4/20/95 NCSA Telnet 2.7b2 for the Macintosh Release Notes
Brought to you by: Clint Popetz (cpopetz@ncsa.uiuc.edu)
These release notes contain the following information:
Ñ Changes since the last version
Ñ Telnet release schedule
Ñ Bug list
Ñ Future features list
Ñ Old changes list
Changes since 2.7b1
-------------------
Ñ Added support for the option key as the emacs meta key. In order to use this,
you must download the "EMACS KCHR" file from the same directory as 2.7b2, and
install it in your system. You don't have to make it active by hand; telnet
will take care of switching it in and out when you activate a window that needs
it, and when you suspend and resume telnet. There is a new option in the
Sessions Preference; you can select "option" or the old "command-control" (or
neither) as the meta key. Note that using the new option will not allow you to
make higher bit characters in any font that needs the option key. Also note
that Telnet will only switch the KCHR if you are using a roman script; it will
not mess with other scripts.
Ñ "<Default>" is now always the first item in a list or popup
Ñ Fixed a bug that would allow you to remove "<Default>", and then crash your
machine.
Ñ Window positioning with Save Sets has been fixed
Ñ Translation tables mix-up in 2.7b1 has been fixed
Ñ A vt100 problem (created in b1) has been fixed.
Ñ Fixed problems with screensizes bigger than 80 columns
Ñ Fixed some problems with scroll bars not working correctly
Ñ Fixed an ICR crashing bug in existence since 2.5
Ñ Fixed a crashing bug on machines w/o Color Quickdraw (created in 2.6.1d5)
Ñ Fixed some tabs problems causing vt alignment messes.
Ñ Fixed some key mapping problems, including the PowerBook 540 bizarre enter
key.
Ñ Changed the way telnet checks for font proportionality on startup; it should
be more consistent now with respect to non-roman scripts and fonts. In
addition, telnet will now cache the names of the mono-spaced fonts, and all
startups after the inital, barring a change in the fonts available to the
system, will be much faster.
Ñ Added an option in the global preferences to have telnet destroy kerberos
credentials when a window is closed. This will currently only work with
KClient, but the Authman plugin is currently not functional anyway.
Changes since 2.6.1d7
---------------------
Ñ ANSI color sequences have been added. The ANSI colors are the same for every
session. They can be set through the Sessions menu or through the Global
Prefs, both of which save the settings in the prefs file. The current behavior
is for VT Blink, which Telnet represents as colors, to override any ANSI
colors.
Ñ Fixed the scrollbar appearance in inactive windows.
Ñ Fixed some updating-while-scrolling bugs
Ñ Fixed ftp bug created in 2.6.1d7.
Ñ Changed something to make return key work when connecting to a UNIVAC.
Ñ Cursor now becomes arrow when it is over draggable text.
Ñ Imported/Exported Macros files won't be condensed when null Macros exist.
Ñ Added support for REMOTE_FLOW_CONTROL option (RFC 1372).
Ñ Linemode:
-Linemode has been completely redone. This should eliminate the NeXT, Conxex,
and NetBSD problems. Most notable changes:
-Fixed bug that caused doubled IAC in subnegotiation to be treated as.
subnegotiation end (most noticable as NeXTs and Convexs dropping into graphic
characters).
-Next and Convex hosts will no longer re-negotiate after every return.
-Added support for all of the Linemode Bits.
-Added support for local editing characters (1 through 30 in RFC 1184).
-Telnet now allows the host to set the local characters is supports.
-Added support for ForwardMask option.
-Added support for FLUSHIN and FLUSHOUT using SYNC and Timing Mark.
Ñ Telnet will no longer add proportional fonts to font menus, as it doesn't
print them very well anyway.
Ñ Fixed cursor update bug during scrolling.
Ñ Added terminal popup menu to Open Connections Dialog. If an alias is typed,
the value of the popup will be ignored (the default terminal for that session
will be used) If a session is selected from the popup, the terminal popup will
reflect that session's default terminal.
