[comp.sys.mac.comm] ZTerm - Wow!

topix@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (R. Munroe) (06/15/91)

I'm using ZTerm 0.85 on my Mac at home.  I use it to connect with a
general purpose unix account at the University of Toronto (my Internet
gateway).  My modem is 2400 baud.

Something neat just happened and I was wondering if this is a feature
of most comm applications, or ZTerm just happens to be a very
bright software package.  I was in the middle of downloading a 
binhex'd file when things just locked up.  The Mac didn't crash
but the transfer halted for some reason.  Rather than wait and see
if it was just a delay, I turned my modem off and back on again to
break the connection.  I then logged back in to UofT and started
sending the file again.  Much to my surprise, ZTerm picked up
where it left off - remember, I had broken the connection but had not
exited from ZTerm (I did hit the cancel button in ZTerm's progress window, 
though).  What a very nice feature.  I even got a message
in the progress window saying the the transfer had resumed.

Once ZTerm's vt100 emulation is a bit better (ever try to vi a file?),
I can't imagine a better package around.

Bob Munroe
TOPIX Computer Graphics + Animation, Inc.
topix@utcs.utoronto.ca

416.971.7711

tmattox@en.ecn.purdue.edu (Timothy I Mattox) (06/15/91)

In article <1991Jun15.040335.16036@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca>
topix@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (R. Munroe) writes:
>I'm using ZTerm 0.85 on my Mac at home. 
[...stuff deleted...]
>I was in the middle of downloading a 
>binhex'd file when things just locked up.  The Mac didn't crash
>but the transfer halted for some reason.  Rather than wait and see
>if it was just a delay, I turned my modem off and back on again to
>break the connection.  I then logged back in to UofT and started
>sending the file again.  Much to my surprise, ZTerm picked up
>where it left off - remember, I had broken the connection but had not
>exited from ZTerm (I did hit the cancel button in ZTerm's progress window, 
>though).  What a very nice feature.  I even got a message
>in the progress window saying the the transfer had resumed.

This is a feature of the zmodem trasfer protocal, which happens to be
ZTerm's main transfer protocal.

>Once ZTerm's vt100 emulation is a bit better (ever try to vi a file?),
>I can't imagine a better package around.

It's vt100 emulation is fine.  The problem you have encountered is a bug
in the use of tab settings.  Zterm does not automatically initialize
the locations of the tab stops.  You need to do this to be able to use
vi or any other program that sends tabs to your terminal.  To initialize
the tab settings, just select "show controls" in the "Options" menu.
Do this twice to get rid of the funny symbols (the control characters).
It's such a small bug, that is so devistating to those who use unix
and don't figure out how to bypass the bug.
For me, I set up a QuicKey macro to toggle the "show controls" menu item
for me whenever I launch ZTerm.

As for a better package, I'm hoping the author is working on a new version
of ZTerm.  I like its no frill's approach.  It's quick, and small.
--
Live long and prosper.     - Tim Mattox - (email: tmattox@ecn.purdue.edu)
		                         (talk: tmattox@en.ecn.purdue.edu)

ian@umiami.ir.miami.edu (06/16/91)

In article <1991Jun15.040335.16036@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca>, topix@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (R. Munroe) writes:
> I'm using ZTerm 0.85 on my Mac at home.  I use it to connect with a
> general purpose unix account at the University of Toronto (my Internet
> gateway).  My modem is 2400 baud.
> 
> Something neat just happened and I was wondering if this is a feature
> of most comm applications, or ZTerm just happens to be a very
> bright software package.  I was in the middle of downloading a 
> binhex'd file when things just locked up.  The Mac didn't crash
> but the transfer halted for some reason.  Rather than wait and see
> if it was just a delay, I turned my modem off and back on again to
> break the connection.  I then logged back in to UofT and started
> sending the file again.  Much to my surprise, ZTerm picked up
> where it left off - remember, I had broken the connection but had not
> exited from ZTerm (I did hit the cancel button in ZTerm's progress window, 
> though).  What a very nice feature.  I even got a message
> in the progress window saying the the transfer had resumed.
> 
> Once ZTerm's vt100 emulation is a bit better (ever try to vi a file?),
> I can't imagine a better package around.
> 
> Bob Munroe
> TOPIX Computer Graphics + Animation, Inc.
> topix@utcs.utoronto.ca
> 
> 416.971.7711

It is a nice feature of ZMODEM...but did you notice the file type...
ZBin or some such...I haven't been able to do much with those kind of files..
sigh...how did you make out?
-- 
Scruffy
Ian Sullivan
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j1whalen@handel.helios.nd.edu (Jon Whalen) (06/18/91)

In article <1991Jun15.194256.10646@umiami.ir.miami.edu> ian@umiami.ir.miami.edu writes:
>In article <1991Jun15.040335.16036@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca>, topix@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (R. Munroe) writes:
>> I'm using ZTerm 0.85 on my Mac at home.  I use it to connect with a
...
>> bright software package.  I was in the middle of downloading a 
>> binhex'd file when things just locked up.  The Mac didn't crash
...
>> sending the file again.  Much to my surprise, ZTerm picked up
>> where it left off - remember, I had broken the connection but had not
>
>It is a nice feature of ZMODEM...but did you notice the file type...
>ZBin or some such...I haven't been able to do much with those kind of files..
>sigh...how did you make out?

That's one of the two small, but irritating things about ZTerm/Zmodem.
You can use the "Zbin" files if you just change the type/creator info using
resedit or some other program. I don't know whether the problem is one
built into the zmodem protocol or whether it's a "feature" of ZTerm.

--jon

--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Jon Whalen @ U. of Notre Dame | At the moment, I have absolutely nothing to
 j1whalen@handel.helios.nd.edu | say. (Which is probably for the best.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

scasterg@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Stuart M Castergine) (06/18/91)

In article <1991Jun15.194256.10646@umiami.ir.miami.edu> ian@umiami.ir.miami.edu writes:
>In article <1991Jun15.040335.16036@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca>, topix@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (R. Munroe) writes:
>
>It is a nice feature of ZMODEM...but did you notice the file type...
>ZBin or some such...I haven't been able to do much with those kind of files..
>sigh...how did you make out?
>-- 
>Scruffy

The auto-resume feature works great for me on text transfers, but not
at all on MacBinary transfers.

-- 
scasterg@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu	Stuart M Castergine
"Step by step they were led to practices which disposed to vice -- the
lounge, the bath, the elegant banquet. All this in their ignorance
they called civilisation, when it was but part of their servitude."