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- Introduction:
- =============
-
- Seyon is a complete full-featured telecommunications package for
- the X Window System. Some of its features are:
-
- Dialing directory that supports an unlimited number of entries.
- The directory is fully mouse-driven and features call progress
- monitoring, dial timeout, automatic redial, multi-number dialing,
- and circular redial queue. Each item in the dialing directory can
- be configured with its own baud rate, bit mask, and script file.
- The dialing directory uses a plain-text phone book that can be
- edited from withen Seyon. Seyon also supports manual dialing.
-
- Terminal emulation window supporting DEC VT02, Tektronix 4014, and
- ANSI. Seyon delegates its terminal emulation to xterm, so all the
- familiar xterm functions such as the scroll-back buffer,
- cut-and-paste utility, and visual bell are availabe through
- Seyon's terminal emulation window. Using xterm also means that
- Seyon has a more complete emulation of VT102 than other any Unix
- or DOS telecommunications program. Other terminal emulation
- programs can also be used with Seyon to suit the user's need; for
- example, color xterm can be used to provide emulation for color
- ANSI (popular on many BBS systems), and xvt can be used if memory
- is a bit tight.
-
- Script language to automate tedious tasks such as logging into
- remote hosts. Seyon's script interpreter uses plain-text files and
- has a syntax similar to that of sh, with a few extra addtions. It
- supports many familiar statements such as conditional branching by
- if-else and looping by goto. Scripts may be assigned to items in
- the dialing directory for automatic execution after a connection
- is made.
-
- Unlimited number of slots for external file transfer protocols.
- Protocols are activated from a mouse-driven transfer console that
- uses a plain-text file, editable from withen Seyon, for protocol
- configuration. Seyon prompts the user for filenames only if the
- chosen protocol requires filenames or if the transfer operation is
- an upload, for which Seyon also accepts wildcards. Multiple
- download directories can be specified for the different transfer
- slots.
-
- Support for zmodem auto-download. Seyon detects incoming zmodem
- signature and automatically activates a user-specified zmodem
- protocol to receive incoming files. Zmodem transfers can thus be
- completely automatic and require no user intervention.
-
- Translation modes. Seyon can perfrom useful trasnlations on the
- user's input. From example, Seyon can translate backspace to
- delete (useful on may Unix systems), newline to carriage return
- (useful on many BBS hosts), and my favorite, meta key tranlation:
- to send keys pressed while the meta (ALT) key is held down as an
- escape (ESC) followed by the key press. The latter mode simulates
- the meta key on hosts that do not support 8-bit-clean connections
- and makes possible the use of the meta key in programs like Emacs
- on such hosts.
-
- Other features: interactive setting of program parameters, on-line
- help, software (XONN/XOFF) and hardware (RTS/CTS) flow control,
- session capture to a file, and temporary running of a local shell
- in the terminal emulation window.
-
- Seyon is intended to be both simple and extensively configurable.
- Almost every aspect of Seyon can be configured via the resources
- to suit the user's taste.
-
- Portability:
- ============
-
- Seyon is reported to run on most Unix platforms. Read the file
- PORTING for more details.
-
- Use:
- ====
-
- Please read the manual page and the FAQ to learn how to use Seyon.
- I've put a lot of effort into making the manual page as accurate
- and up-to-date as possible.
-
- IMPORTANT:
-
- Add the resource 'Seyon.modem: /dev/ttys0' to your Xdefaults file
- (substitute your modem device for /dev/ttys0) or invoke seyon by
- the switch '-modem /dev/ttys0'. You have to specify the full path
- name of the device in all cases.
-
- The name of the startup file is 'seyon'. That of the dialing
- directory is 'phonelist' and that of the protocols file is
- 'protocols'. These have to be in directory called '~/.seyon' by
- default or in the current or home directoy. Examples are provided.
-
- To use Seyon, just invoke from anywhere by 'seyon &'. That's about
- it.
-
- To advantage of Seyons's color, add the following to your
- Xdefaults file:
-
- #ifdef COLOR
- *customization: -color
- #endif
-
- Seyon is Free:
- ==============
-
- If you use Seyon and like it, sending me a picture postcard of a
- site in your area would be nice, and would give me the incentive
- to continue maintaining Seyon. If you don't feel like doing that
- (you lazy bum! :-), just let me know by e-mail.
-
- Development:
- ============
-
- Seyon was written and is being maintained on a no-name 386SX-25
- PC-clone running linux with XFree86. The machine has 10MB of
- memory and a 200MB hard drive. Seyon has its roots in xcomm 2.2,
- which was written by Eric Coe and Larry Gensch.
-
- Disclaimer:
- ===========
-
- This program is provided 'as is', with no explicit or implied
- warranty. I disclaim all warranties with regard to this software,
- including all warranties of merchantability and fitness. In no
- event shall the author be liable for any damages resulting from
- the use of this program.
-
- Copyright:
- ==========
-
- Seyon is Copyright (c) of Muhammad M. Saggaf. Seyon is not
- public domain. Permission is granted to use and distribute Seyon
- freely for any use and to sell it at any price without reference to
- the copyright owner provided that in all above cases Seyon is intact
- and is not made part of any program either in whole or in part and
- that this copyright notice is included with Seyon. Permission is
- also granted to modify the source as long as the modified source is
- not distributed.
-
- Contact:
- ========
-
- For suggestions, patches, bug reports, or general discussion,
- contact the author, or better yet, join the Seyon mailing list.
- See the FAQ on how to join. Any letter you send to the mailing
- list reaches me (and others who might help).
-
- Author:
- =======
-
- Muhammad M. Saggaf
- e-mail: alsaggaf@mit.edu
- Snail Mail: Muhammad Saggaf
- Box 9863
- Dhahran 31311
- SAUDI ARABIA
-