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000292_news@columbia.edu _Mon Jul 19 13:25:09 1999.msg
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From: heiby_u@falkor.chi.il.us (Ron Heiby)
Subject: Re: Any progress on K95 GUI?
Date: Mon, 19 Jul 1999 16:32:37 GMT
Organization: MCSNet Services
Message-ID: <37934874.3156469@news.mcs.com>
To: kermit.misc@columbia.edu
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fdc@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Frank da Cruz) wrote:
>The pure-GUI version of 1.1.18 will have the same user interface as
>before: Commands, rather than thousands of dialog boxes. This "Text
>GUI" will solve numerous problems caused by bugs and limitations in
>the Windows 95/98 (and to some extent, NT) Console environment:
Does this also mean that when I type (on Win95 K-95) ahead, while Win95 is
off contemplating its navel, that the keystrokes eventually seen by K-95 will
be in the same order in which they were types? If so, that would be
*fabulous* news!
>We have, all this time, committed ourselves to production of a full GUI
>version of K95, and we are still committed to it. However, it might help
>to understand better exactly why people want it.
Um, how about: "The irrational desire for form over function" -- the same
reason that some people are hoping for a color (3Com) Palm device. (I would
like to see a Palm screen that did better in "twilight" conditions.)
>Over the past several years, it has seemed to me that two of the main
>advantages of K95 over most other products are:
>
> . The script language.
>
> . The availability of compatible Kermit programs (and script
> languages) for other platforms such as UNIX, VMS, and DOS.
Right on!
>These features, of course, have nothing to do with GUIs. So, to help
>us in our planning, I'd like to know -- in specific, detailed terms --
>what exactly do people expect of the GUI?
To stay the heck out of my way.
>What GUI features will you use that are not already slated for 1.1.18
>and that are not in the Dialer?
Can't really think of any. Oh, all right. How about a popup window that would
display current modem signal state (just basic stuff like "show comm" gives)?
Maybe it could be non-modal and stay visible while other things are going on,
updating to match changes in the modem signal lines? Maybe it could give some
kind of gross indication of whether data were being sent / received.
>How would you rank the desirabality of these features over
>actual functional improvements such as:
>
> . IBM 3270 and 5250 emulation
> . Tektronix and Sixel graphics terminal emulation
> . Other frequently requested emulations
I have not had need for any emulations beyond the fairly rich set already
provided. From time to time, I have needed to know what control sequences a
given emulation supported. As I recall, I was referred to the manual for the
actual terminal. Of course, I didn't actually *have* such a manual, since I
was using Kermit for my terminal.... That may no longer be the case. I don't
know, as the situation has not arisen lately.
> . Windows CE support
I've pretty much given up on WinCE for my personal use after trying both a
pretty color handheld (H/PC) and a "palm" size device. (I think I heard that
MS got blasted for calling it a Palm PC, but don't know what the current name
is.) So, having this capability is not a screaming need for me. If I had it,
I would probably pull my HP620LX out of the drawer and use it in some (rare)
circumstances instead of my ThinkPad. But, I'm sure that you have better
things to do than save my having to carry an extra 6 pounds of computer once
or twice a year.
> . An API allowing control by other Windows apps
Now this one is fairly cool sounding. I think I could get some good use out
of the ability to write a Visual C++ and/or Visual Basic application and have
that program able to cause Kermit to establish a connection and transfer some
information. Ideally, I'd be able to programmatically do anything
(reasonably) done from the Kermit command line, including defining and
invoking Kermit macros. I'd rate this one higher than anything else mentioned
in the list, or anything related to "pretty GUI".
> . Chinese/Japanese/Korean terminal emulation
I personally have no need of this, but would guess that there is a fairly
large market for it.
> . Web scripting
I don't know what this means. Does it mean being able to do some Kermit stuff
as a CGI script? That might be fairly useful, but the earlier API interface
should allow the same thing, plus a whole lot more.
> . Built-in FTP client
This is something I know I would use. There are several FTP sites that
maintain information that is updated from time to time (e.g., the K-95 beta
version). It would be handy to be able to script access to such sites, to
fire up a Kermit session that would go to each site in turn, see whether
something new had been added / changed, and download as appropriate. The
ability to maintain a "database" of FTP sites, preferred starting directory,
etc. (like ncftp does) would also be useful.
Speaking of non-Kermit protocol file transfers: Every now and then, I have a
similar need to download files that do not appear at any FTP server. They
appear in web pages with URLs like <http://some.site.com/path/file.zip>.
Being able to hand such a URL to Kermit to get the file downloaded would be
similarly useful.
>To start the ball rolling, I think it is apparent that for ease of use, a
>simple popup for making connections (and authenticating) is desirable,
>similar to what you see on the General page of a Dialer entry.
Sure, this would be fine.
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--
Ron.