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From cmg  Thu Aug  6 11:28:49 1992
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Date: Thu, 6 Aug 92 11:28:49 EDT
From: Christine M Gianone <[e-mail]>
To: Info-Kermit
Subject: Info-Kermit Digest V16 #1
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Info-Kermit Digest         Thu, 6 Aug 1992        Volume 16 : Number 1

Today's Topics:
    News
    Announcing IBM Mainframe Kermit-370 Versions 4.2.3 and 4.2.4
    Announcing IBM Mainframe VM/CMS Kermit-370 Version 4.2.3
    Announcing IBM Mainframe MUSIC Kermit-370 Version 4.2.3
    Announcing IBM Mainframe MVS/TSO Kermit-370 Version 4.2.4
    Announcing IBM Mainframe CICS Kermit-370 Version 4.2.4
    The new FULLSCREEN transfer mode
    A Few More Release Files for Kermit-12

Digest submissions may be sent to [e-mail] or
[e-mail].  Requests for addition to or deletion from the
Info-Kermit subscriber list should be sent to [e-mail] or
[e-mail].  These messages must be of the form:

  SUBSCRIBE I$KERMIT <your-personal-name>    (To start a subscription)
  UNSUBSCRIBE I$KERMIT                       (To cancel a subscription)
  REGISTER I$KERMIT <your-personal-name>     (To correct your name)

Kermit files may be obtained over networks and by mail order.  On the
Internetwork, use FTP to log in to host WATSUN.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU, a SUN-4/280
running UNIX (SUNOS 4.1), IP host number 128.59.39.2.  Login as user anonymous
(note, lower case), any password, and GET or MGET (MULTIPLE GET) the desired
files.  The Kermit files are in directories kermit/a, kermit/b, kermit/c,
kermit/d, and kermit/e.  Test versions are in kermit/test.  All files in these
directories should be transferred in text (ASCII) mode.  Binaries are in
kermit/bin (use ftp in binary mode).  All files on watsun have lowercase
names, and case is significant.

You can also get Kermit files over the BITNET/EARN network; to get started
send a message with text HELP to KERMSRV, the Kermit file server, at host
CUVMA.  For detailed instructions, read the file kermit/a/aanetw.hlp
(AANETW.HLP on KERMSRV).  To order by mail, request a complete list of Kermit
versions and an order form from Kermit Distribution, Columbia University
Center for Computing Activities, 612 West 115th Street, New York, NY 10025
USA.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, May 26, 1992 11:14 EDT
>From: Christine M Gianone <[e-mail]>
Subject: News
Keywords: LISTSERV, I-KERMIT

Our IBM mainframe host computer, CUVMB, was recently upgraded from VM/HPO to
VM/ESA.  It seems that VM/ESA has a new feature: it does not allow dashes
(hyphens) in user names.  So the I-KERMIT and IBM-KERMIT names have been
changed to I$KERMIT and IBM$KERMIT, respectively.  Please use the new names
when sending mail to CUVMA.  This change does not affect KERMSRV, only
LISTSERV.  Let's hope that the next big VM release continues to allow dollar
signs...

To those who have been asking when the next issue of Kermit News, our
printed journal, will appear: Sorry, publication has been delayed due to
circumstances beyond our control.  We expect it to be ready in the Fall.
But this also gives us more time to collect articles.  If you would like to
submit an article for publication, let me know.

Sorry for the long delay since the last Info-Kermit issue.  The following
announcements of the new release of IBM mainframe Kermit were delayed pending
release of accompanying test versions of MS-DOS Kermit and C-Kermit, but
rather than hold them up any longer, here they are.  The new version is in
the test area (kermit/test/ik*.* on watsun, and the T: area of KERMSRV at
CUVMA on BITNET).  They will be moved the regular B area if no serious
problems are reported.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 1992 May 13  11:14 EDT
>From: "John F. Chandler"  <[e-mail]>
Subject: Announcing IBM Mainframe Kermit-370 Versions 4.2.3 and 4.2.4
Keywords: IBM 370 Kermit

Kermit-370 version 4.2.3 has now finished the testing stage and is
available in the usual places (KERMSRV, watsun, LISTSERV@HEARN, etc.).
The new release appears in the form of expanded update files for all the
variants of Kermit-370 (CICS, CMS, MUSIC, TSO, and even ROSCOE) and, in
addition, a new source component.  Because of the latter (and only
because of the latter), all the installation guides have been updated,
but the new source component is, in fact, optional (see below).

Numerous fixes, extensions, and improvements have been included in the
new release, mostly generic, but some system-specific as well.  See the
accompanying system-specific announcements for further details:
IKCKER.ANN (CMS), IKMKER.ANN (MUSIC), IKTKER.ANN (TSO), and IKXKER.ANN
(CICS).  Anyone interested in helping to port Kermit-370 to still other
operating systems should contact John Chandler <[e-mail]> or
<[e-mail]>.

Many thanks to the beta testers who have helped work out the bugs in the
new release; also to Joe Doupnik and Frank da Cruz, who have created the
corresponding facilities in MS-DOS Kermit and C-kermit; finally, to Hirofumi
Fujii, who supplied most of the information for translation of Kanji
characters.

Below is a list of the generic changes in version 4.2.3.

Kermit-370 ...

- Has a new FULLSCREEN controller type.  The new mode allows Kermit file
  transfers in a generic way on nearly all protocol converters, but it
  carries some special limitations -- packets cannot be longer than 77
  bytes, and the other end must be MS-DOS Kermit 3.12 or higher or C-Kermit
  5A(180) or higher.  Part of the implementation is a special checksum
  type called BLANK-FREE-2 intended to avoid the possibility of repeated
  blanks in Kermit packets.

- Supports the new locking shift protocol (helps to compress certain
  files with many 8-bit bytes).  This protocol is used only in talking
  to another Kermit that supports it, e.g., MS-DOS Kermit 3.12 or C-Kermit
  5A(180).

- Now supports file transfers using Japanese Kanji with translation
  between IBM, Hitachi, or Fujitsu codes and the newly added transfer
  character set JAPAN-EUC.  This support requires the new source
  component ik0kan.asm, which contains the necessary translation tables.
  Translation works automatically when Kermit-370 is talking to another
  Kermit that requests or supports the JAPAN-EUC character set.

- Now recognizes CP1047 as a synonym for EBCDIC.  (1047 is IBM's new
  code page that follows the de facto standard.)

- Has a new-and-improved means of detecting the termanal controller type
  with less need for the old optional update SC89058 (now replaced by
  the more flexible SC9131X).

- Now suggests parameter changes only upon the new HINTS subcommand, not
  at startup time.  More parameter settings are now scrutinized.

- Now avoids looping when a solid terminal I/O error sets in or upon any
  error at the very end of a transfer (no reply expected).

- Has changed the calling sequence of the KERMAIL, KERMPRT, and KERMSUB
  commands used in support of local mail, print, and job submission.
  Instead of passing no filespec at all on the first invocation, Kermit
  passes a dummy filespec consisting of a single period.  Implementers
  of such commands, take note!  For best results, the revised commands
  should be able to handle both the old and the new syntax.

- No longer requires hitting ENTER an extra time to get out of server
  mode after typing STOP.

- Now uses the built-in default A-to-E translation table for reading
  Kermit commands in server mode when the transfer character set is
  TRANSPARENT.

- No longer halts a transfer upon seeing a data packet with no data.

- No longer gives a spurious reason for a cancellation issued by user
  intervention on the micro or the STOP command.

- Now avoids certain lock-ups on the Hydra II at the start of protocol
  mode and others on the the IBM 3174 AEA at the end of a download.

- Now allows the STOP command on PCI and certain other protocol
  converters that did not previously support it.

- Now tolerates (at the source code level) alternate EBCDIC versions
  which do not have all the Roman letters at the standard code points.
  Also, the use of one-letter abbreviations of SET options for program
  logic flow has been generalized.  This simplifies the task of
  translating the user interface into languages other than English.

- Now has a SIMULATE subcommand, which plays back a file giving one or
  both sides of a file transfer to supply the packets (instead of the
  communication line).  This is mainly for debugging.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 1992 May 13  11:14 EDT
>From: "John F. Chandler"  <[e-mail]>
Subject: Announcing IBM Mainframe VM/CMS Kermit-370 Version 4.2.3
Keywords: IBM 370 Kermit, VM/CMS Kermit
Xref: CMS Kermit.  See VM/CMS Kermit, IBM 370 Kermit

This is to announce the release of Kermit-370 version 4.2.3 for CMS.  As
usual, the new version comes in VM/SP, VM/XA, and VM/ESA flavors.  The
CMS-related Kermit files that have been changed or added are as follows.

IKCAUX CMD   sample EXEC's (new)
IKCKER ANN   this message
IKCKER BWR   bugs, warnings, and restrictions
IKCKER INS   installation instructions
IKCKER UPD   post-4.2.0 updates
IKCXA UPD    updates for VM/XA and VM/ESA
IK0AAA HLP   Kermit-370 release notes
IK0KAN ASM   optional Kanji tables
IK0KER ANN   the accompanying message on Kermit-370
IK0KER UPD   the cumulative list of updates in all variants
IK0423 HLP   notes on the new features in 4.2.3

Many thanks to the beta testers who have helped work out the bugs in the
new release.

There are several changes specific to CMS:

- Now comes with a file of sample auxilliary EXEC's for use with Kermit
  (IKCAUX CMD).  These include KERMAIL, KERMPRT, and PC.  The latter is
  designed for "one-touch" mainframe-initiated file transfers to or from
  an appropriately configured micro Kermit.  The syntax is PC PRINT name
  or PC + any valid Kermit command, such as GET, SEND, or REMOTE.  Any
  reply is written to KER REPLY.  The sample KERMAIL and KERMPRT are
  compatible both with version 4.2.3 and with earlier versions.

