kermit.columbia.edu/kermit.columbia.edu.tar/kermit.columbia.edu/newsgroups/misc.19981211-19990422/[e-mail] _Wed Mar 3 09:33:15 1999.msg

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From: [e-mail] (Frank da Cruz)
Subject: Re: Looking for an ActiveX Kermit emulator
Date: 3 Mar 1999 14:18:59 GMT
Organization: Columbia University
Message-ID: <7bjgcj$n8j$[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]

In article <7bhprj$epb$[e-mail]>, ����Х <[e-mail]> wrote:
: I'm looking for an ActiveX plug-in control which will allow me to emulate
: the Kermit terminal program from IE4. If anyone knows of such a item on the
: market, please email me at [e-mail].
:
Many software makers ask us for Kermit software in special forms that can be
embedded in their applications, to provide file transfer or other
communications functions to their customers.

But each software maker wants something different:

 . Connection establishment but no data transfer
 . Data transfer using pre-existing connection
 . Connection establishment <i>and</i> data transfer
 . File transfer only without "bells and whistles"
 . Scripting but not terminal emulation
 . Serial communication but not networking
 . Networking but not serial communications
 . Binary file transfer but not text
 . Greek character-set conversion but not Cyrillic
 . Access to shell escapes allowed
 . Access to shell escapes forbidden
 . A pretty display
 . No display at all

and on and on.  And they desire this functionality to be packaged as
a link library for this or that platform, a DLL, an OCX, a VBX, an Active X
control, a Delphi component, a Netscape Plugin, a Java object, etc etc etc.
The combinations of functionality and interface are many, and there is no way
we can satisfy them without warehouses full of programmers.

Consequently we recommend that software makers who wish to embed Kermit
functionality in their products (communications, scripting, file transfer,
terminal emulation, character-set translation, etc) license and use the
programs we already have available.

The "API" (Application Program Interface) *is* the command language.  It
is more fully expressive, precise, comprehensive, and *portable* than any
other API that could be designed (look at all the commands in C-Kermit or
MS-DOS Kermit or Kermit 95; each one is there for a reason).  As new releases
of the Kermit program come out, your product can be easily updated and will
benefit from all the new features, fixes, and speedups automatically.

The recommended method of embedding Kermit in another application is via
command-line invocation.  The Kermit command line can contain a selection of
simple commands, and it can also refer to more complex command files or scripts
composed by your application.  Kermit can be configured to create any kind of
log you need, and it can return the status of its operations in various ways
that can be used by your application.

When you license Kermit software for embedding in your application, we are
happy to work with you to ensure it meets your needs.  And if Kermit protocol
transfers are important to you, then it should also be important to you to
come to the source -- we developed the protocol, we continue to improve it,
we believe in it, and we stand behind it.

Following this advice allows each party to concentrate on what they are good
at, rather than unnecessarily duplicating efforts and "reinventing the wheel".
You concentrate on your application; we'll do the communications.  We support
our software, you support yours, everybody is happy.

- Frank