New version of Xmodem for CP/M

[mfebe...@gmail.com]

I've just released a new version of my Xmodem program for CP/M.

The big improvement in this version is configuration file support. You can create a text file called XMODEM.CFG that allows you to define "any" I/O port for transferring data, including port initialization.

There are several other improvements over 1.03, including a few commands that make the configuration file nice and flexible, better timeouts to prevent hanging when an I/O port is misbehaving, and an option to let you tell XModem how fast is your CPU, so that timing is right - even if you are running on a e.g. 6 MHz Z80.

You can also choose to transfer via the CP/M CON: driver, provided that your CON: driver does not strip parity. The CP/M RDR: and PUN: devices can also be used, with the same caveat.

This version will use all available RAM, up to 32K, for buffering, to speed up transfers. Even so, it will also run in as little RAM as 4K bytes.

Also included in this release is a sample XMODEM.CFG file, with setup for many classic S-100 serial boards, including all the MITS serial boards, the Imsai SIO-2, the Cromemco TU-ART, the Vector Graphic Bitstreamer and Bitstreamer II, the Compupro Interfacer and Interfacer II, and the Processor Technology 3P+S. If you have some other serial port, these examples will make it obvious how to build a configuration file for that port.


The (rather verbose) source code is here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-XdfCubTNJJSG15VEs5cFFJQ0U/view?usp=sharing

The 3 Kbyte executable is here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-XdfCubTNJJTGR3ODN4X2xkX1k/view?usp=sharing

and the sample configuration file is here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-XdfCubTNJJVGVYSm5fZjRhR0k/view?usp=sharing

[Egan Ford]

On 10/2/14, 10:17 PM, mfebe...@gmail.com wrote:
> I've just released a new version of my Xmodem program for CP/M.

Awesome. Thanks.

[mfebe...@gmail.com]

Well, something went wrong with that upload - thank you Google. (And I only got one complaint!)

Here is a new link to the folder containing my XMODEM 2.0 files:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B-XdfCubTNJJR0duMlFUMWk3OUU&usp=sharing

This version of XMODEM allows you to define your serial port with a simple text configuration file. It also supports using the CP/M CON:, RDR: and PUN: devices for file transfers, provided that they allow 8-bit transfers. (CP/M doc's specify that these drivers strip parity...)

I have tested this code with: MITS 88-SIO, 88-2SIO, CCS 2719, CompuPro Interfacer, Vector Graphics Bitstreamer, and Imsai SIO-2. I also include configurations for PRocessor Technology 3P+S and Cromemco TU-ART. Tese ought to work as well, but I just haven't tested them yet. These should be good examples for any other serial ports that you might want to support.

I have also tested this code on several 808 machines, as well as one Z80 machine. I am pretty confident that it works :-)

Enjoy,
Martin

[Egan Ford]

On 10/6/14, 10:17 PM, mfebe...@gmail.com wrote:
> (And I only got one complaint!)

It took me several attempts to download the newer version from Google
Drive. Frequent timeouts.

Have you considered using github for this, esp. since you're still
evolving your code?

Thanks.

[David Griffith]

Seconded! Martin, please use Github for this.

--
David Griffith
davidmy...@acm.org <--- Put my last name where it belongs

[Axel Berger]

David Griffith wrote on Fri, 14-10-10 04:33:

>Martin, please use Github for this.

I have never yet succeeded in retrieving anything from there. Do I need
to allow scripting? Do I have to install proprietary software first?
Don't remember, just that it didn't work. Whatever happened to the bit
of personal webspace that used to come with every access? It's gone now
but there are so many nearly free offers (I've seen something like
50 Cents per month) that nobody using the net seriously and having
something to offer is forced into all those "free services" leeching
our data, inundating us in a flood of advertising, and requiring us to
allow all kinds of dangerous stuff used by virus distributors.

[David Griffith]

I don't know where you got that assessment of Github. It's not true.
All you need to use Github is a Git client, which can be easily had for
no cost.

[glen herrmannsfeldt]

David Griffith <davidmy...@acm.org> wrote:

(snip regarding git)

> I don't know where you got that assessment of Github. It's not true.
> All you need to use Github is a Git client, which can be easily had for
> no cost.

Well, I suppose some use ftp or http for things that they shouldn't,
but that doesn't mean we shouldn't use them.

-- glen

[Chris Baird]

>> Martin, please use Github for this.

Not much relevant to FOSS projects, but if you take-up commercial use of
Github after using their free-hosting loss-leader, you'll be dealing
with a company that has a very lax attitude towards its employees'
access to repositories and usage data. To put it one way, I'll never
hire an ex-Github system administrator.

Plus there's the hours of re-learning git commands every fscking time
you try to use it. If you're unlucky that something goes awry from the
stackoverflow receipes... then it's faster to just delete the git repo
and restart from scratch. Which is lossage other VC I've used don't have.

--
Chris

[Egan Ford]

On 10/10/14, 2:50 AM, David Griffith wrote:
> I don't know where you got that assessment of Github. It's not true.
> All you need to use Github is a Git client, which can be easily had for
> no cost.

Any project can be http downloaded anonymously as a zip file too. The
zip file is dynamically created based on the contents of the repo.

E.g. see: https://github.com/datajerk/vga666, look at the right hand
side for "Download ZIP"

[Axel Berger]

David Griffith wrote on Fri, 14-10-10 10:50:

>All you need to use Github is a Git client, which can be easily had for
>no cost.

What I said: It needs proprietary software, just what Tim Berners-Lee
strived to get rid of. Cost is beside the point, I gladly pay for what
I want and like.

[Chris Baird]

(I got this as an email reply; I suspect it was ment to be posted.)

Message-ID: <5438CD62...@yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 01:25:38 -0500
From: John Crane <john_c...@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: New version of Xmodem for CP/M
References: <m17ggs$q3a$1...@frotz.eternal-september.org> <201410100...@b.maus.de> <uf1tqgm...@brushtail.home>

So why use third party sites in the first place? Just put it up on your
personal server. Distributed... not concentrated. The minute you
concentrate anything in the hands of others, you're in trouble.

I guess all the people who use stack/git/yahoo mail/groups, etc. are the
ones who watched TV commercials as kids -- all that advertising doesn't
bother them. I grew up with PBS - so it drives me nuts!


BTW, great work Martin!
Great to see some new CPM software!


-J

[Egan Ford]

On 10/10/14, 12:41 PM, Axel Berger wrote:
> What I said: It needs proprietary software

git isn't proprietary, it is open source and the growing standard for
revision control. It was created by Linus Torvalds for the
also-not-proprietary Linux kernel development.

git is available for every platform and/or as source code. It is a very
easy way to publish and share open source code on github, and allow
others to help maintain and develop it.

For any that just want to download, no git software is needed, just
download the .zip file from the project page.

Lastly don't confuse the software "git" with the service "github", they
are only related by name only.

[Egan Ford]

On 10/11/14, 8:08 AM, Chris Baird wrote:
> I guess all the people who use stack/git/yahoo mail/groups, etc. are the
> ones who watched TV commercials as kids -- all that advertising doesn't
> bother them. I grew up with PBS - so it drives me nuts!

You guess wrong. BTW, where are all the ads on github.com?