Ñ Fixed a drawing bug with popups.
Ñ Window placement:
-Telnet will now re-use old window spots in its window placement algorithm.
-Telnet will no longer stagger windows off screen.
Ñ -If staggered windows is turned off, the first window no longer appears too
high.
Ñ -Telnet now lets the user specify how much windows are staggered
Ñ When changing to 132 column mode via an escape sequence:
-The window is constrained to the screen.
-Some ugly cursor bugs during this are fixed.
-The data in the window is no longer erased, since this wasnt necessary.
Ñ When IP is sent via a keystroke set in "Setup Keys...", '[Interrupt Process]'
is printed to let the user know something happened.
Ñ Problems with 8 bit mode when connecting to VAXs, most noticable when using
TPU, are fixed.
Ñ Fixed VT problem with reverse mode, reported under TPU when connected to a VAX
Ñ Fixed updating bug with wraparound while in insert mode, which caused garbage
on the side of the screen.
Ñ Fixed VT220 Insert mode problems, most often reported in EMACS, particularly
under Solaris.
Ñ Type-during-Paste bug is fixed. Specifically, if block-paste is active, all
key events are buffered until all stages of the paste are complete.
Ñ Forcesave now works correctly, and no longer trashes the screen. Some
additional functionality was added to support different ways of clearing the
screen.
Ñ Function keys no longer do anything when in vt100 mode. Also, under VT100
mode, the keypad operator keys work as if "Remap Keypad" is always set, and the
pageup/pagedown keys work as if "Pageup/Pagedown" is always set.
Ñ EMACS Meta key know works properly for all key sequences except shifted
numbers, as command-shift-# is intercepted by the system.
Ñ Changed the command equivalent if "Are You There" from '/' to 'T'. (This was
need to make the EMACS fix work. I hope no one was hitting command-/ daily :)
Ñ Fixed a bug that would cause telnet to hang when accidently looking at binary
files. (Bad VT sequences were not being handled properly)
Ñ Added option to make telnet post a notification when it beeps in the
background. (Edit->Preferences->Global)
Ñ Changes to Preferences Dialogs:
-Lists are now sorted alphabeticly
-Cursor keys can now be used to move in lists
-Typing the first few letters of a list item brings you to it
-Added command keys to buttons
-Added "Duplicate" button
-List Items of the same name are no longer allowed; telnet will let you know
in the Sessions/Terminals/FTPUsers dialogs if a name is a duplicate
Ñ Popup menus throughout telnet (Open special, translation, etc) now appear
alphabetized
Ñ Added Option-Command-W, which will ask once and then close all windows,
ignoring the "windows don't go away" preference.
Ñ Cleaned up segmentation and low-memory handling code. Telnet will now keep
some space around for critical situations. Also, the "Yikes..." memory dialog
should appear a lot less frequently.
Notes on Macro files:
---------------------
Telnet now (since 2.6.1d5) supports importable-exportable macro files, which are plain text files with an icon that has a command key on it. You can click on them to start telnet and load in a set of macros, or import them in "Set Macros." The format, when looked at as plain text files, is the following:
key0 = ""
key1 = "blah\r\n "
key2 = ""
key3 = "blah again"
key4 = ""
key5 = ""
key6 = ""
key7 = ""
key8 = ""
key9 = ""
The \r,\n, and \t sequences work just as they do in the macro boxes themselves.
Notes on URL support:
---------------------
Helper Applications are only supported through Internet Config. Catch the wave.
Use Internet Config.
