JRD@cc.usu.edu (Joe Doupnik) (11/19/89)
There is a natural misconception regarding Kermit and 7 or 8 bit file
transfers. Kermit uses 8 bit transfers if parity is none, otherwise it uses
7 bits and encoding for the eighth bit. Even under Unix C Kermit runs the
communications line in full 8-bit mode during file transfers, if at all
possible, even though the conversational parts use the normal Unix parity.
Each Kermit determines the local parity situation and the width of the
transfer is negotiated between them at file transfer time.
I might add in passing that the Kermit protocol permits run length
encoding naturally, most Kermits support it, to help compress many files.
Not the same as the full blown archive compression schemes. If a communications
channel is 7 bits wide then archive style compression of text files may yield
a slower transmission than the original text files because of escaping all
the new eighth bits. The Kermit protocol also makes provision for cooperating
Kermits to use very advanced compression methods, but to date no release
Kermit uses those methods.
Joe D.