- No longer considers it a file name collision if the new file being
  received is to have the same name as a file on a read-only extension
  of the destination disk.

- Once more transparently supports the old form of non-library help file
  in addition to the new PDS form (version 4.2.3 did not).

- Can now reject a file that is too large to fit in the destination SFS
  directory.  Enabling SFS support in general is now done by selecting
  the appropriate CNTRL file when applying the updates.  Available:
  KERMIT (CMS 1-5), KERMCMS6 (CMS 6), KERMXA (CMS 5.5), KERMXA21 (CMS
  5.6), and KERMESA (CMS 7-8).

- Now explicitly releases its SCBLOCK when it exits.  (Before CMS 5,
  that is necessary.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 1992 May 13  11:14 EDT
>From: "John F. Chandler"  <[e-mail]>
Subject: Announcing IBM Mainframe MUSIC Kermit-370 Version 4.2.3
Keywords: IBM 370 Kermit, MUSIC Kermit

This is to announce the release of Kermit-370 version 4.2.3 for MUSIC.
The MUSIC-related Kermit files that have been changed or added are as
follows.

IKMKER.ANN   this message
IKMKER.BWR   bugs, warnings, and restrictions
IKMKER.INS   installation instructions
IKMKER.UPD   post-4.2.0 updates
IK0AAA.HLP   Kermit-370 release notes
IK0KAN.ASM   optional Kanji tables
IK0KER.ANN   the accompanying message on Kermit-370
IK0KER.UPD   the cumulative list of updates in all variants
IK0423.HLP   notes on the new features in 4.2.3

Many thanks to the beta testers who have helped work out the bugs in the
new release.  Note: versions 4.2.1 and 4.2.2 were never released, except
for testing.  Version 4.2.3 represents an accumulation of two years of
improvements.

Most of the advances in the new release are simply duplications of the
simultaneous generic changes in the other variants of Kermit-370, but
some of the changes included system-specific code that required porting
to MUSIC.  Two notable changes, however, involved porting of features
that had already been available in other variants.

- Kermit-MUSIC now tries to automatically detect the terminal controller
  type.  Previously, it could not because MUSIC did not allow the needed
  I/O operations.

- Kermit-MUSIC now gives the date and time of each file in response to
  the Kermit DIR subcommand, and the attribute packet for a download now
  carries the correct time stamp.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 1992 June 10  15:09 EDT
>From: "John F. Chandler"  <[e-mail]>
Subject: Announcing IBM Mainframe MVS/TSO Kermit-370 Version 4.2.4
Keywords: IBM 370 Kermit, MVS/TSO Kermit
Xref: TSO Kermit.  See MVS/TSO Kermit, IBM 370 Kermit

This is to announce the release of Kermit-370 version 4.2.4 for TSO.  The
TSO-related Kermit files that have been changed or added are as follows.

IKTAUX.CMD   sample CLIST's (new)
IKTGUP.ASM   TSO-specific portion of GUPI
IKTKER.ANN   this message
IKTKER.BWR   bugs, warnings, and restrictions
IKTKER.INS   installation instructions
IKTKER.UPD   post-4.2.0 updates
IK0AAA.HLP   Kermit-370 release notes
IK0KAN.ASM   optional Kanji tables
IK0KER.ANN   the accompanying message on Kermit-370
IK0KER.UPD   the cumulative list of updates in all variants
IK0423.HLP   notes on the new features in 4.2.3 and 4.2.4

Many thanks to the beta testers who have helped work out the bugs in the
new release.  Note that version 4.2.3 has been available in the Kermit
test area for several weeks.  4.2.4 differs in only two respects: the
inclusion of a new update supporting relative GDG numbers, and an extra
message has been added to the usual protocol-mode greetings.  The added
message is "KERMIT READY TO SEND..." (or RECEIVE or SERVE).

These are the changes specific to TSO:

- Now comes with a file of sample auxilliary CLIST's for use with Kermit
  (IKTAUX.CMD).  These include KERMAIL, KERMPRT, and PC.  The latter is
  designed for "one-touch" mainframe-initiated file transfers to or from
  an appropriately configured micro Kermit.  The syntax is
     PC CMD('PRINT name')
  or
     PC CMD('any Kermit subcommand')
  where the Kermit subcommand would typically be GET, SEND, or REMOTE.
  Any reply is written to KER REPLY.  The sample KERMAIL and KERMPRT
  have not been completely filled out, but are included for pedagogy.

- No longer generates a KER.LOG entry marked "e" for normal full-screen
  I/O operations.

- Now recovers cleanly if the user specifies an erroneous CWD string.

- The TSO GUPI source has been changed, but only in two trivial ways:
  (a) missing sequence numbers have been supplied on 4 lines, and
  (b) comments have been added to show the list of TSO macros invoked.

- Now supports relative generation numbers for GDG's for both sending
  and receiving files.  The number for a received file can be supplied
  either in the RECEIVE subcommand or in the file header packet.  When
  this notation is used for sending, neither the relative nor the
  absolute number is included in the outgoing file header.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 1992 June 10  15:09 EDT
>From: "John F. Chandler"  <[e-mail]>
Subject: Announcing IBM Mainframe CICS Kermit-370 Version 4.2.4
Keywords: IBM 370 Kermit, CICS Kermit

This is to announce the release of Kermit-370 version 4.2.4 for CICS.
The CICS-related Kermit files that have been changed or added are as
follows.

IKXKER.ANN   this message
IKXKER.BWR   bugs, warnings, and restrictions
IKXKER.HLP   Help files
IKXKER.INS   installation instructions
IKXKER.UPD   post-4.2.0 updates
IKXTRN.ASM   VSE installation utility
IK0AAA.HLP   Kermit-370 release notes
IK0KAN.ASM   optional Kanji tables
IK0KER.ANN   the accompanying message on Kermit-370
IK0KER.UPD   the cumulative list of updates in all variants
IK0423.HLP   notes on the new features in 4.2.3 and 4.2.4

Many thanks to the beta testers who have helped work out the bugs in the
new release.  Note that version 4.2.3 has been available in the Kermit
test area for several weeks.  4.2.4 differs in only two respects:

(1) the KSDS used for storing the Help and TAKE files has a new, longer
    key size and will require re-installation for sites that have the
    old Help files installed.  See IKXKER.INS for the details.  The
    reason for the change is the expansion of the "userid" field in
    Kermit from four to eight bytes.

(2) an extra message has been added to the usual protocol-mode
    greetings.  The added message is "KERMIT READY TO SEND..." (or
    RECEIVE or SERVE).

There are several other changes specific to CICS:

- Now prevents clashing simultaneous access to a TDQ by two Kermit
  sessions.

- Now distinguishes between readable and writable data objects when
  determining file name collision and searching for files to download.

- Now has the correct code for CICS 1.6 access to extra-partition TDQs
  under MVS.

- Now pads the interactive mode prompt with XON (or whatever is the
  current HANDSHAKE character).

- Now drives the 3174 AEA properly in transparent mode through VTAM.

- No longer produces unpredictable results when copying to or from
  Kermit directory members.

- No longer mistakes the date in March-December of even-numbered years.

- No longer produces spurious error messages at installation time under
  VSE/ESA.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 1992 May 13  11:14 EDT
>From: "John F. Chandler"  <[e-mail]>
Subject: The new FULLSCREEN transfer mode
Keywords: IBM 370 Kermit

In the past, Kermit was not usable with certain communications front
ends, such as SIM3278/VTAM, the IBM 3708 in full-screen mode, and the
MICOM 7400, all of which lack a working transparent mode suitable for
Kermit protocol.  However, the new FULLSCREEN mode for Kermit-370 allows
file transfers without control characters and, therefore, without a
transparent mode.  The new mode entails one protocol change to allow
printable characters to synchronize packets and another to avoid strings
of repeated blanks; thus, only a suitably upgraded micro Kermit can be
used (currently, only MS-DOS Kermit 3.12).  C-Kermit has the necessary
changes, but they are not yet complete, nor have they been ported to the
C-based micro Kermits.  In principle, FULLSCREEN mode could be used with
almost any protocol converter, but the printable packet characters and
other restrictions on this mode make it less robust and slower than a
transparent mode would be, so FULLSCREEN mode is recommended primarily
as a last resort.

The basic setup consists of the following Kermit subcommands:

     -----Mainframe-----             ----------PC--------
     SET CONTROLLER FULL             SET SEND START 62
     SET RECEIVE START 62            SET RECEIVE START 62
     SET SEND START 62               SET BLOCK B
     SET BLOCK B                     SET HANDSHAKE NONE
     SET HANDSHAKE 0

Possible variations:

- The choice of 62 (Greater-than sign) for the start-of-packet character
  is arbitrary, and it can be changed, as long as you change all four of
  them.  For best results, choose a character that seldom appears in the
  files you will be transferring.

- Packet sizes are automatically restricted by Kermit-370 in this mode,
  so they need not be set explicitly unless conditions require packets
  shorter than the default (77).

- Flow control is probably immaterial for locally connected terminals,
  but some protocol converters may require it to keep up with the data
  rate on uploads.

- The parity settings in the mainframe Kermit are ignored in this mode,
  and those in MS-DOS Kermit should be the usual.

- Setting the block check to "B" (yes, "B") is important on certain
  protocol converters because it avoids problems with "optimization" of
  outbound strings of repeated blanks.  However, it is not generally
  necessary, and a setting of "1" will normally suffice and will avoid
  certain other problems that can occur when an inbound initialization
  packet has a blank checksum.

Warnings:

- If the protocol converter has a buffer significantly shorter than 80
  bytes, it will be necessary to shorten inbound packets accordingly (by
  issuing a SET REC PACK to K-370).  The symptoms of a short buffer are
  fairly obvious -- the log of packets on the mainframe side will show an
  inbound packet that has been truncated and concatenated with a second
  copy of the same packet; the micro log will show a truncated echo of
  the inbound packet and then a timeout.