Command-Click in any part of a URL will select it and launch the helper, including multiple line URLs. The following formats are supported:
scheme:
URL:scheme:
<scheme: >
<URL:scheme: >
"scheme: "
"URL: scheme: "
If you have spaces in your URL, surround it with <> and click in the first fragment of it. Otherwise Telnet wont find it. However, if you select text manually, and Command-Click within it, Telnet will try to use what you selected. (ie, it will strip extra stuff, but won't go looking for a complete url) Basically, I mimic NW in all this. (Including neat-o flashing on success)
Currently, only GURL aware helpers are supported. I didn't want to implement the enormous headache of writing a prefs file for each non-GURL app, or put out a new version each time someone new supports GURL, or add XXX's favorite ftp client prefs format to telnet. So its GURL or nothing.
MUCH thanks to John Norstad's NW code to launch the most recent application of a
given signature; it now resides in Telnet.
Note on remap keypad option:
---------------------
Many people had complained that they never use the vt keys, which look like operators on the mac keypad. So, in Preferences->Sessions, you can override the VT definitions so that the operators work.
Note on compiler compatability:
------------------------------------------
I have given up (for the time being) trying to make Telnet compile
under MPW and Think C. I am sticking with the most beautiful of environments,
Metrowerks CodeWarrior. If the day comes when all the bugs are fixed, I will try to go back and make them compatible, but frankly, I would rather spend my time fixing MY bugs and putting in new features than finding work-arounds for problems in other development environments.
NCSA Telnet for the Macintosh release schedule:
-----------------------------------------------
This is the first beta of 2.7 Once 2.7 becomes stable, work will pick up on
3.0, which should be out in the late spring.
Known BUGS
----------
This is the list of all Telnet bugs known to NCSA, feel free to mail me if
you find others:
Crashes:
No known crashes except under extreme low memory conditions
Kerberos:
Annoying:
Ñ \r,\n, and \t cannot appear in a Macro sequence
Ñ Capture text sometimes contains extra returns
Implementation:
Ñ Reduce WDS sizes?
VT emulation:
Ñ Bold font problems need to be solved
Ñ Tabs don't work completely
Ñ Clear whole text cell
Ñ Answerback problems (Vax 6.0/HPUX)
Ñ Control key fix for the Mac Plus seems not to be working anymore
FTP:
* FTP log not very useful for Macbinary transfers
* FTP server filename ISO tranlation not working?
Ñ Need to add a provision for editing "anonymous"'s directory
Ñ Occasional MNetPush error when using FTP
Ñ FTP transfers occasionally creating zero size files
Ñ Multiple user/one password bug?
Ñ Cant set user directory to different drive
TEK:
Ñ Some TEK emulation bugs
Future Plans:
-------------
For 3.0:
Ñ Modeless configuration interface
Ñ Modeless macro dialog box
Ñ Modeless Open Connection box
Ñ Scriptable
Ñ Sessions can be configured to capture immediately from opening
Ñ Reverse DNS connecting FTP hosts
Ñ Better Key remapping features
Ñ Save attributes in scrollback
Ñ Firewall support (See below)
Ñ Major internal re-working (See below)
Ñ Possible clean-up of TEK code (volunteers?)
Ñ Encryption on-the-fly switch
Ñ Have an option to destroy kerberos tickets
Ñ Linemode options window
Ñ Tear-off menus for function and keypad keys
Ñ Split FTP server into seperate application
I am interested in getting a consensus on what firewall methods are "standard."
With the use of Telnet as a helper app becoming more feasible with the support of the GURL suite, and considering the need to move towards scriptability, an alternative is needed to opening a connection to the firewall and then manually telnet-ing from there. So, anyone interested in giving a firewall-idiot some pointers, feel free to mail them to me (Clint). Please include "FIREWALL:" in the subject.
3.0 will be quite a major release, where I will continue the cleansing process that Jim began. The memory management will be almost completely redone, and the scrollback format will be reworked significantly. Now's the time for interested parties to submit requests for things you're just dying to see in telnet. So, consider this the official announcement of the "3.0 Telnet Wish List." Just mail to me (Clint) or to mactel@ncsa.uiuc.edu, and please put "TELNET WISH: " in the subject.
The Documentation for 2.6 is FINALLY on line. It can be found at:
