Announcing Kermit 95 1.1.5
Frank da Cruz
Version 1.1.5 of Kermit 95 communications software for Windows 95 and NT
-- 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 95 and NT application on Intel
platforms and (for NT only) also for the PowerPC and 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