Path: news1.ucsd.edu!ihnp4.ucsd.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!hookup!loki.tor.hookup.net!omega.metrics.com!omega.metrics.com!not-for-mail From: fdc@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Frank da Cruz) Newsgroups: comp.os.ms-windows.nt.announce Subject: SOFTWARE: Kermit 95 1.1.5 for Windows NT Followup-To: comp.os.ms-windows.apps.misc Date: 5 Jul 1996 15:06:13 -0400 Organization: Columbia University Lines: 197 Sender: oliveru@omega.metrics.com Approved: nt-announce@metrics.com (Oliver Uhrig) Message-ID: <4rjp35$qj1@omega.metrics.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: omega.metrics.com Version 1.1.5 of Kermit 95 communications software for Windows NT and 95 -- Serial (direct and modem), TCP/IP (Telnet and Rlogin), and Meridian Technology SuperLAT connections -- is now available from the Kermit Project at Columbia University. Kermit 95 offers a wide range of terminal emulations, Kermit and XYZMODEM file transfer, script programming, and international character-set translation. Kermit 95 is a native 32-bit Windows NT and 95 application on Intel platforms and (for NT only) also for the PowerPC and the DEC Alpha. If you have not used Kermit 95 before, visit our Web site for a thorough introduction: http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/k95.html The most important changes in version 1.1.5 are: . Thirteen new terminal emulations . Many new built-in keymaps and keyboard modes, including: - A complete keymap for each terminal type - An EMACS mode - An MS-DOS Kermit-compatible mode . Improved support for European keyboards . Improved color and attribute control and display . Scrollback, mouse features, and hot keys in the command window . Further integration of XYZMODEM with commands, displays, statistics . Serial-port speedups, as much as 84% . Autoupload (like autodownload, but in the other direction) . New, simplified script programming syntax and many new scripting features . Bug fixes And other improvements and new features too numerous to list here. For a complete description of the new release see: ftp://www.columbia.edu/kermit/k95/updates.doc TERMINAL EMULATION Kermit 95's terminal emulations now include Data General, Wyse, Televideo, and Heath models, as well as the Avatar, AT386, and SCOANSI types for use with BBSs and UNIX consoles. Here is the complete list, with new additions marked by "+": ANSI-BBS Standard ANSI BBS character graphics (color) + Avatar/0+ Enhanced BBS graphics (color) + AT386 UnixWare and Interactive UNIX consoles (color) + DG200 Data General DASHER 200 + DG210 Data General DASHER 210 + Heath19 Heath/Zenith-19 + SCOANSI SCO and Linux consoles (color) TTY Teletype + TV910+ Televideo 910+ + TV925 Televideo 925 + TV950 Televideo 950 VT52 Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) VT52 VT100 DEC VT100 + color VT102 DEC VT102 + color VT220 DEC VT220 + color VT320 DEC VT320 + color + WY30 Wyse 30 (and 30+ and 35) + WY50 Wyse 50 (and 50+) + WY60 Wyse 60 (and most of 120, 160, and 350) + WY370 Wyse 370 (color) Each emulation has its own COMPLETE built-in keymap. As you switch among emulations (which you can do with a new hot-key (Alt-T), your keymap also switches automatically. There is also a new EMACS mode, independent of your terminal type, that you can switch into and out of with a hot key (Ctrl-Alt-Shift-E, of course :-). VT emulation is improved in many ways, particularly the color extensions; new commands allow user selection of every possible combination of interpretations of how coloration should be applied during erasure, attribute reset, and so forth. Also, the blinking attribute is no longer simulated -- now blinking characters really blink. But you can still select color simulation of various attributes, now also including reverse. All previously reported emulation bugs are fixed. And there is now an MS-DOS Kermit compatibility mode, in which MS-DOS Kermit scan codes are accepted in by the SET KEY command and displayed by the SHOW KEY command. This allows the massive installed base of MS-DOS key settings files to be used with Kermit 95. And for those using the Latin-2 (East European) character set (for Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Croation, etc), there is now Compose-key support for the special characters and accents of these languages. This in addition to our Latin-1 (West European) Compose key, and our Hebrew and Russian keyboard modes. And hurray, The Windows 95 bugs that caused incorrect operation of Caps Lock and dead keys have been conquered, and so now both US and national keyboards of all kinds can be used in their normal ways. FILE TRANSFER You liked Kermit 95's autodownload feature? Now it has an autoupload feature too. If you tell the remote Kermit program to GET a file, Kermit 95 sends it automatically. XYZMODEM transfers have been more fully integrated into Kermit 95. They now use the Kermit-style fullscreen display, and most protocol related commands (such as file collision options) apply to them, and so on. THE COMMAND WINDOW The Command window now has many of the same features as the Terminal window, most notably scrollback, mouse shortcuts, and all of the Kverbs and hot keys that are not strictly related to terminal emulation. The syntax of the script programming language has been simplified, local (automatic) variables have been added, additional commands, variables, functions, and control structures are now available. BE LIKE TELNET A small thing, but lots of you asked for it. A new command-line option lets Kermit 95 work just like Telnet: k95 -J host [ port ] is just like "telnet host [ port ]" (where [ port ] is an optional TCP service port name or number). This opens up the Terminal window right away, and then when you log out from the host, Kermit 95 disappears automatically. In the meantime, you can escape back and reconnect all you want -- e.g. to transfer files. This is the perfect way to configure Kermit 95 as the Telnet program for your Web browser. (The TELNET.EXE that comes with Kermit 95 now starts K95 this way -- and there is also now a new counterpart RLOGIN.EXE for easy Rlogin connections.) AND LOTS MORE Literally hundreds of small improvements in response to requests from our users, and we've fixed every reported bug that could be addressed in our own code and, as you can see from the foregoing, found some creative workarounds for some of the Windows bugs too. HOW TO GET IT The new release can be ordered in shrink-wrapped or bulk- or site-licensed form from Columbia University. All orders received starting today will be filled with version 1.1.5. Find ordering information at: http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/k95.html Current registered users of Kermit 95 can download the 1.1.5 upgrade patch from our BBS or from our ftp site: ftp://kermit.columbia.edu/kermit/k95/patches/ or on the Web: http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/k95patch.html WHAT'S NEXT Barring unforeseen circumstances, this will be the final console-mode-only release of Kermit 95, and also the final release that will work under Windows NT 3.xx. (Yes, that's what we said when we released 1.1.3 and 1.1.4, but most of the improvements in this new release came out of the GUI development work.) Henceforth all efforts will be directed at producing a full Windows 95 and NT 4.0 graphical-user-interface (GUI) version, which will be made available to current registered users of Kermit 95 at no additional cost. Work on the GUI version is well underway. In addition to the widely-desired change in the look and feel of the program, the conversion also frees us from a number of restrictions inherent in the use of Windows 95 console mode: . Character set and font restrictions . The 132-column mode bug in Windows 95 . Numerous bugs in the console-mode keyboard interface . Various difficulties with printing . Inability to emulate graphics terminals such as Tektronix Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.00 will be required to run the GUI version. Watch this space (and our Web page) for further announcements. Frank da Cruz, Christine M. Gianone, Jeffrey E. Altman, Max Evarts, and Andy Newcomb The Kermit Project, Columbia University, New York City ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Windows NT .announce moderator: Oliver Uhrig <oliveru@metrics.com> Send all submissions to: nt-announce@metrics.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~