ia4@cunixd.cc.columbia.edu (Imran Anwar) (12/29/90)
I am urgently looking to buy a Mac communications package that allows file transfers unattended....i.e. I should be able to transfer batches of archived or binhexed files or segments made in Stuffit Deluxe to a remote site even when there is no one there to press OK or give fienames to save incoming files to HD Will Microphone do the job or Red Ryder...or are these just glorified terminal emulators? Please help with resommendations and suggestions. Thanks. Imran Anwar
lriggins@blackbird.afit.af.mil (L. Maurice Riggins) (12/29/90)
In article <1990Dec29.080136.6707@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> ia4@cunixd.cc.columbia.edu (Imran Anwar) writes: >I am urgently looking to buy a Mac communications package that allows file >transfers unattended....i.e. I should be able to transfer batches of archived >or binhexed files or segments made in Stuffit Deluxe to a remote site even when >there is no one there to press OK or give fienames to save incoming files to HD Both White Knight and Microphone II will do this. They are both terminal emulation applications with a sort of "temporary use only" BBS capability. White Knight's version is called Host Mode and expects MS-DOS like commands. Not very sophisticated, but it works. About $85 mail-order. Microphone II has a "mini-BBS" capability. Although it isn't a full-up bbs, it's much more sophisticated than White Knight. About $215 mail-order. Or, you could go with a full-up BBS system. Second Sight from Scott Watson is about $100 if I recall correctly. Also there is Hermes, FBBS, and WWIV which are shareware applications, as well as HyperBBS, a HyperCard stack. I'm not sure of the shareware fees on these, but I'm thinking < $100.00. -- Maurice INTERNET: lriggins@blackbird.afit.af.mil (129.92.1.2) Opinions expressed here do not reflect those of my employer nor constitute an official position of any U.S.Government agency.
johnston@oscar.ccm.udel.edu (12/30/90)
In article <1835@blackbird.afit.af.mil>, lriggins@blackbird.afit.af.mil (L. Maurice Riggins) writes... >In article <1990Dec29.080136.6707@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> ia4@cunixd.cc.columbia.edu (Imran Anwar) writes: >>I am urgently looking to buy a Mac communications package that allows file >>transfers unattended....i.e. I should be able to transfer batches of archived >Both White Knight and Microphone II will do this. They are both terminal >emulation applications with a sort of "temporary use only" BBS capability. > >White Knight's version is called Host Mode and expects MS-DOS like commands. >Not very sophisticated, but it works. About $85 mail-order. >Microphone II has a "mini-BBS" capability. Although it isn't a full-up bbs, >it's much more sophisticated than White Knight. About $215 mail-order. One thing that wasn't mentioned is the Mac-to-Mac file transfer program Okyto which ships FREE with each copy of White Knight. Okyto is AMAZING ... just leave it running in the background on the unattended Mac, and you can initiate a contact with the other Mac, transfer files back and forth, inspect directories -- all with a fully intuitive, point-and-click Mac simplicity. No MS-DOS-like commands whatsoever. You can SEND and RECEIVE files simultaneously! Works over Appletalk or via modem. Read on if your are interested in some of the things that can be done with Okyto ... this is probably the only problem that really got me to sit up and say WOW! since HyperCard ... Both-ends-attended operation offers many of the the most-frequently-used features of Timbuku Remote and Carbon-Copy Mac. Say you want to call a friend or a client with a Mac problem. Just call him/her up and tell them to start up their Okyto. You can then connect with the other Okyto, send files, receive files, AND maintain a running (typed) conversation in another window, all at the same time. Example: You find that your friend has an init conflict by getting a directory on his System folder, then checking his inits with your 'InitInfo' stack ... Okyto is fully Multifinder background compatible, so you just jump to HyperCard without worrying about any file transfers in progress. Say you find a likely explanation for his problem -- just type "Hey Joe, get that damn 'Zippy the Pinhead' init out of your system folder ...". Another example: you are collaborating on a project and want to send proofs and get feedback. Begin transfering the files with Okyto; as soon as the first one arrives you can tell your partner to open it up, have a look, and type back his/her comments. You can do all this without interupting the rest of the file transfers, adding or subtracting files from the transfer queue as you see fit. (The other person doesn't need to know anything about telecommunications, and you only need to know his/her phone number. Much easier than bbs'ing. The transfer efficiency also beats that of a bbs -- because you have two Macs and two Okytos negotiating the transfer.) I forgot to mention that it is also just plain fun! Say you just finished a silly HyperCard stack and your friends want a copy -- tell them to "come and get it" themselves. It's their phone call, and Okyto chugs