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- Date: Fri 18 Jul 86 16:00:46-EDT
- From: Ben Bishop <T.SAILOR%DEEP-THOUGHT@EDDIE.MIT.EDU>
- Subject: MUMPS-11 version of Kermit
-
- I work for The MUMPS Collaborative, Inc., a MUMPS-specific consulting
- and application software company in Newton, Massachusetts. Recently
- my company requested my acquiring a copy of Kermit for MUMPS so that a
- 'reasonable' communication system between our micros and our 11/44
- (running MUMPS) could be established.
-
- I have had a great deal of experience working with Kermit systems, and
- acquired a copy of Kermit-M from CU20B via FTP.
-
- Please note the following: The copy of Kermit-M on CU20B is missing
- all '\' (backslash) characters. These are used throughout the
- Kermit-M routines, and as such those routines will not run properly.
- In addition, the version of MUMPS my company uses is DSM-11 (Digital
- Standard MUMPS). Modifying the M/11 routines to work on this
- operating system has exposed many unmarked sections of M/11-specific
- code in the distribution version.
-
- I have made extensive revisions and corrections to the Kermit-M system
- -- correcting errors as well as making it more portable. I am now
- wondering what the procedure should be for sending an update of these
- programs, both to Columbia and to the original authors (whose name
- escapes me at present). Before doing this I would prefer to find out
- if there had been any other improvements/functionality which has been
- added to any other MUMPS implementation.
-
- In addition I was also wondering if there was a net address for the
- original author of these routines at the NY College of Veterinary
- Medicine.
-
- Thank you for your time,
-
- Ben Bishop
-
- Senior Programmer/Analyst
- The MUMPS Collaborative, Inc.
- Newton, Mass 02160
- (617) 964-7880
-
- p.s. I would like to commend you on the fine system you have
- sponsored. Kermit has been invaluable to me on many occaisions.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Tue 28 Oct 86 21:14:20-EST
- From: Ben Bishop <T.SAILOR%DEEP-THOUGHT@EDDIE.MIT.EDU>
- Subject: MUMPS Kermit, and making tapes.
-
- Some history: MUMPS is an interpreted language (like BASIC), with some
- very powerful database features. Practically all distributions of
- MUMPS programs are in ASCII. The version of MUMPS-Kermit which is
- currently being distributed is VERY specific to Intersystems Standard
- MUMPS (one of the *main* MUMPS operating system vendors) and an old
- version at that. There were also a number of transmission errors (in
- the original) which rendered the programs inoperable. Some more
- history: most MUMPS systems run *only* MUMPS. This allows those 'very
- powerful database features' to work very well.
-
- The MUMPS Collaborative (my employer) obviously specializes in MUMPS
- and has recently been getting into doing things with micros. I have
- been trying to convince them to use kermit (or at least provide FOR
- kermit) in their projects -- the jury is still out on the decision.
-
- Regardless. I have a version of Kermit which is now running on a
- PDP-11 with DSM v3.2 (and worked with 3.1). I am reasonably confident
- that the same routines will also work with the version on VMS.
-
- I am quite willing to spend some time making MUMPS Kermit tapes for
- people if they want me to. I suspect that there would have to be a
- charge to cover the media (1 tape), postage and handling. I have no
- experience in pricing such work (I suspect postage would vary
- considerably between mailing to Germany and mailing to New York) and
- would appreciate any suggestion on how much we should charge -- I have
- made it clear to the Collaborative that Kermit can't be 'sold', it can
- however, be provided at cost in the above manner.
-
- The version works. I have been trying to make the user-interface a
- little more 'friendly', but as of now it is quite usable (and I have
- transferred things to/from mit-deep-thought, a DEC-20).
-
- If there is any information available for programmers who intend on
- implementing kermit (other than the massive kermit manual) I would
- greatly appreciate it. I would like to get this version up to par
- with others that I have seen.
-
- I hope this reply is what you wanted.
-
- I can be reached at:
-
- The MUMPS Collaborative, Inc.
- 797 Washington Street
- Newtonville, MA 02160
- (617) 984-7880
-
- During business hours. As I said above, the best net-address for me is:
-
- bishop@athena.mit.edu
-
- Thank you,
-
- Ben Bishop
- t.sailor@deep-thought.mit.edu
- bishop@athena.mit.edu
-
- p.s. At some point I hope to down load this version of MUMPS kermit to
- the DEC-20 and then send it to you at columbia. I do not know when
- I may have the time to do this, but I expect that it will be possible
- by December.
-
- ------------------------------
-
-