- It may be possible to avoid shortening the packets if the protocol
  converter can do flow control.  Just turn on flow control in the micro
  Kermit as well as the controller.

- If the mainframe packet log shows inbound packets losing the leading,
  rather than trailing, characters, and the micro shows the same problem
  with echoed packets, the trouble may be a "dead" time in the protocol
  converter between send and receive states -- the solution may be to set
  a pause in the micro Kermit before sending each packet.

- See the Kermit distribution file ik0aaa.hlp for details about specific
  protocol converters.

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 11 Jul 92 15:00:00 EDT
>From: Charles Lasner <[e-mail]>
Subject: A Few More Release Files for Kermit-12

    Now available are two new versions of K12DEC and K12ENC, which
have a new feature for image transfer of an entire device optionally
split into two parts.  This comes at the request of a user, and was
quite easy to add.  As before, the sources document how to use the
programs, etc.

    The new files have been installed in the regular places:

BITNET/EARN       Internet
KERMSRV@CUVMA     watsun.cc.columbia.edu     Description

 K12MIT   ANN      kermit/d/k12mit.ann        Announcement of KERMIT-12
 K12MIT   UPD      kermit/d/k12mit.upd        Release update (this) file
 K12ENB   PAL      kermit/d/k12enb.pal        .BOO-format encoding program
 K12DEB   PAL      kermit/d/k12deb.pal        .BOO-format decoding program
 K12MIT   NOT      kermit/d/k12mit.not        Release notes file
 K12MIT   DSK      kermit/d/k12mit.dsk        Description of RX02 diskettes

------------------------------

End of Info-Kermit Digest
*************************

From cmg  Wed Aug 26 13:55:31 1992
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Received: by watsun.cc.columbia.edu (5.59/FCB)
    id AA07348; Wed, 26 Aug 92 13:55:31 EDT
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 92 13:55:28 EDT
From: Christine M Gianone <[e-mail]>
To: Info-Kermit
Subject: Info-Kermit Digest V16 #2
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Queries-To: [e-mail]
Errors-To: [e-mail]
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>

Info-Kermit Digest         Wed, 26 Aug 1992        Volume 16 : Number 2

Today's Topics:
        MS-DOS Kermit 3.12 Available for Beta Testing

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Digest submissions may be sent to [e-mail] or
[e-mail].  Requests for addition to or deletion from the
Info-Kermit subscriber list should be sent to [e-mail] or
[e-mail].  These messages must be of the form:

  SUBSCRIBE I$KERMIT <your-personal-name>    (To start a subscription)
  UNSUBSCRIBE I$KERMIT                       (To cancel a subscription)
  REGISTER I$KERMIT <your-personal-name>     (To correct your name)

Kermit files may be obtained over networks and by mail order.  On the
Internetwork, use FTP to log in to host WATSUN.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU, a SUN-4/280
running UNIX (SUNOS 4.1), IP host number 128.59.39.2.  Login as user anonymous
(note, lower case), any password, and GET or MGET (MULTIPLE GET) the desired
files.  The Kermit files are in directories kermit/a, kermit/b, kermit/c,
kermit/d, and kermit/e.  Test versions are in kermit/test.  All files in these
directories should be transferred in text (ASCII) mode.  Binaries are in
kermit/bin (use ftp in binary mode).  All files on watsun have lowercase
names, and case is significant.

You can also get Kermit files over the BITNET/EARN network; to get started
send a message with text HELP to KERMSRV, the Kermit file server, at host
CUVMA.  For detailed instructions, read the file kermit/a/aanetw.hlp
(AANETW.HLP on KERMSRV).  To order by mail, request a complete list of Kermit
versions and an order form from Kermit Distribution, Columbia University
Center for Computing Activities, 612 West 115th Street, New York, NY 10025
USA.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1992 14:00:00 EDT
>From: Christine M Gianone <[e-mail]>
Subject: MS-DOS Kermit 3.12 Available for Beta Testing
Keywords: MS-DOS Kermit 3.12, Kanji, ODI, SLIP, TELNET, TCP/IP, WINPKT

This is to announce a maintenance release of MS-DOS Kermit for the IBM PC,
PS/2, and compatibles, for beta testing from Professor Joe R. Doupnik of
Utah State University.  The version number is 3.12.  The major new features
of version 3.12 are:

 . Networking and communications improvements.
 . Japanese Kanji text file transfer translation.
 . Locking shift protocol for file transfer.
 . IBM mainframe file transfer extension.
 . New script programming and other features.
 . Bug fixes.

Here is a more detailed list:

 . All 3.11 patches and corrections incorporated.

 . Improved TCP/IP networking:
   - ODI drivers now supported directly
   - SLIP and ETHERSLIP packet drivers now supported
   - TCP/IP networking in Microsoft Windows (see below)
   - Specific TCP service ports can be selected in the SET PORT TCP/IP command
   - Incoming TCP/IP connections are now accepted
   - Packet driver interrupt now can now be given explicitly
   - Improved TELNET operation:
     . Option negotiation bugs fixed
     . Screen size is sent to the host if the TELNET server requests it
     . A terminal-type negotiation override is now available
     . Improved handling of Enter key (CR)
   - BIOS Interrupt 14H no longer used internally for TCP/IP, freeing Int 14H
     for use by external drivers, e.g. for speaking devices.
   - Improved interactions with Domain Name Servers.
   - Kermit now responds to traceroute requests and supports ICMP redirects.
   - Workarounds for Western Digital 8003PKDR.EXE problems.

 . Improvements in other networking methods:
   - Now works with PATHWORKS LAT when LAT is loaded in expanded memory.
   - Now works with PATHWORKS version 3 as well as with 2 and 4.
   - Now works with Novell LWP 3.5 as well as 4.
   - Now works with Interconnections TES 2.2 R8.
 . User is warned upon attempt to EXIT Kermit while network connection active.

 . Serial communications:
   - HANGUP now leaves DTR signal down until port is used again.
   - IRQ 4 is no longer tested first if COM1 is not the desired port.
   - Improved serial port hardware handling on fast 486 machines.

 . Terminal emulation:
   - PRIME PT200 type added (= VT320 with minor differences).
   - New SET TERMINAL OUTPUT-SHIFT {NONE, AUTOMATIC, SI/SO, SS2, SS3}
     command for controlling output of 8-bit characters on 7-bit connections.
     Input shifting is handled automatically, as always.
   - Correctly recognize extended (bold) line drawing patterns for Tek drawing.
   - Use of ESC 1 and ESC 2 to enter and leave Tek mode now disabled.

 . File transfer:
   - New support for Japanese Kanji file translation during file transfer,
     via SET TRANSFER CHARACTER-SET JAPANESE-EUC.  Works with Kermit-370 4.3
     and C-Kermit 5A.
   - Locking shifts for transferring 8-bit files on a 7-bit connection, via
     SET TRANSFER LOCKING-SHIFT {OFF, ON, FORCED}.  Works with Kermit-370 4.3
     and C-Kermit 5A.
   - New SET TRANSLATION CHARACTER-SET {READABLE, INVERTIBLE} command
     to select different styles of text translation during file transfer.
   - Create zero length files if the host sends them.
   - Support for transferring files through non-transparent IBM mainframe
     front ends (like the 3708).  Works with Kermit-370 4.3.  Includes:
     . Support for printable start-of-packet
     . Support for BLANK-FREE-2 block check
     . Packet echo suppression, etc etc
   - Improved negotiation of 8th-bit prefixing.

 . Other new commands and features:
   - OUTPUT \L sends a Long BREAK.
   - IF [NOT] INPATH <filename> <command>
   - Optional <path> added to PATCH command, e.g. PATCH C:\KERMIT
   - Keyword "O" is (once again) a snyonym for OUTPUT.
   - Variable \v(terminal) reports the current terminal type.
   - INCREMENT <variable>
   - DECREMENT <variable>

 . Fixes:
   - TRANSMIT fixed to wait for handshake from host, if requested.
   - SET PROMPT <string> no longer lets long strings overwrite memory.
   - WAIT now sets SUCCESS or FAILURE correctly.
   - Close log files when asked to do so, not just when EXITing from Kermit.
   - Lexical comparisons IF LLT, IF LGT fixed.
   - STOP and END now accept an optional numerical argument, to be used as a
     return code or failure/success code, plus optional trailing message text
     to be printed.
   - Better handling of Ctrl-C interruption during script execution.
   - \v(directory) value now always ends in backslash (the directory separator)
   - DESQview corrections and enhancements.

With MS-DOS Kermit 3.12, Joe is also releasing an improved version of the
WINPKT "shim" - a program that sits between the packet driver and a Windows
application (such as MS-DOS Kermit) that uses the packet driver.  Since
Windows can move applications around in memory, deactivate them, or possibly
swap them out, the packet driver (which stores packets at specific,
registered addresses in the application) will fail.  WINPKT solves this
problem by recognizing the Windows Enhanced mode virtual machine in which
the program is running and invoking that machine before delivering a packet
to the program.  This eliminates the need to "lock application memory" in
its .PIF file and eliminates the Crynwr (nee Clarkson) PD command argument
"-w", which simply rejects a packet if the program is not immediately
active.  WINPKT was originally written by Roger F. James.  These mechanisms
will also appear in Joe's next edition of the shim, DIS_PKT, Packet Driver
interface for NDIS.

Joe expresses his special thanks for assistance, contributions, and
suggestions to Frank da Cruz, Hirofumi Fujii, John Chandler, James
Sturdevant Andre Asselin, Jim Fregin, Jim Reisert, Rick Sladkey, Richard
Stanton, Bertil Stenstrom, Konstantin Vinogradov, Robert Weiner, and to
Digital Equipment Corporation, Quarterdeck Online Systems, Novell, AT&T, and
Interconnections Inc.

