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From: Igor Sobrado <[e-mail]>
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.kermit.misc
Subject: Re: MS-DOS Kermit: release 3.15 or 3.16?
Date: 25 Aug 2006 17:46:28 +0200
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Frank da Cruz <[e-mail]> wrote:
> This is explained in MSR314.ANN:
>
> KERMIT.EXE is the full version of 3.14.
> KERMITE.EXE is the medium version - no networking, no graphics.
> KERLITE.EXE is the "Light" version (remote mode only, no communications)
> (the Light version was for use in BBS's, to provide a decent Kermit protocol
> on the BBS end of the connection).
>
> MSK315[MNL].EXE correspond to those, more or less.
> I don't suppose these variants were ever built for 3.16.

Hi again, Frank!

Thank you very much for the detailed description of these files.
I will carefully read MSR314.ANN.  In any case, I guess I will
continue with C-Kermit.  The 286 computer (a Siemens PCD-2V)
has arrived with a serious damage in the HDD and the LCD display
broken even being protected in an aluminium case.  I suppose
there is no way to fix it now and, even if it is possible, it
will probably not make sense these days.  I think the logistics
company did not manage the package with care.

> It has been a long time since I looked at any of this.  3.14 was the last
> integrated release.  We didn't have time to do all the updating of
> documentation and other files for 3.15, so instead we gave different names to
> the executables so the 3.15 files could be installed on top of the 3.14 ones
> without destroying anything.  Then we did the same thing again with 3.16.

In this case, it is better not renaming these files even if it means
that 3.15/3.16 will not fit on a single 3 1/2" HDD floppy disk?
Certainly, documentation should be synchronized with binaries.  It is
a good goal for any software product.

> Once you look at all the files that had to be updated -- HLP, BWR, ANN, UPD,
> DOC, etc etc, you'll see it's a big job.  Not to mention the binaries for
> non-IBM-compatibles like the DEC Rainbow, NEC APC, HP-150, Heath/Zenith 100,
> etc (which are not much of an issue now, but you never know).

Well, I am really interested in getting an HP-150 II as a terminal
to my HP 9000 workstation.  Kermit will probably not be very useful
on one of these terminal but, as you say, you never know!  :-)

> I honestly don't recall 3.16 ever leaving Beta.  Either I completely
> forgot, or somehow I never knew.  I'll check with Joe.
>
> If a complete 3.16 package can be put together (in the form of a ZIP file,
> following the 3.14 directory structure), there is no particular need to
> keep the 3.14 and 3.15 binaries in it; they are always available in the
> archive here.

You are absolutely right!  We need a full distribution with the right
directory structure before dropping earlier releases of MS-DOS Kermit.
It would be a nice, but perhaps very low priority, task.  Just avoiding
the nightmare of lack of synchronization between docs and binaries is
a good goal.

I certainly have some doubts about how right is the decision of renaming
the new binaries to overwrite the old ones on the current scenario.

> Another thing to keep in mind; the full IBM PC distribution (the MSVIBM.ZIP
> file unzipped) for 3.14 fit on a 1.44MB diskette.  I think there were only a
> couple bytes to spare!  It could be used on a PC that had no hard drive (and
> no UNZIP program) simply by sticking it into the diskette drive and running it
> from there.  That would also be a goal for any new release.

It is certainly a requirement!  Being able to run MS-DOS Kermit
from a diskette is very useful for machines that do not have HDDs.
These machines are usually XTs, and these systems do not support
high-density diskettes in most cases, but it is an excellent goal
in any case.

Thanks a lot for the detailed description of the different file
sets and why binaries are named in a different way.  I will carefully
read the MSR314.ANN now.  In any case, I think that this excellent
computer is now dead as a consequence of lack of care when shipping
and getting an updated MS-DOS Kermit release is not an issue for me
at this moment.

I will continue running C-Kermit on NetBSD, OpenBSD, HP-UX, IRIX,
Solaris and SINIX.  By the way, I will try to build new binaries
for SINIX-P 5.42A10 as soon as the new release is available.

Best regards,
Igor.