away happily in the background; if you get bored you can switch over to Okyto and see what they are up to, and type friendly insults ... >Or, you could go with a full-up BBS system. Second Sight from Scott Watson >is about $100 if I recall correctly. Also there is Hermes, FBBS, and WWIV >which are shareware applications, as well as HyperBBS, a HyperCard stack. >I'm not sure of the shareware fees on these, but I'm thinking < $100.00. Indeed. Bottom line: you don't need to spend alot of money to do unattended file transfers. BBS's are fun, but its a lot of work to set up a BBS for one user (that just happens to be you). You'll feel kind of silly accessing the remote mac as if it were a BBS, which will have to be configured to place everything of interest in the upload/download sections. Microphone, Timbuktu Remote, and Carbon-Copy Mac provide a some of these features at a hefty price. Do your pocketbook a favor and try White Knight/ Okyto first. -- Bill (johnston@oscar.ccm.udel.edu)
lsh@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU (Tsuma Kavazi) (12/31/90)
In article <40225@nigel.ee.udel.edu> johnston@oscar.ccm.udel.edu writes: >Microphone, Timbuktu Remote, and Carbon-Copy Mac provide a some of these >features at a hefty price. Do your pocketbook a favor and try White Knight/ >Okyto first. I agree that Okyoto is cheaper, but do you need two copies of it for two computers communicating with each other? If not does anybody have a copy they could sell me, Okyoto alone, since I use VersaTerm and have no need for WhiteKnight. -- Best regards, Veljko Roskar roskar@jhuvms.bitnet roskar@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu
johnston@oscar.ccm.udel.edu (12/31/90)
In article <7276@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU>, lsh@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU (Tsuma Kavazi) writes... >In article <40225@nigel.ee.udel.edu> johnston@oscar.ccm.udel.edu writes: >>Timbuktu and Carbon-Copy Mac provide some...features at a...price. > >I agree that Okyoto is cheaper, but do you need two copies of it for two >computers communicating with each other? Yes. Okyto uses a "multiplexed error correcting protocol" in lieu of the the traditional single channel scheme. (I am just quoting the manual.) In English this means that it uses a special protocol that allows it to "broadcast and receive over five channels simultaneously." It is not just x,y, or zmodem with a trick user interface. [ In order to answer a question that was made a few times by e-mail, it can be configured easily with "multi-level password protection" -- I must have given the impression that an Okyto session was something akin to 'dropping all shields' in the neutral zone. ;-) Many WK/Okyto users are holdovers from the 'old' days of ... er, non-commercial, interpersonal telecommunications' <grin>; sometimes the manuals seem to emphasize or reflect the "hacker" potential over business applications.] >If not does anybody have a copy they could sell me, Okyoto alone, since >I use VersaTerm and have no need for WhiteKnight. How to get Okyto without becoming a registered White Knight user: Stand-alone copies of Okyto are available for $39.95 from the FreeSoft Company; 150 Hickory Drive, Beaver Falls, PA 15010, (412) 846-2700. Of course, life without White Knight is hopelessly primitive and dismal; so I strongly urge you to dig deep to come up with the small fortune ($75 to $95 depending on your choice of mail-order house) to get WK 11.10. Necessary Evil department: the License states that "each licensed copy should not reside or execute on more than one Macintosh computer at a time". This is a legal issue only: Okyto and WK are not copy-protected. Personally, I would try to audition before buying; it shouldn't be difficult to find a local Red Ryder/White Knight user who would happily arrange a demo. AppleTalk networks or local telephone calls make for simple, cheap testing. -- Bill (johnston@oscar.ccm.udel.edu) -- 38 Chambers St.; Newark, DE 19711; (302)368-1949 <-- voice -- My "Okyto" number is (302)731-1682 (if anyone who hasn't tried -- their Okyto yet would like a brief demo -- it's your nickel ...)
dubuc@IRO.UMontreal.CA (Martin Dubuc) (12/31/90)
MultiXfer is able to handle unattended file transfers. Most interesting thing is that it is free and easy to use! -- Martin Dubuc Local S-242, Pavillon Principal dubuc@IRO.UMontreal.CA Universite de Montreal Tel.: (514) 343-6111, poste 3507
powell@wraith.netops.contel.com (Mike Powell "CFS Net Ops") (01/01/91)
In article <40252@nigel.ee.udel.edu> johnston@oscar.ccm.udel.edu writes: >In article <7276@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU>, lsh@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU (Tsuma Kavazi) >writes... >>In article <40225@nigel.ee.udel.edu> johnston@oscar.ccm.udel.edu writes: >Stand-alone copies of Okyto are available for $39.95 from the FreeSoft >Company; costs bucks from a company that has frre in its name? a contradiction in advertising? -- Mike Powell PPASEL "arp, arp, arp" The mating call of the lonely packet. Disclaimer: I speak for myself. No relation to the DUAT folks. internet: powell@wraith.netops.contel.com Usenet: uunet!contel-fss!powell