NEW FILES

MS-DOS Kermit 3.12 Beta is being released only in binary form.  Sources will
be made available after the testing period is over.

Internet anonymous ftp    EARN/BITNET
watsun.cc.columbia.edu    KERMSRV@CUVMA   Description

 kermit/test/mstibm.boo     MSTIBM BOO    BOO-encoded KERMIT.EXE for IBM PC
 kermit/bin/mstibm.exe      (none)        Binary executable for IBM PC
 kermit/text/msr312.upd     MSR312.UPD    List of changes since version 3.11

The ".boo" file is the .EXE file encoded in a printable ASCII format,
suitable for BITNET, e-mail, and other nontransparent modes of transmission.
You can decode the boo-files back into .EXE files using any of the MSBPCT.*
programs available in kermit/a/msbpct.* or MSBPCT * from KERMSRV.  See
msbaaa.hlp (MSBAAA HLP) for details.

WINPKT is available only on watsun, in the packet-driver collection:

 packet-drivers/bin/winpkpt.com           WINPKT executable
 packet-drivers/doc/winpkpt.hlp           WINPKT help file
 packet-drivers/src/winpkpt.asm           WINPKT help source code

My usual thanks to Joe, on behalf all MS-DOS Kermit users everywhere, for
all the work and skill he put into this new release, and to Dr. Hirofumi
Fujii for extensive contributions to the Kanji support.  Please send
questions, bug reports, and comments to me at the Internet e-mail address
above, or to KERMIT@CUVMA on BITNET/EARN.

------------------------------

End of Info-Kermit Digest
*************************

From cmg  Thu Oct  1 11:08:46 1992
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    id AA18967; Thu, 1 Oct 92 11:08:46 EDT
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 92 11:08:44 EDT
From: Christine M Gianone <[e-mail]>
To: Info-Kermit
Subject: Info-Kermit Digest V16 #3
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Queries-To: [e-mail]
Errors-To: [e-mail]
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>

Info-Kermit Digest         Wed, 30 Sep 1992        Volume 16 : Number 3

Today's Topics:
    MS-DOS Kermit 3.12 Released
    IBM Mainframe Kermit-370 4.2.3 / 4.2.4 Released
    New Kermit Program for IBM CS9000
    Announcing Commodore 64/128 Kermit Version 2.2 for the SwiftLink-232
    Reorganization and Updating of Commodore Kermit Files

Digest submissions may be sent to [e-mail] or
[e-mail].  Requests for addition to or deletion from the
Info-Kermit subscriber list should be sent to [e-mail] or
[e-mail].  These messages must be of the form:

  SUBSCRIBE I$KERMIT <your-personal-name>    (To start a subscription)
  UNSUBSCRIBE I$KERMIT                       (To cancel a subscription)
  REGISTER I$KERMIT <your-personal-name>     (To correct your name)

Kermit files may be obtained over networks and by mail order.  On the
Internetwork, use FTP to log in to host WATSUN.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU, a SUN-4/280
running UNIX (SUNOS 4.1), IP host number 128.59.39.2.  Login as user anonymous
(note, lower case), any password, and GET or MGET (MULTIPLE GET) the desired
files.  The Kermit files are in directories kermit/a, kermit/b, kermit/c,
kermit/d, and kermit/e.  Test versions are in kermit/test.  All files in these
directories should be transferred in text (ASCII) mode.  Binaries are in
kermit/bin (use ftp in binary mode).  All files on watsun have lowercase
names, and case is significant.

You can also get Kermit files over the BITNET/EARN network; to get started
send a message with text HELP to KERMSRV, the Kermit file server, at host
CUVMA.  For detailed instructions, read the file kermit/a/aanetw.hlp
(AANETW.HLP on KERMSRV).  To order by mail, request a complete list of Kermit
versions and an order form from Kermit Distribution, Columbia University
Center for Computing Activities, 612 West 115th Street, New York, NY 10025
USA.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 13:00:00 EDT
>From: Christine M Gianone <[e-mail]>
Subject: MS-DOS Kermit 3.12 Released
Keywords: MS-DOS Kermit 3.12, Kanji, ODI, SLIP, TELNET, TCP/IP, WINPKT

This is to announce a maintenance release of MS-DOS Kermit for the IBM PC,
PS/2, and compatibles, from Professor Joe R. Doupnik of Utah State University.
The version number is 3.12, first announced for beta testing on August 26th.
The major new features of version 3.12 are:

 . Networking and communications improvements, including support for ODI.
 . Japanese Kanji text file transfer translation.
 . Locking shift protocol for file transfer.
 . IBM mainframe file transfer extension.
 . New script programming and other features.
 . Bug fixes.
 . WINPKT "shim" for TCP/IP connections under Microsoft Windows.

The Kanji and locking shift protocol extensions can be used with C-Kermit 5A
and IBM Mainframe Kermit-370 4.2.3 and 4.2.4.  The IBM mainframe file
transfer extension (which allows files to be transferred through
non-transparent 3270 protocol converters) works with the new IBM mainframe
Kermit.

See Info-Kermit V16 #2, 26 August 1992, for a more detailed announcement
of MS-DOS Kermit 3.12.  See V16 #1, 6 August 1992, for detailed announcements
concerning the new IBM mainframe Kermit, as well as the announcement below.

(Note: Info-Kermit Digest volumes are archived in kermit/e/imail.yyx on watsun
and IMAIL.yyx on CUVMA, where yy is the year, and x = "a" for first half of
year or "b" for second half of year, for example imail.92b (IMAIL.92B) for the
current volume.)

NEW FILES

Internet anonymous ftp    EARN/BITNET
watsun.cc.columbia.edu    KERMSRV@CUVMA   Description

 kermit/bin/msvibm.exe      (none)          Binary executable for IBM PC
 kermit/a/msvibm.boo        MSVIBM BOO      BOO-encoded KERMIT.EXE for IBM PC
 kermit/a/msr312.upd        MSR312 UPD      List of changes since version 3.11
 kermit/a/mskerm.hlp        MSKERM HLP      Updated help file
 kermit/a/mskerm.bwr        MSKERM BWR      Updated beware file
 kermit/a/mskermit.ini      MSKERMIT INI    Updated initialization file
 kermit/a/mscustom.ini      MSCUSTOM INI    New customization file

Use MSR312.UPD, MSKERM.HLP, and MSKERM.BWR as your supplement to the MS-DOS
Kermit 3.11 documentation.

The source files are available on both watsun and CUVMA in the same directory
as the .BOO and .UPD files.  The source files are all ASCII text files.  Their
names begin with the letters MS (lowercase on watsun), and they have file
types of .C, .H, and .ASM (lowercase on watsun).  Microsoft MASM and C 6.0
are required for building version 3.12 from the source files.

The MSVIBM.BOO file is the .EXE file encoded in a printable ASCII format,
suitable for BITNET, e-mail, and other nontransparent modes of transmission.
You can decode the BOO-file back into an .EXE file using any of the MSBPCT.*
programs available in kermit/a/msbpct.* or MSBPCT * from KERMSRV.  See
msbaaa.hlp (MSBAAA HLP) for details.

WINPKT is available only on watsun, in the packet-driver collection:

File name                              Description
  packet-drivers/bin/winpkt.com           WINPKT executable (binary)
  packet-drivers/doc/winpkt.hlp           WINPKT help file (ascii)
  packet-drivers/src/winpkt.asm           WINPKT source code (ascii)

My special thanks to Joe, on behalf all MS-DOS Kermit users everywhere, for
the work and skill he put into this new release, and to Dr. Hirofumi Fujii
of the Japan National Laboratory of High Energy Physics, Tokyo, for
extensive contributions to the Kanji support.  And thanks to all of you
who sent in helpful comments on the Beta version.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 13:00:00 EDT
>From: Christine M Gianone <[e-mail]>
Subject: IBM Mainframe Kermit-370 4.2.3 / 4.2.4 Released
Keywords: IBM 370 Kermit, VM/CMS Kermit, MUSIC Kermit, MVS/TSO Kermit
Keywords: CICS Kermit, Kanji

This is to announce the final release of IBM Mainframe Kermit-370 4.2.3 for
VM/CMS and MUSIC and Kermit-370 4.2.4 for MVS/TSO and CICS from John
Chandler at the Harvard / Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.  This version
was announced in the Info-Kermit Digest, V16 #1, 6 August 1992.  The new
files have been moved from the test area (kermit/test/ik*.* on watsun,
T:IK*.* via KERMSRV) to the "production" B area (kermit/b on watsun, IK*.*
via KERMSRV).  Version 4.2.2 has been archived in kermit/old on watsun.

The major new features since 4.2.2 are:

 . File transfer through non-transparent 3270 protocol converters
 . Locking shift protocol for more efficient transfer of 8-bit text
 . Kanji character-set translation during text file transfer

Plus numerous fixes and minor improvements, listed in the previous
announcement.  Thanks to John Chandler for a great job, and his continuing
efforts to enhance this important Kermit program.

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 12:00:00 EDT
>From: Christine M Gianone <[e-mail]>
Subject: New Kermit Program for IBM CS9000
Keywords: IBM CS9000

>From Glenn Howes, University of Wisconsin <[e-mail]>, a
send-only Kermit program for the IBM CS9000 workstation (circa 1980?), written
in IBM 9000 Pascal (a derivative of UCSD Pascal), ideal for those of you who
are retiring your CS9000's and need to move their files to another computer.

There is no code for receiving files.  There is also no code for sending
multiple files; you must run the program once for each file to be sent.

The files (source and documentation) are in kermit/c/cs9000.* (Internet ftp
in text mode), and also available on BITNET from KERMSRV@CUVMA as CS9000 *.
Thanks to Glenn for writing and submitting this program!

