[comp.sys.amiga.datacomm] SWM seeks Terminal Program for Lasting Relationship

ben@epmooch.UUCP (Rev. Ben A. Mesander) (01/22/91)

>In article <JWZ.91Jan23003050@sunvalleymall.lucid.com> jwz@lucid.com (Jamie Zawinski) writes:
>What I want in a terminal program:
>
>o  the ability to display 132x48 characters on a standard monitor
>o  the ability to use 7 data bits, 1 stop bit, even parity (you'd be
>   surprised how many so-called terminal programs can't do this...)
>o  a good scripting language
>o  vt100 emulation (or any terminal able to display inverse-video 
>   characters)  (that is, not vt52)
>o  correct operation at both 1200 and 9600 baud

I've tried everything above except 9600 baud with Handshake 212A 
(Shareware), and it's worked fine, with one minor hitch.

If my CPU is extremely busy while handshake is dialing, it will lock up,
and I have to re-boot. But I mean *really* busy, like a C compile, and
a news expire going on at the same time. I think this is due in large part
to the fact that I have a non-DMA hard-drive interface.

I know what you mean by terminal programs being unable to do anything but
8,n,1 protocol - I have to use 7 bits, mark parity, one stop, and a lot
of "terminal emulators" don't do it properly.

--
| ben@epmooch.UUCP   (Ben Mesander)       | "Cash is more important than |
| ben%servalan.UUCP@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu |  your mother." - Al Shugart, |
| !chinet!uokmax!servalan!epmooch!ben     |  CEO, Seagate Technologies   |

jwz@lucid.com (Jamie Zawinski) (01/23/91)

What I want in a terminal program:

o  the ability to display 132x48 characters on a standard monitor
o  the ability to use 7 data bits, 1 stop bit, even parity (you'd be
   surprised how many so-called terminal programs can't do this...)
o  a good scripting language
o  vt100 emulation (or any terminal able to display inverse-video 
   characters)  (that is, not vt52)
o  correct operation at both 1200 and 9600 baud

"Diga" almost matches this, which I why I've been using it for years,
but its scripting language is pretty pathetic, and its vt100 emulation
is a little buggy.

I tried "vt100" version 2.9 (I think) but it malfunctions in a BIG way
when I use a font small enough to give me 132x48.

Is there anything else out there that fits the bill?

		-- Jamie <jwz@lucid.com>

king@motcid.UUCP (Steven King) (01/24/91)

In article <JWZ.91Jan23003050@sunvalleymall.lucid.com> jwz@lucid.com (Jamie Zawinski) writes:
>o  the ability to display 132x48 characters on a standard monitor
>o  the ability to use 7 data bits, 1 stop bit, even parity (you'd be
>   surprised how many so-called terminal programs can't do this...)
>o  a good scripting language
>o  vt100 emulation (or any terminal able to display inverse-video 
>   characters)  (that is, not vt52)
>o  correct operation at both 1200 and 9600 baud

ATalkIII claims to do all this.  I say "claims" because I haven't actually
tried some of it myself.  There are menu settings for 132x48, but I'm not
overly fond of eyestrain so I've left it alone.  :-)  7E1 is possible, it has
its own (adequate) scripting language and an ARexx port for more involved
control, does a passable VT100, and works well at 9600 baud.

The VT100 emulation might be slightly broken.  I use it successfully on two
Unix systems I call, but one editor (a nonstandard homebrew editor) breaks
it.  The author of the editor claims that it works with an honest-to-god
VT100, so I suspect ATalkIII's emulation isn't perfect.  I also highly
suspect that the author over-optimized his code...

ATalkIII is commercial and lists for about US $100.

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jma@beach.cis.ufl.edu (John 'Vlad' Adams) (01/24/91)

Handshake 2.20 will, from what I've read...  Now if I could
just FIND Handshake 2.20.  Since AREXX and XPR libraries
have been added, I just may switch over to it from VLT
and send Eric some money!

