use it as long as you don't incorporate or bundle
it with other items distributed at any cost).  If you can't find any
reference to the program, let me know by email and I'll look for it.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Mark Medici - Rutgers/CCIS/Instructional MicroLabs | These  opinions  are  my
InterNet    : mmedici@zodiac.rutgers.edu           | own -- would anyone else
CompuServe  : 74755,304                            | bear  the  embarrassment
Voice       : (201) 932-2412  -or-  (201) 932-5766 | of claiming them!?!