------------------------------

>From: Kent Sullivan <[e-mail]>
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 729 15:09:44 PDT
Subject: Announcing Commodore 64/128 Kermit Version 2.2 for the SwiftLink-232
Keywords: Commodore 64/128 Kermit, SwiftLink-232

Commodore 64/128 Kermit version 2.2 for the SwiftLink-232 serial
interface is now available.  This special adaptation of Commodore
Kermit supports modems interfaced via the SwiftLink-232 serial port
interface only.  As such, this version is not considered to be a
general upgrade from the existing Kermit v2.2.

The SwiftLink-232 is a third-party, high-speed serial interface for the
Commodore 64/128.  With this interface, higher serial communication
speeds are possible.  Kermit for the SwiftLink-232 supports
communication speeds of 300, 1200, 2400, 4800, and 9600 bps.
Information on ordering a SwiftLink-232 from its manufacturer (Creative
Micro Designs) is provided in the file C64SLK.TXT in the Kermit
archives (kermit/c directory).

Commodore Kermit, both for the standard C-64/128 and the SwiftLink-232,
may be downloaded from the Kermit archives or obtained on a CBM floppy
disk.  For instructions on downloading Kermit from the archives, see
either C64KER.AAA (standard) or C64SLK.AAA (SwiftLink-232) in the
kermit/c directory.  For instructions on obtaining Kermit on a floppy
disk, see the same files or send electronic mail to Kent Sullivan
([e-mail]).

Many thanks to Matthew Sorrels and Ray Moody for making this program a reality.

[Ed. - And thanks to Kent for putting everything together and sending it in!
See next message for details about the files.]

------------------------------

>From: Kent Sullivan <[e-mail]>
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 729 19:17:48 PDT
Subject: Reorganization and Updating of Commodore Kermit Files
Keywords: Commodore 64/128 Kermit

Following the release of C-64/128 Kermit for the SwiftLink-232
interface (see previous announcement), all of the C-64/128 Kermit v2.2
files have been re-organized and updated.  Some files have changed,
some have been deleted, and some new files have been created.  However,
the actual Kermit v2.2 program has not changed.  Below is a summary of
the major changes:

1) New Kermit v2.2 for the SwiftLink-232-interface-only released.

2) Documentation (C64KER.DOC) updated to reflect new native-media distribution
   arrangements and terms.

3) New "read me first" help file (C64KER.AAA for standard Kermit, C64SLK.AAA
   for SwiftLink-232 Kermit) created.

4) New instructions file (C64KER.PAL) created for modifying standard Kermit to
   run on European (PAL) C-64s and C-128s.

5) New utility to create an autoboot sector (C-128s only) for standard Kermit
   (C64KER.SEC) and SwiftLink-232 Kermit (C64SLK.SEC) added.

6) Bootstrapping utility (C64BOOT.BAS and C64BOOT.C) completely re-written to
   be more user-friendly and robust.  Many thanks to Matt Sorrels and Ray
   Moody for overhauling this utility.

7) Binary versions of the Kermit files placed in the kermit/bin directory of
   the Kermit archives, as a convenience for those who can make use of them.

8) Outdated information in other files removed and/or updated.


Below is a summary of the Commodore Kermit file groups in kermit/c (Tape C):

C64BOOT.*    Bootstrapping utility for standard or SwiftLink-232 Kermit
 C64KER.*    Standard Commodore 64/128 Kermit v2.2
 C64SLK.*    Commodore 64/128 Kermit v2.2 for the SwiftLink-232 interface

Note that the C64DXL.* files have been deleted; they are no longer needed.

Below is a summary of the Commodore Kermit file groups in kermit/bin:

C64HELP.TXT  Short read-me file describing the binary files below
 C64KER.*    Binary collection of standard Commodore 64/128 Kermit v2.2 files
 C64SLK.SDA  Binary collection of Commodore 64/128 Kermit v2.2 files for the
             SwiftLink-232 interface

[Ed. - Note: these files have lowercase names on watsun.cc.columbia.edu
and uppercase names on BITNET KERMSRV@CUVMA.  The binary files are available
on watsun only; use FTP in binary mode to retrieve them (except note that
c64help.txt is actually a text file.]

------------------------------

End of Info-Kermit Digest
*************************

From fdc  Thu Oct 29 19:09:02 1992
Return-Path: <fdc>
Received: by watsun.cc.columbia.edu (5.59/FCB/jba)
    id AA21873; Thu, 29 Oct 92 19:09:02 EST
Date: Thu, 29 Oct 92 19:09:00 EST
From: Frank da Cruz <[e-mail]>
To: Info-Kermit
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Queries-To: [e-mail]
Errors-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Info-Kermit Digest V16 #4
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>

Info-Kermit Digest         Thu, 29 Oct 1992        Volume 16 : Number 4

Today's Topics:
    New CMS Kermit Installation Procedure and Other Matters
    Announcing Kermit for TurboDos
    Macintosh Kermit Status and Q & A

Digest submissions may be sent to [e-mail] or
[e-mail].  Requests for addition to or deletion from the
Info-Kermit subscriber list should be sent to [e-mail] or
[e-mail].  These messages must be of the form:

  SUBSCRIBE I$KERMIT <your-personal-name>    (To start a subscription)
  UNSUBSCRIBE I$KERMIT                       (To cancel a subscription)
  REGISTER I$KERMIT <your-personal-name>     (To correct your name)

Kermit files may be obtained over networks and by mail order.  On the
Internetwork, use FTP to log in to host WATSUN.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU, a SUN-4/280
running UNIX (SUNOS 4.1), IP host number 128.59.39.2.  Login as user
anonymous (note, lower case), any password, and GET or MGET (MULTIPLE GET)
the desired files.  The Kermit files are in directories kermit/a, kermit/b,
kermit/c, kermit/d, and kermit/e.  Test versions are in kermit/test.  All
files in these directories should be transferred in text (ASCII) mode.
Binaries are in kermit/bin (use ftp in binary mode).  All files on watsun
have lowercase names, and case is significant.

You can also get Kermit files over the BITNET/EARN network; to get started
send a message with text HELP to KERMSRV, the Kermit file server, at host
CUVMA.  For detailed instructions, read the file kermit/a/aanetw.hlp
(AANETW.HLP on KERMSRV).  To order by mail, request a complete list of Kermit
versions and an order form from Kermit Distribution, Columbia University
Center for Computing Activities, 612 West 115th Street, New York, NY 10025
USA.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 1992 Oct 28 22:51 EST
>From: "John F. Chandler" <[e-mail]>
Subject: New CMS Kermit Installation Procedure and Other Matters
Keywords: VM/CMS Kermit

After receiving suggestions over the years of devising an install EXEC for
CMS Kermit, I have finally done so.  I resisted as long as I did because CMS
offers seven different ways of doing anything, and I didn't want to impose a
single way of installing Kermit in conflict with the ingrained habits of
others.  However, I have come to realize that most people will be glad to do
things a particular way if it's made easy, and I have tried to do that.

The EXEC is now part of the new version of IKCKER INS.  There are still
instructions for do-it-yourselfers, but they are briefer than before and
always refer to the EXEC as the way to do things.  The snippets of CMS
command sequences have been moved into the EXEC, which, in turn, has
comments referring to the various steps described in IKCKER INS and IKCKER
BWR.

Basically, the new EXEC does everything other than (a) fetching the Kermit
distribution files, (b) collecting optional updates to supplement the
standard set, and (c) setting aside disk space to hold all the files.
Because there are quite a few options even now, it asks a series of
questions, but each one has a default answer, so that most installers can
simply bang on the RETURN key to get the job done.

Incidentally, there is a new item in IKCKER BWR referring to an IBM APAR for
fixing a bug in CMS 7 and 8, one which impacts the issuing of the CMS ERASE
command from within Kermit.  There are also new copies of IKMKER.BWR and
IKXKER.UPD with minor cosmetic fixes.

John

[Ed. - Thanks, John!  The new files have been installed with the other IBM
mainframe Kermit files, and they will definitely make CMS Kermit
installation much easier for most people.]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 14 Oct 92 12:46:38 -0400
>From: [e-mail] ("Mark W. Eichin")
Subject: Announcing Kermit for TurboDos
Keywords: TurboDos Kermit

I've uploaded the TurboDos Kermit executable in binary form (TurboDos
doesn't have an equivalent of CP/M's SAVE, and I don't have a reverse MLOAD
among my VAX CP/M tools.)

I'm sure I've got the source code somewhere, though I suspect I haven't
looked at it in a long time.  I recall it was a port of a CP/M version in
assembler (remember the TACTRAP code? it's in here... I've even used it over
a MILNET TAC. You should probably remind people to turn it off when trying
to talk to a "modern" kermit, but it fails pretty completely if you forget.)

Storing it in straight HEX is probably fine, since you can tell people to
use a little MBASIC program to convert it (ahh the memories :-)  Even without
MBASIC, it shouldn't be hard to do something with the MONITOR program to put
it back together.

_Mark_ <[e-mail]>
MIT Student Information Processing Board
Cygnus Support <[e-mail]>

[Ed. - Thanks, Mark.  We'll leave the bootstrapping to whoever needs to do
it.  Your uuencoded executable has been installed in kermit/c/tdkerm.uue,
and a straight hex version (not Intel hex!) is in kermit/c/tdkerm.hex.  Also
on CUVMA: TDKERM UUE and TDKERM HEX.  Hope you can find and send in the
source code too.]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1992 15:47:00 EST
>From: Frank da Cruz <[e-mail]>
Subject: Macintosh Kermit Status and Q & A
Keywords: Macintosh Kermit

Hundreds of messages arrive here every day asking or complaining about Mac
Kermit.  Here is a brief status report, followed by some typical questions
and their answers.

Mac Kermit is part of the C-Kermit family of programs.  C-Kermit 5A for
UNIX, VMS, OS/2, AOS/VS, and several other operating systems is in its last
stages of its 3-year-plus development.  The final beta test version will be
announced soon.  Each new edit of C-Kermit is built on the Macintosh too,
and so a new Mac Kermit test edit is issued with every test edit of
C-Kermit.