--
John  M.  Adams   --***--   Professional Student      ///
Internet: jma@beach.cis.ufl.edu     Genie:  vlad     ///  Only the Amiga
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ccplumb@rose.uwaterloo.ca (Colin Plumb) (01/25/91)

I'm using Handshake V2.12a, and am quite happy with it.

jwz@lucid.com (Jamie Zawinski) wrote:
>What I want in a terminal program:
>
>o  the ability to display 132x48 characters on a standard monitor

Yes.  48 lines uses interlace, though.  And the 132-column font isn't
particularly legible.  Still, just to make a point, I'm using it as
I type this and it's okay.

>o  the ability to use 7 data bits, 1 stop bit, even parity (you'd be
>   surprised how many so-called terminal programs can't do this...)

Works fine.

>o  a good scripting language

Failure: Handshake 2.12a has none whatsoever.  It has an auto-dialer,
interprets CONNECT nnnn messages, and keeps a small directory, but
nothing that can even retry two number alternately.

>o  vt100 emulation (or any terminal able to display inverse-video 
>   characters)  (that is, not vt52)

Terminal type options: vt51, vt102, vt220 with 7-bit controls,
vt220 with 8-bit controls.  Correctly does inverse video, double
height, double width, and the whole works.  There is some small
aspect of vt220 emulation (downloadable fonts or keymaps, I
think) that isn't implemented, but *everything* else is.  There
are no known bugs in the vt100 emulation, and people have looked.

(Let me read off the Terminal menu: Terminal Type (as above), Line
Wrap (On/Off), Scroll Mode (Jump/Smooth), Cursor (Block/Underline,
Non-Blinking/Blinking), Local Echo (On/Off), Set Tabs, Answer Back
(Set, Transmit), Caharacter Set (ASCII/UK), New Line Mode (On/Off),
Screen Mode (Normal/Reverse), Columns/Line (80/132), Screen Format
(24 line interlace off/24 line half screen/24 line interlace/48 lines),
Bksp & Del (Normal/Reversed), Bell Type (Audio/Visual/Both/None),
Margin Bell (On/Off), Display Mode (Monochrome/Colour).  Add the
Setup menu and you basically have the vt100's setup menu.)

>o  correct operation at both 1200 and 9600 baud

I'm using it at 19,200 now and it works fine.  If I set it to 48
lines, 132 column, turn flow control off, and dump 3K of full-speed
data at it (ats76? on the Trailblazer), I can make it drop characters.
Changing to 80 columns, 24 lines or turning flow control on
eliminates the problems.

My main complaint with Handshake is no Zmodem.  Ymodem batch and Kermit,
but I like Zmodem for its speed.  And, I just discovered today, while
turning RTS/CTS handshaking on, it drops DTR for a moment.  Oh, well,
ats52=0 (ignore DTS).
-- 
	-Colin

slassini@convex.cl.msu.edu (lassini stefano) (01/25/91)

ccplumb@rose.uwaterloo.ca (Colin Plumb) writes:

>jwz@lucid.com (Jamie Zawinski) wrote:
>>What I want in a terminal program:
>>
>>o  the ability to display 132x48 characters on a standard monitor
>> 
>>  other stuff deleted <<

I use VLT by Willy Langeveld and I'm very happy with it.  It has all the
features that you mention plus many more, including an ARexx port. It
has kermit and xmodem builtin, and it supports the xpr protocol
libraries: this feature adds zmodem, ascii transfer and unlimited
expansion by only adding the right library in your LIBS: directory.

More than so, VLT is public domain, aka is FREE, and an excellent 114
pages manual is available from SLAC [Stanford Linear Accelerator Center]
by simply requesting it [also the manual is free!!]

I am completely satisfied of VLT's features, and I recommend to give it
a try. It is available from several PD sources, including Fish disks.
The latest version should be 4.826 or something like that.

