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Online - VT100 Emulator for PalmOS
Version 1.4.1 Now Shipping (fixes for Visor Serial Cradle)
Version 1.5 (DOC file support) coming soon!
Version 2.0 (Telnet Support) coming this Summer!
Online Animated Demo

[Overview] [Features] [Screen Shots] [Mailing List] [Survey]
[Getting Online for PalmOS] [Updates/Future Plans] [Frequently Asked Questions]

Overview
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PalmOS PalmOS palmchat sponsor

Online is a VT100 terminal emulator for PalmOS organizers.

Users of Online can connect to other computer systems and access real computer power and network resources wherever they are. Online has been used to connect to Unix systems and then surf the web using Lynx, edit files with vi and emacs - and even to read and write email using elm!

Online is also often used to configure hubs, routers, and other devices that can be controlled via a serial, IR or CF port.

Online can be connected to either a modem or the serial or IR port of another computer or device (such as a hub or router). If connecting to a modem use the Pilot modem cable available from Palm or a hotsync cable combined with a null modem adaptor.

Online currently connects to the Internet via dial-up shell accounts, not PPP. A 'telnet' version of Online is currently under development and is expected to be released in April 2000.

To help us in developing this product, please take the time to join the online-talk mailing list, complete the survey at the bottom of this page, and download the latest version.


Online recently received a 5 star rating from ZDNet!

And a 4 Cow rating from Tucows.



Features
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Features of Online for PalmOS:

  • VT-100 Emulation over modem or serial connection
  • Supports new serial manager and multiple serial ports
  • Up to 80*24 display using a custom fixed-width font and virtual screen
  • Direct entry of text via Grafitti, type-ahead buffer, or user-defined macros
  • Custom key/macro mapping of 4 tool bar buttons and 4 hardware buttons
  • Keys menu with PF1-PF4, DEL and BREAK
  • Log incoming text to memo pad entries (as text or hexadecimal)
  • Send text from memo pad entries
  • Online Help/Tips

E-Mail via Elm E-Mail via Elm

Web via Lynx News via Tin
(Online 1.0)



Online Talk Mailing List
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The Online Talk mailing list contains discussions related to the PalmOS version of Online. This is the best place to learn about product developments and public beta versions.

To sign up and receive individual messages: click here.
To sign up and receive a daily digest: click here.


Online Survey
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Take the Online Survey and:

  • Help us decide on the feature list for upcoming versions
  • Receive notification of the next public beta
  • Receive notification when new versions ship.


Getting Online for PalmOS
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Online is distributed as a demo version which can be unlocked after purchase.

A QuickStart guide is included with the demo. You can also read it online.

You can download the latest Public Beta here:
Online 1.4.1 (zip file, about 65K)

You can download the latest shipping version here:
Online 1.4.1 (PC: zip file, about 75K)
Online 1.4.1 (MAC: binhexed/stuffed, about 90K)


Updates / Future Plans
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Future versions of Online are planned to have the following features:
  • Send DOC file (for 1.5)
  • Log to DOC file (for 1.5)
  • Connection via the Telnet protocol over a TCP connection (for 2.0)
  • File Transfer Protocols
  • Auto-Login facility
  • Scipting facility
  • Session Directory

Frequently Asked Questions
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What versions of the PalmOS are supported?

Online works on all devices running all versions of the PalmOS from 2.0 right up to the current release. This includes (but is not limited to) the Pilot 1000/5000 (if upgraded to OS 2.0 or later), Personal, Professional, Palm III, IIIx, IIIe, V, Vx, VII Palm VII as well as the IBM WorkPad, Handspring Visor, TRG Pro and other devices running PalmOS 2.0 or later.

Is the Palm clip-on modem supported?

Of course! As well as all clip-on modems that have a serial interface (such as the "snap-on" GSM modem from Option International).

Can I connect to an external modem?