Each new Mac Kermit edit has improvements in system-independent areas, such
as file transfer performance and features, modem dialing, script language
programming, etc.  However, there has been very little work on the
Macintosh-specific parts of Mac Kermit in the past year, except that
recently Paul Placeway made some impressive improvements in the speed of the
terminal emulator.

We have big plans for "Macintosh Kermit 1.0", and have had them for a long
time.  You can read about them, and also about the many bugs and problems we
know about, in the file kermit/sw/ckmker.bwr on watsun.cc.columbia.edu.  You
can also read, in great detail, about the problems with Mac Kermit's VT100
font, and the proposed solution, in kermit/sw/ckmker.fon.  You can pick up
the latest test version of Mac Kermit from kermit/sw/ckmker.hqx.  FTP all of
these files in text mode.

So when will Mac Kermit 1.0 be available?  It depends on the schedules of
the volunteer programmers.  As you know, nobody is being paid to work on Mac
Kermit, so volunteers must find time outside of their real jobs or
schoolwork to take on these tasks that we all want accomplished, and decide
to do this instead of, say, making buckets of money writing commercial
Macintosh applications.  It is much harder to find a public-spirited
Macintosh programmer with spare time than practically any other kind of
programmer.

So please be patient.  When we have a Macintosh Kermit version that we feel
is comparable in quality to the other popular Kermit programs, we will
announce it far and wide.  In the meanwhile, if you are a skilled Macintosh
programmer capable of working in the MPW C 3.2 programming environment, and
you want to pitch in, let me know.  If you are not, feel free to use the
test versions, with their current limitations.

Here is where to find the latest files, all on watsun.cc.columbia.edu,
via anonymous ftp, text mode:

  kermit/sw/ckmker.hqx  --  Latest Mac Kermit
  kermit/sw/ckmker.bwr  --  "Beware file" for latest Mac Kermit
  kermit/sw/ckmker.fon  --  Writeup of font situation
  kermit/b/ckmker.doc   --  User manual for last real release, 0.9(40), ASCII
  kermit/b/ckmker.ps    --  User manual for last real release, PostScript
  kermit/charsets/mac*  --  The new Macintosh Kermit font, tables, docs, etc

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 18 Oct 1992 23:19:55 -0700 (PDT)
>From: Les Ferch <[e-mail]>
Subject: MacKermit on Mac Plus

I noticed a couple of minor problems with MacKermit on a Mac Plus.

1. Using "Set modifiers..." I set Option to act as Ctrl. However, it does
not work. To get a Ctrl key, I have to set Command to act as Ctrl and turn
off Menu Keys. It would be nice to be able to keep Menu Keys and use
Option as Ctrl.

[Ed. - To use the Option key as a Ctrl key, you have to check the Opt box
on the left side of the Set Modifiers dialog, and you also have to check
both Unmodify and Ctrl on the right side, in the same row.  See ckmker.bwr.]

2. The File menu is longer than the 9" screen. This confuses beginners
looking for Quit. If Load Settings and Save Settings were moved to the
Settings menu, the problem would be solved.

[Ed. - A well-known problem.  The menus need a lot of work.]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 20 Oct 92 10:29:40 EST
>From: Howie Richburg <[e-mail]>
Organization: State University of New York - Central Administration
Subject: Re: MacKermit?

Maybe I am doing something wrong.  Under settings I choose key settings.
The scan codes I define such as {27}3, when executed are passed through to
the terminal screen as #27'3 for example and not transmitted.  Any ideas?

[Ed. - Presently, the backslash notation in Mac Kermit's key definitions
only accepts octal (base 8) numbers, and no provision is made for grouping.
Suppose you want to define a key to send ESC followed by the letter A.  In
MS-DOS Kermit or C-Kermit, you would express this as \27A, \o33A, or \x1BA.
In Mac Kermit, it must be \33A.  Now suppose you want to send ESC followed
by the digit 3.  You can't write \273, because there would be no way to tell
where the backslash code ended and the literal text began.  In MS-DOS or
C-Kermit, you can write \{27}3, to separate the 27 from the 3.  Mac Kermit
doesn't support this type of notation, so you have to write \33\63 (where 63
is the octal value of the ASCII code for the character "3"), and so on until
you reach the first non-numeric character or the end of the definition.
Hopefully, a future release of Mac Kermit will support the same types of
notation as MS-DOS Kermit and C-Kermit.]

Do you think MacKermit is stable enough to use for a Mac Powerbook running
System 7?

[Ed. - We have received mixed reviews.  The main difficulty with Mac Kermit
under System 7 actually has nothing to do with System 7 per se, but rather
with the fact that Macs that have System 7 also tend to be loaded with lots
of INITs.  Macs with all their INITs are becoming even more dangerous for
communication software than PCs loaded with TSRs!  We have discovered that
most INITs that have anything to do with font management -- Adobe Type
Manager, SuitCase, TrueType, etc -- can interfere with Mac Kermit to various
degrees, ranging from fractured screens to Mac Kermit or even system bombs.
This probably happens because Mac Kermit uses its own internal font for
terminal emulation.  We know the solution to this problem -- remove the
internal font and make an external font suitable for VT320 emulation -- but
it is taking a long time to accomplish it.]

[Ed again - About the Powerbook.  Mac Kermit works as well on the Powerbook
as it works on any other Mac, except for one obvious limitation (bug).  The
Powerbook does not normally come with a modem port, only a printer port.
Thus you have to choose the printer port in the Communications Settings
menu, which works.  So far so good.  But the port selection is not saved
when you Save Settings.  So you always have to open the communications menu
and select the printer port every time you run Kermit on the Powerbook.
This should be fixed soon.]

In addition the Powerbook will be used to dial into a 3270 protocol
converter to access our IBM host.  It will therefore require that certain
key combinations submit specific codes to emulate PF keys.  The reason I ask
is because I have no luck transmitting codes to emulate the PF keys.

[Ed. - This is an extremely common question, but it does not have a general
answer.  Here's the story: an IBM mainframe 3270 terminal has row upon row
of "PF" keys that ordinary terminals don't have.  The operation of these
keys is internal to the IBM 3270 protocol -- they don't send characters,
they send signals or messages, or perform certain local functions, etc.  A
3270 protocol converter -- such as an IBM 7171 -- lets ordinary ASCII
terminals (or programs, like Kermit, that emulate them) interact with
mainframe 3270 applications.  Data sent from the mainframe to the terminal
is converted into (for example) ASCII text intermixed with VT100 escape
sequences, so your screen looks right.  So far so good.  In the other
direction, certain control characters or escape sequences coming from your
keyboard are interpreted as PF keys.  The problem is, no two protocol
converters, no two protocol-converter terminal-type configurations, no two
sites, have the same idea of exactly which control characters or escape
sequences should correspond to which PF keys.  WE CAN'T ANSWER THAT
QUESTION.  You have to go to your IBM mainframe or IBM networking
administrator and find out: for a particular terminal type (say VT100), what
characters or sequences must the terminal or emulator send to simulate EACH
of: the PF1 through PF24 keys; the PA1 through PA3 keys; the newline key,
the cursor keys, backtab, the editing keys, the Attention key, etc etc.
Once you have the table of 30 keys and their values, you can decide which
keys on your Mac should correspond to which 3270 terminal keys, and then
assign the corresponding character or escape sequence to each one in a
Set Key Macros dialog -- a long and tedious exercise, which is best done
once at each site centrally.  A Mac Kermit 3270 settings file is created,
put on a file server, or copied onto diskette or and passed around.  In a
future release, we hope to support plain-text key settings files like MS-DOS
Kermit or C-Kermit.]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 20 Oct 92 16:57:53 +0100
>From: [e-mail] (Uwe Johnen)
Subject: Kermit on Mac

I was very amused that I can use my Apple Powerbook as a terminal (vt100)
over the V24 modem port.

But using Word Perfect on our VAX I was searching for the function keys,
which I have to use while working with WP.

If you have any idea where they are please let me know. I thing I tried
everything. Which one tried I not ?

[Ed. - Here is another case where you must go through the long and laborious
process of making many, many key assignments.  VAX WordPerfect assignments
have already been done for MS-DOS Kermit in the file kermit/a/msiwp3.ini,
which contains 126 SET KEY commands!  Unfortunately: (a) the keyboard scan
codes of the Macintosh are different from those of the PC, and (b) there is
not yet a way to import textual SET KEY commands into Mac Kermit.  As noted
above, hopefully there will be a textual SET KEY command in a forthcoming
release.]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1992 12:58:24 -0700 (PDT)
>From: [e-mail] (George Mansoor)
Subject: Printing from Kermit for Mac

I have a question concerning Kermit for the Mac.  Is there a way to send
output to a printer much the way that the PC version can send the emulation
output to a printer?   Not screen dumps, but print sessions.  Does this make
any sense?  If it can, what version of Kermit for the MAC.

[Ed. - Short answer: Yes.  Long answer: Here is how printing currently works
in Mac Kermit.  Everybody knows there is a Print item in the File menu, but
it is dimmed so you can't use it.  These items become active when Mac
Kermit's terminal emulator receives certain escape sequences:

  ESC [ 5 i  (or)   ESC [ ? 5 i   --  Start capturing text for printer
  ESC [ 4 i  (or)   ESC [ ? 4 i   --  Stop capturing text for printer

After receiving the "printer off" sequence, the print items can be used.
Future releases of Mac Kermit will have additional printing capabilities:
print screen, print selection, log session to printer, etc.]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 29 Oct 92 08:47:23 PST
>From: John Holland <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: 0.99(97) Bug Report

I reported some problems with Mac Kermit 0.99(97).  Since then I have
obtained 183, and later 184, from watsun.cc.columbia.edu.

