mclarke@ac.dal.ca (02/15/91)
Has anyone else had problems with editing keys like backspace, cursor keys, etc. while using the Windows Terminal program connected to a Vax, emulating a VT 100 term. After trying all variations of communications choices I have to concede that it doesn't work for me. I am using a null modem. Mike
bcw@rti.rti.org (Bruce Wright) (02/16/91)
In article <3530@ac.dal.ca>, mclarke@ac.dal.ca writes: > Has anyone else had problems with editing keys like > backspace, cursor keys, etc. while using the Windows Terminal > program connected to a Vax, emulating a VT 100 term. > > After trying all variations of communications choices I have to > concede that it doesn't work for me. I am using a null modem. I assume that you are probably trying to connect to VAX/VMS, which wants you to be able to generate a DEL (hex 7f) when you hit the backspace key. (Actually VMS finds both BS [hex 08] and DEL to be useful characters with VERY different meanings - but that's a different story). Unfortunately the Windows Terminal program doesn't have a setting to allow you to generate the DEL character by just typing the backspace key. The Windows Terminal program is not a terribly good VT100 emulator program. There are numerous bugs (the inability to generate a DEL is one of them - this used to be available but inconvenient under Windows 2.11, but seems to have gone away in 3.0). The VT100 special graphics font isn't all there either (relatively minor), and there is a problem with insert/overstrike mode that will trash your command line if you use command line editing on VAX/VMS (significant annoyance). I'm sure there are other problems but I haven't tried to compile an exhaustive list - sometime when I have nothing better to do I might run my VT100 torture test programs and files against it; I suspect it will fail miserably, since I know that it fails on a lot of the easy stuff. On the whole it is tremendously better than the version of Terminal for Windows version 2.11, which says more about Windows 2.11 than it does about the Terminal program. (BTW, I've written a VTxxx emulator for a commercial product for a non-PC-based system, which _does_ work with these tests, so I have some idea what I'm talking about). There are numerous alternatives - both shareware and commercial. I'd suggest you try some of them out & see which one you like (this is a subject that, like editors, can be somewhat of a religous issue after the obvious bugs have been removed from the product). Bruce C. Wright
fozzard@alumni.colorado.edu (Richard Fozzard) (02/20/91)
In article <1991Feb16.022434.26688@rti.rti.org> bcw@rti.rti.org (Bruce Wright) writes: >In article <3530@ac.dal.ca>, mclarke@ac.dal.ca writes: >> Has anyone else had problems with editing keys like >> backspace, cursor keys, etc. while using the Windows Terminal >> program connected to a Vax, emulating a VT 100 term. > >The Windows Terminal program is not a terribly good VT100 emulator >program. There are numerous bugs (the inability to generate a DEL No kidding. I have a program that works under every terminal emulator I've used, but crashes the Win3 Terminal so hard it won't run again until I exit Windows. The program runs on the Vax and does ordinary VT100 escape sequences to clear the screen, etc. At one of them - I haven't bothered to trace it down to which (I do have the code) - Terminal just crashes and exits. This program is important to me, so at the risk of starting a religious war, I would like to ask for opinions on good, cheap VT100 emulators under Windows 3.0. If I get a bunch of email responses, I'll summarize. thanks, rich -- ======================================================================== Richard Fozzard "Serendipity empowers" Univ of Colorado/CIRES/NOAA R/E/FS 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80303 fozzard@boulder.colorado.edu (303)497-6011 or 444-3168