Yes, just use the "modem cable" available from Palm. It has a Palm connector on one end and a DB-25 modem/serial connector on the other end. It costs about US$20.

Note that this item seems to be getting harder to find. While Palm does not currently list it at their online store, other resellers of Palm hardware seem to stock it. We recommend doing a web search for "palm modem cable" and selecting your favorite merchant.

Can I connect to the serial port of a router?

Yes, just use the "modem cable" available from Palm. (See above).

I connected to my router with a HotSync cable and gender changer, but it doesn't work. Why?

For most routers you need to use the "modem cable" available from Palm. (See above). You can also use a "null modem adaptor" with the HotSync cable, effectively turning it into a "modem cable".

This is important because the HotSync and Modem cables are each wired differently and are not interchangeable.

What sort of cables can I use?

For most applications, you need a modem cable or a null modem adaptor combined with a cradle or HotSync cable.

There are some excellent graphics that show the pinouts for hotsync and modem cables at the Palm DevZone

If you have TealInfo, check out "Serial Cables" by Alexei Proskura (freeware).

It contains pinouts and various info on serial cables. Includes modem, null-modem, pilot-modem cable pinouts, signals and pinouts table. (TealInfo required)

I have a Palm V - what kind of serial/null modem cable do I need

Unfortunately Palm does not (currently) sell modem/hotsync cables for separate sale with the Palm V connector. However you can always use the cable from the travel kit, or the cradle itself, in combination with a null modem adaptor. This gets you the same thing as a modem cable.

I have a Handspring Visor - what kind of cable do I need?

The Visor Hotsync port is not a full serial port - it does not support hardware handshake, nor does it provide the proper signal levels for many RS232 devices and is not buffered, so you should not attempt to make your own serial cable unless you understand the issues involved - some older devices with higher signal levels could potentially damage the Visor if directly connected. (for the technical: the voltage levels are TTL, not RS232).

However, the Visor serial cradle (about $20 from Handspring) contains the circuitry needed to present a proper RS232 connection and can be used alone or in conjunction with a null modem cable to connect to any RS232 device.

I get an error 775 connecting when I try to use Online with the Visor Serial Cradle. Why?

Error 775 is "serial port already open". This happens because the Visor assumes that if it is connected to a serial device (such as the cradle), that it must be hooked up to a keyboard, and thus fires up the keyboar daemon which opens up the serial port to talk to it.

Online 1.4.1 has a change made to work around this problem. If using an older version simply take your Visor out of the cradle, run online, tap the "On" button (which should work now that the Visor is not in the cradle) and then drop it back in the cradle and talk to the device. Since the port is already open (by Online) when you drop it in the cradle, the keyboard daemon doesn't get a chance to open the port and all is well.

How do I access the "Options" menu? Is it disabled in the demo?

All program features are available in the demo - You gain access to the menu bar by tapping the "menu" button in the silk-screen area of the device. This is the silk-screened button to the direct left of the "abc" button of the grafitti input area.

(For further details on using menus and PalmOS in general, please consult the user guide that accompanied your PalmOS device.)

Can I use a Palm VII and "Online" to connect using the radio modem of the Palm VII?

The short answer is no, palm.net does not give you a TCP connection in the sense that a modem dial-up, cradle connection, minstrel or ricochet does. You can only send specially formatted requests back and forth.

The long answer is that perhaps something could be done over palm.net that would talk to a server that would in turn do telnet. In theory I think this could be done, but it would be slow (telnet is character oriented and palm.net really wants to be sending large packets so they can be compressed) and expensive (for those not on flat rate plan), so I'm not sure it is worth pursuing.

It seems the best deal for folks that want Palm VII functionality AND TCP is to get the OmniSky. That attaches to a Palm V (whose form factor and styling I prefer anyway) and gives you both full TCP (flat rate) ***AND*** it can run Palm VII software (pqa's, etc). Modem runs about $300 and service is flat rate $50/mo.

What characters can I send?