I now use Mac Kermit as my terminal emulator of choice in my daily work,
connected to a mainframe at 9600 baud, using a Mac Plus.  Commercial
products, like Microphone and White Knight, seem to be assuming a slower
connection and do not refresh the screen as quickly as I would like.  Kermit
refreshes the screen quickly, and allows me to copy and paste and to move
the cursor around with the mouse (and type without having to wait for the
cursor to arrive at its destination).

One of the problems I noted before is no longer a problem.

I couldn't save settings without a system bomb.  No problem now.
However, if I set Mouse -> Arrow Keys in Terminal... under Settings,
I still can't turn it off.

[Ed. - Sure enough, it's a bug.  The X disappears from the check box, but
the feature is not turned off.  If you bring back the Terminal Settings
screen, the box is checked again.]

A new problem is related to fonts. I use Courier 10 point.  When the
text I am working on is bolded and I delete characters from the middle
of the line, pulling the rest of the line in, a trail of dots is sometimes
left.  I demonstrated this to myself by typing a row of bold WWWWWWs, then
deleting the leftmost one a few times. The rightmost pixel in the righmost
character remains on the screen. This is a cosmetic bug which I am
happily living with, given the other benefits of Kermit.

[Ed. - Coexistence with fonts and font managers, and other font related
problems (of which the one you list is a very minor example), are perhaps
Mac Kermit's biggest problem at present.  It is described -- and a solution
proposed -- in the files kermit/sw/ckmker.bwr and kermit/sw/ckmker.fon.]

------------------------------

End of Info-Kermit Digest
*************************

From cmg  Fri Nov 13 11:42:58 1992
Return-Path: <cmg>
Received: by watsun.cc.columbia.edu (5.59/FCB/jba)
    id AA04632; Fri, 13 Nov 92 11:42:58 EST
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 92 11:42:56 EST
From: Christine M Gianone <[e-mail]>
To: Info-Kermit
Subject: Info-Kermit Digest V16 #5
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Queries-To: [e-mail]
Errors-To: [e-mail]
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>

Info-Kermit Digest         Fri, 13 Nov 1992        Volume 16 : Number 5

Today's Topics:
        Announcing C-Kermit 5A(186), The Final Beta Test

Digest submissions may be sent to [e-mail] or
[e-mail].  Requests for addition to or deletion from the
Info-Kermit subscriber list should be sent to [e-mail] or
[e-mail].  These messages must be of the form:

  SUBSCRIBE I$KERMIT <your-personal-name>    (To start a subscription)
  UNSUBSCRIBE I$KERMIT                       (To cancel a subscription)
  REGISTER I$KERMIT <your-personal-name>     (To correct your name)

Kermit files may be obtained over networks and by mail order.  On the
Internetwork, use FTP to log in to host WATSUN.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU, a SUN-4/280
running UNIX (SUNOS 4.1), IP host number 128.59.39.2.  Login as user anonymous
(note, lower case), any password, and GET or MGET (MULTIPLE GET) the desired
files.  The file kermit/read.me is a general guide to where things are.  The
Kermit files are in directories kermit/a, kermit/b, kermit/c, kermit/d, and
kermit/e.  Test versions are in kermit/test.  All files in these directories
should be transferred in text (ASCII) mode.  Binaries are in kermit/bin (use
ftp in binary mode).  All files on watsun have lowercase names, and case is
significant.

You can also get Kermit files over the BITNET/EARN network; to get started
send a message with text HELP to KERMSRV, the Kermit file server, at host
CUVMA.  For detailed instructions, read the file kermit/a/aanetw.hlp
(AANETW.HLP on KERMSRV).  To order by mail, request a complete list of Kermit
versions and an order form from Kermit Distribution, Columbia University
Center for Computing Activities, 612 West 115th Street, New York, NY 10025
USA.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 10 Nov 44, 13:30:00 EST
>From: Christine M Gianone <[e-mail]>
Subject: Announcing C-Kermit 5A(186), The Final Beta Test
Keywords: C-Kermit 5A, UNIX Kermit, VMS Kermit, Amiga Kermit
Keywords: Atari ST Kermit, OS/2 Kermit, OS-9 Kermit, AOS/VS Kermit
Keywords: Sliding Windows, Script Programming, International Character Sets
Keywords: TCP/IP and C-Kermit
Xref: Commodore Amiga.  See Amiga
Xref: OpenVMS.  See VMS

The final Beta release of C-Kermit 5A, Version 5A(186) BETA-8, is ready for
public testing.  This will be a relatively short testing period.  The final
release of version 5A should occur in a few weeks.

C-Kermit 5A is available for:

 . UNIX, practically all versions: AIX, ULTRIX, SunOS, BSD, System V, etc
 . VAX and AXP VMS and OpenVMS
 . Data General MV systems with AOS/VS
 . PCs and PS/2s with OS/2 1.0 and 2.0
 . Microware OS-9
 . The Commodore Amiga
 . The Atari ST

The changes since the first Beta release, 5A(179), on February 8th, 1992,
which was announced in Info-Kermit V15 #2, are:

SYSTEMS AND NETWORKS SUPPORTED

 . New support for Data General AOS/VS, including TCP/IP
 . Many new UNIX versions supported
 . OpenVMS AXP support
 . DEC TCP/IP, Wollongong TCP/IP, and TGV MultiNet TCP/IP support in (Open)VMS
 . Improved performance and functionality on VMS and OpenVMS
 . DECnet LAT supported in OS/2 version, and many OS/2-specific improvements

COMMUNICATIONS AND DIALING

 . Dialing directory feature added
 . Many new controls over the dialing process
 . Improved support for Telebit, Hayes, and Hayes-compatible modems
 . New support for CCITT and Digitel modems
 . New commands for managing TCP/IP connections and TELNET protocol
 . Improved support for hardware flow control
 . Improved SunLink X.25 support

KERMIT FILE TRANSFER

 . New support for IBM fullscreen file transfers (See Info-Kermit V16 #1)
 . New fullscreen and crt file transfer displays for local-mode file transfer
 . Standard "KERMIT READY TO xxx ..." messages at beginning of file transfer

PLUS:

 . New support for East European (Latin-2) character sets.
 . Improved script programming controls
 . Many, many bugs fixed and (hopefully) not too many new ones introduced

Before reporting bugs in this version of C-Kermit, please read the file
ckcker.bwr, the general C-Kermit "beware" file, plus the system-specific
beware file for your system, e.g. ckuker.bwr for UNIX, ckvker.bwr for VMS.

HOW TO GET IT

C-Kermit 5A(186) BETA is available on the Internet via anonymous ftp from
host watsun.cc.columbia.edu [128.59.39.2], using text (ASCII) mode, in the
directory kermit/test/, and on BITNET/EARN from host CUVMA through the
KERMSRV file server, in the T: area.  Warning: some files might have records
longer than 80, making it impossible for KERMSRV to MAIL them to you.

You can also order C-Kermit 5A on magnetic media (9-track tape, TK50
cartridge, or quarter-inch tape cartridge) from Columbia University by mail
order as "Tape T" (see the order form, kermit/a/aaxfly.doc or aaxfly.ps).

The C-Kermit filenames all start with the letters "ck" (for C-Kermit).  The
third letter in the filename is used for grouping: c = Portable C, u =
UNIX-specific, v = VAX/VMS-specific, etc.  The following sections give brief
synopses of the files needed for each version.  A detailed description of
the file naming conventions and organization is given in the file
ckaaaa.hlp.  Notation:

    *   = matches any string of characters
  [abc] = matches the single character a, b, or c

GENERAL TEXT FILES

  ckaaaa.hlp   Explanation of file naming conventions
  ckcplm.doc   C-Kermit "program logic manual"
  ckccfg.doc   C-Kermit configuration info
  ckcker.bwr   General C-Kermit beware file
  ckuker.doc   plain-text user manual (still for edit 179)
  ckuker.ps    Postscript user manual (ditto)
  ckcker.upd   Detailed description of changes since edit 179

THE UNIX VERSION

  UNIX sources:     ck[cuw]*.[cwh] (+ ckustr.sed for 2.1x BSD)
  UNIX build:       ckuker.mak (for 2.1xBSD, use ckubs2.mak)
  UNIX docs:        ckuins.doc, ckuker.bwr, ckuker.nr
  UNIX binaries:    There are some UNIX binaries in kermit/bin/wermit.*,
            use ftp in binary mode:

              wermit.aviion.5.4   - DG Aviion, DG/UX 5.4
              wermit.du42         - DECstation 5800 Ultrix 4.2
              wermit.next         - NeXT OS 2.0 or 3.0
              wermit.rs6000       - RS/6000 AIX 3.1
              wermit.sun4         - SunOS 4.1.1, sparc
              wermit.sv386r4      - i368 with Dell System V R4

            The last one *might* run on other i366/486 PCs with
            other USL-based System V R4 implementations.

  There is also a compressed tar archive of the UNIX sources and makefile
  in kermit/bin/cku186.tar.Z, which you can ftp in BINARY mode.

To build the UNIX version, rename ckuker.mak (or ckubs2.mak) to makefile,
read the comments at the top of the makefile to select the make-option
appropriate for your computer, and then give the appropriate "make" command,
for example "make bsd", "make sunos41", "make sys5r4", etc.  Read the
makefile and the file ckuins.doc for further installation instructions.

THE (Open)VMS VERSION

  VMS sources:      ck[cuwv]*.[cwh], plus ckvcvt.c (labeled-file decoder)
  VMS build:        ckvker.com (DCL), ckvker.mak (VMS MAKE), or
            ckvker.mms (MMS).  Instructions: ckvins.doc.
  VMS executable:   ckvker.hex, use ckvdeh.mar to decode it into .EXE format.
            NOTE: this executable does not include TCP/IP support.
  VMS docs:         ckvker.hlp, ckvins.doc, ckvker.bwr

To get a version of VMS C-Kermit that includes TCP/IP networking support, you
must build from source code on a VMS system that has a C compiler and
libraries plus the TCP/IP libraries for DEC, TGV, or Wollongong TCP/IP.