Stefano Lassini
slassini@convex.cl.msu.edu

papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa) (01/25/91)

In article <6336@orchid3.UUCP> king@motcid.UUCP (Steven King) writes:
>In article <JWZ.91Jan23003050@sunvalleymall.lucid.com> jwz@lucid.com (Jamie Zawinski) writes:
||o  the ability to display 132x48 characters on a standard monitor
||o  the ability to use 7 data bits, 1 stop bit, even parity (you'd be
||   surprised how many so-called terminal programs can't do this...)
||o  a good scripting language
||o  vt100 emulation (or any terminal able to display inverse-video 
||   characters)  (that is, not vt52)
||o  correct operation at both 1200 and 9600 baud
|
|ATalkIII claims to do all this.  I say "claims" because I haven't actually
|tried some of it myself.  There are menu settings for 132x48, but I'm not
|overly fond of eyestrain so I've left it alone.  :-)  7E1 is possible, it has
|its own (adequate) scripting language and an ARexx port for more involved
|control, does a passable VT100, and works well at 9600 baud.

I can assure you it can do 132x48, actually 132x50 and evn more on PAL 
machines. Indeed the eyestrain might be too much for some folks :-)

|The VT100 emulation might be slightly broken.  I use it successfully on two
|Unix systems I call, but one editor (a nonstandard homebrew editor) breaks
|it.  The author of the editor claims that it works with an honest-to-god
|VT100, so I suspect ATalkIII's emulation isn't perfect.  I also highly
|suspect that the author over-optimized his code...
|
|ATalkIII is commercial and lists for about US $100.

You don't mention which version *might* be broken.  The current one is 1.3e and
we've received NO bug reports in the past 8 months regarding the VT100 
emulator, so I'd be extremely interested in any details, as long as they 
apply to tests performed on the "current" release.

-- Marco


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cmw1725@tamsun.u.washington.edu (Christopher Walton) (01/26/91)

(lassini stefano) writes:

>I use VLT by Willy Langeveld and I'm very happy with it.  It has all the
>features that you mention plus many more, including an ARexx port. It
>has kermit and xmodem builtin, and it supports the xpr protocol
>libraries: this feature adds zmodem, ascii transfer and unlimited
>expansion by only adding the right library in your LIBS: directory.

Point taken, that it is ALMOST as good as HANDSHAKE, but it is twice the size
in executable size alone, not to mention all the rexx files, and libraries you
need to do anything.  True Handshake has no scripting language, but soon will.

>
>More than so, VLT is public domain, aka is FREE,

Handshake is ShareWare.  *Free* if you don't like it or don't use it!

>and an excellent 114
>pages manual is available from SLAC [Stanford Linear Accelerator Center]
>by simply requesting it [also the manual is free!!]
>

Handshake comes with a manual as well. (On disk)
and who says bigger is a factor???


>I am completely satisfied of VLT's features, and I recommend to give it

Sorry, I hated VLT.

>
>Stefano Lassini
>slassini@convex.cl.msu.edu


Christopher Walton
cmw1725@tamsun.tamu.edu
n074ev@tamuts.tamu.edu

bdb@becker.UUCP (Bruce D. Becker) (01/27/91)

In article <JWZ.91Jan23003050@sunvalleymall.lucid.com> jwz@lucid.com (Jamie Zawinski) writes:
|What I want in a terminal program:
|
|o  the ability to display 132x48 characters on a standard monitor
|o  the ability to use 7 data bits, 1 stop bit, even parity (you'd be
|   surprised how many so-called terminal programs can't do this...)
|o  a good scripting language
|o  vt100 emulation (or any terminal able to display inverse-video 
|   characters)  (that is, not vt52)
|o  correct operation at both 1200 and 9600 baud
|
|"Diga" almost matches this, which I why I've been using it for years,
|but its scripting language is pretty pathetic, and its vt100 emulation
|is a little buggy.
|
|I tried "vt100" version 2.9 (I think) but it malfunctions in a BIG way
|when I use a font small enough to give me 132x48.
|
|Is there anything else out there that fits the bill?

	"Handshake" by Eric Haberfellner (eric@haberfellner.uucp)
	has been able to do 132x48 for quite a while now. In
	addition it will reliably do VT220 emulation as well as
	VT100 and VT102 (I can't recall if it does VT52). It will
	support speeds to at least 19200 if not higher with no
	problem. I'm not certain about the scripting language,
	but it supports AREXX, so you could call it externally
	and manage thing that way. It has a "no-window" mode
	from AREXX so you can use it as a serial-port interface.

	This is currently shareware, and it is available
	on many bbs's and archives. The current version is
	2.20, I believe...


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