You can send any character that you can generate via graffiti, graffiti shortcut, or pop-up keyboard. Additionally, you can create macros that do the same, as well as contain shortcuts for sending control characters, escape, tab, etc. You can also send any desired hex value via as a special sequence entered via the input buffer, a macro or a memo pad record.

Can I send VT320/VT420/PF or other special keys?

Yes. We have the VT100 special keys in the keys menu, however you can define a macro or button to send any sequence of characters in the full ASCII range (0-255). For example, the VT420 code for F9 is escape, and then '[20~'. As a macro, that would look like '\e[20~'.

An excellent source of codes for the entire VT series can be found at vt100.net.

Can I send a 'break' signal?

Yes. Just select Break from the Keys menu.

My system recognizes a break when sent via a direct connection or via an external modem, but not via my Palm V modem. Why?

The Palm V modem seems to send a 'pulsed break'. That is, rather than sending a continous break signal for the whole 500ms, it sends 2 shorter signals. This may or may not work with all systems. Try adjusting the remote system if possible, or use a different (external) modem.

I am having a hard time connecting to a system that I can connect to from my laptop. Any ideas?

We often find that the problem here is using the "dial" command of Online. "Dial" uses the PalmOS to initialize and send commands to dial to the modem, and sometimes the desired results are not acheived. Instead just talk directly to the modem with AT commands. ie, instead of picking "dial" and then entering "555-1212", try tapping the "On" button to open a connection to the modem, and then enter "ATDT 5551212" followed by a return to dial the modem yourself. This often works in cases where the "dial" menu option does not.

When I send a return via grafitti, my Unix system interprets that as a control-C. What could be going wrong?

Assuming that your 'return' setting is correct (see 'Communications' under the 'Options' menu), a common mistake is to be sending the grafitti stroke for 'delete' (which unix interprets as an 'interrupt' character by default), when you meant to send 'return'. Return is a stroke from the top-right to the bottom-left. Delete is a stroke from left to right. It can be easy to confuse them.

Does Online support file transfer?

Online can send text files from the built-in memo pad, as well as receive and log incoming text to memo pad records. If you would like to see support for a particular protocol, be sure to let us know!

How much data can I save using the 'Log to Memo Pad' feature?

Memo Pad records are limited to 4K, however Online will automatically create new records as needed, so you save a great deal of information via multiple Memo Pad records.

How can I increase the rate at which Online handles incoming data?

Data handling has been increased significantly in version 1.1, and again in 1.4. Regardless of what version you are using, the two largest factors in speed are: 1) Is logging on and 2) Is emulation on. For the fastest display, turn both of these features off. If you wish to log data and know that you won't be receiving VT100 commands, go ahead and set emulation to TTY and 'display follows cursor' to off. This can help quite a bit.

The device I am sending to can't keep up. How can I slow down the rate at which Online sends data?

Try either using a lower baud rate, or select a delay value (the number of system ticks to pause between sending each character) in the Terminal Options dialog.

How do I get to the keyboard to pop up? I have tried from the menu command and also by touching the "abc" on the palm graffiti area with no luck.

In version 1.4 or later, simply tap the silk-screen ABC or 123 buttons to access the PalmOS popup keyboard. You can also tap the "abc", "123" or "intl" buttons in the tool bar area.

For versions prior to 1.4, the keyboard only pops up (ie, by tapping ABC, etc) when the input buffer line is selected (the checkbox is on next to it). Otherwise grafitti entered goes straight out the serial port to the device/modem. You can also send text by using macros. See the quickstart guide for full details.

I am accessing CompuServe and the characters seem odd. I am getting what looks like the wrong font set. Some of the letters are right, many are wrong, as if viewing a foreign language.

CompuServe is normally accessed (via terminal emulation software) at 7E1 (7 data bits, even parity, 1 stop bit). The default for Online is 8N1. Just visit "Communications" under the Options menu and change to 7E1.



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