THE OS/2 VERSION

  OS/2 sources:     ck[cuwo]*.[cwh], ckwart.def, ckoker.def
  OS/2 build:       ckoker.mak
  OS/2 executable:  ckoker16.boo (unboo with ckbunb.c)              (16-bit)
            ckoker32.boo (ditto)                            (32-bit)
            or kermit/bin/ckoker16.exe (ftp in binary mode) (16-bit)
            or kermit/bin/ckoker32.exe (ditto)              (32-bit)
  OS/2 doc:         ckoker.bwr

    OS/2 C-Kermit comes in a 16-bit version (required for OS/2 1.x) and a
    32-bit version (only works on OS/2 2.x).  See ckoker.bwr for details.

THE DATA GENERAL AOS/VS VERSION

  AOS/VS sources:     ck[cuwd]*.[cwh]
  AOS/VS build:       ckd*.cli
  AOS/VS executable:  kermit/bin/ckdker.df (binary, dumpfile format)
              ckdker.uue (uuencoded, decode with ckdeco.c)
  AOS/VS doc:         ckdins.doc, ckdker.bwr

THE OS-9 VERSION

  OS-9 sources:     ck[cuw9]*.[cawh]
  OS-9 build:       ck9ker.mak or ck9ker.gcc
  OS-9 executable:  ck9ker.boo (unboo with ckbunb.c) (for OS-9 2.2 - 2.4)
            ck9ker.bin (ftp in binary mode)
  OS-9 doc:         ck9ker.bwr, ck9ker.doc

THE AMIGA VERSION

  Amiga sources:    ck[cuwi]*.[cwh]
  Amiga build:      ckiker.mak (use Aztec C V5.0b)
  Amiga executable: ckiker.boo (for edit 178 -- unboo with ckbunb.c)
            kermit/bin/ckiker.exe (ftp in binary mode)
  Amiga doc:        ckiker.bwr, ckiker.doc (old)

THE ATARI ST VERSION

  Atari ST sources: ck[cuws]*.[cwh]
  Atari build:      cksker.mak
  Atari executable: cksker.boo (full version, unboo with ckbunb.c).
            kermit/bin/cksker.ttp (full version, ftp in binary mode)
            kermit/bin/cksncp.ttp (no cmd parser,ftp in binary mode)
  Atari doc:        (none yet)

Please report successes or failures to Frank da Cruz, [e-mail]
or [e-mail].  Thanks again to the hundreds of people who
helped with the development and testing of C-Kermit 5A.

------------------------------

End of Info-Kermit Digest
*************************


From cmg  Mon Nov 23 16:40:19 1992
Return-Path: <cmg>
Received: by watsun.cc.columbia.edu (5.59/FCB/jba)
    id AA20006; Mon, 23 Nov 92 16:40:19 EST
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 92 16:40:17 EST
From: Christine M Gianone <[e-mail]>
To: Info-Kermit
Subject: Info-Kermit Digest V16 #6
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Queries-To: [e-mail]
Errors-To: [e-mail]
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>

Info-Kermit Digest         Mon, 23 Nov 1992        Volume 16 : Number 6

Today's Topics:
        Announcing C-Kermit 5A


Digest submissions may be sent to [e-mail] or
[e-mail].  Requests for addition to or deletion from the
Info-Kermit subscriber list should be sent to [e-mail] or
[e-mail].  These messages must be of the form:

  SUBSCRIBE I$KERMIT <your-personal-name>    (To start a subscription)
  UNSUBSCRIBE I$KERMIT                       (To cancel a subscription)
  REGISTER I$KERMIT <your-personal-name>     (To correct your name)

Kermit files may be obtained over networks and by mail order.  On the
Internetwork, use FTP to log in to host WATSUN.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU, a SUN-4/280
running UNIX (SUNOS 4.1), IP host number 128.59.39.2.  Login as user anonymous
(note, lower case), any password, and GET or MGET (MULTIPLE GET) the desired
files.  The file kermit/read.me is a general guide to where things are.  The
Kermit files are in directories kermit/a, kermit/b, kermit/c, kermit/d, and
kermit/e.  Test versions are in kermit/test.  All files in these directories
should be transferred in text (ASCII) mode.  Binaries are in kermit/bin (use
ftp in binary mode).  All files on watsun have lowercase names, and case is
significant.

You can also get Kermit files over the BITNET/EARN network; to get started
send a message with text HELP to KERMSRV, the Kermit file server, at host
CUVMA.  For detailed instructions, read the file kermit/a/aanetw.hlp
(AANETW.HLP on KERMSRV).  To order by mail, request a complete list of Kermit
versions and an order form from Kermit Distribution, Columbia University
Center for Computing Activities, 612 West 115th Street, New York, NY 10025
USA.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Nov 92 16:59:59 EST
>From: Christine M Gianone <[e-mail]>
Subject: Announcing C-Kermit 5A
Keywords: C-Kermit 5A, UNIX Kermit, VMS Kermit, Amiga Kermit
Keywords: Atari ST Kermit, OS/2 Kermit, OS-9 Kermit, AOS/VS Kermit
Keywords: Sliding Windows, Script Programming, International Character Sets
Keywords: TCP/IP and C-Kermit

I am delighted to FINALLY announce the FINAL release of C-Kermit version 5A,
for UNIX, VMS, OpenVMS, OS/2, AOS/VS, OS-9, the Commodore Amiga, and the
Atari ST.  The edit number is 188.  C-Kermit was written by Frank da Cruz
of Columbia University with contributions from hundreds of other programmers
all over the world.  Version 5A is the product of three and a half years of
development; the previous release of C-Kermit was 4E(072), released in
January 1989.  Version 5A was first announced for public Beta testing in
Info-Kermit V15 #2, 18 February, 1992.  The second and final Beta test was
announced in V16 #5, 13 Nov 1992.  The second beta test, though short, proved
quite successful, and therefore the software is being released.

C-Kermit 5A(188) is available for the following operating systems:

 . UNIX, practically all versions: AIX, ULTRIX, SunOS, BSD, System V, etc
 . VAX and AXP VMS and OpenVMS
 . Data General MV systems with AOS/VS
 . PCs and PS/2s with OS/2 1.0 and 2.0
 . Microware OS-9
 . The Commodore Amiga
 . The Atari ST

The major improvements in version 5A since version 4E are:

 . Improved file transfer efficiency:  sliding windows, longer packets,
   locking shifts, dynamic packet length, automatic parity detection.
 . Character-set translation for both file transfer and CONNECT mode,
   including West European, East European, Cyrillic, and Japanese.
 . Improved CONNECT-mode performance.
 . Dialing improvements, support for more modems, a new dialing directory.
 . The ability to make TCP/IP and other network connections.
 . A powerful, easy-to-use script programming language similar to MS-DOS
   Kermit's.
 . File attribute packet support to convey file size, type, date, and
   character-set.
 . New file collision options.
 . New server features, including security.
 . FULLSCREEN file transfer display available in VMS, OS/2, OS-9, and most
   UNIX implementations.
 . Ability to transfer files with IBM mainframes through non-transparent
   3270 protocol converters.
 . Non-error-checked file transfer via TRANSMIT and LOG SESSION.
 . Commands can be interrupted and C-Kermit returned to its prompt.
 . In UNIX, C-Kermit can be suspended and continued in the fore- or background.
 . More systems supported, including many more varieties of UNIX.
 . Support for hardware flow control on selected systems.
 . Improvements in every area too numerous to list.

Special highlights:

C-Kermit 5A includes extensive support for VMS and OpenVMS on VAX and Alpha
AXP platforms, including detailed knowledge of the VMS file system and a
special method for encoding complex VMS files for transmission and archival,
thanks to Terry Kennedy of Saint Peters College.  It also supports three
different TCP/IP networking products for VMS: DEC, TGV, and Wollongong; thanks
in particular to folks at TGV, DEC, and Wollongong for their help.

The OS/2 version includes built-in VT102 and VT52 terminal emulators with key
mapping, screen rollback, printer control, color selection, and communications
features including both software and hardware flow control and, if you have
PATHWORKS installed on your PC, support for DECnet LAT connections.  Thanks to
Kai Uwe Rommel of the Technical University of Munich for a great deal of work
on the OS/2 specifics.

The Data General AOS/VS version is brand-new and fully up to date, the first
upgrade to this program since version 4D in May 1987, thanks to Eugenia
Harris at DG.  It includes all the major features of version 5A, including
built-in TCP/IP support.

The OS-9 specifics were done by Christian Hemsing, RWTH, Aachen.  Thanks.
The Commodore Amiga specifics are from Steve Walton.  Thanks.
The Atari ST support is from Bruce J. Moore.  Thanks.

DOCUMENTATION

Like MS-DOS Kermit 3.x, C-Kermit 5A comes with a book, "Using C-Kermit" by
Frank da Cruz and Christine M. Gianone, published by Digital Press,
Burlington, MA, USA, Digital Press ISBN: 1-55558-108-0, Prentice Hall ISBN:
0-13-037490-3.  US single-copy price: $34.95; quantity discounts available.
Publication is still in progress, and should be complete in mid-January 1993.
In the USA, call DECdirect toll-free 1-800-344-4825 to order; use order number
EY-J896E-DP.  Major credit cards accepted.

HOW TO GET IT

C-Kermit 5A(188) is available on the Internet via anonymous ftp from
host watsun.cc.columbia.edu [128.59.39.2], using text (ASCII) mode, in the
directory kermit/b/, and on BITNET/EARN from host CUVMA through the
KERMSRV file server, in the main area.  Warning: some files might have records
longer than 80, making it impossible for KERMSRV to MAIL them to you.

You can also order C-Kermit 5A on magnetic media (diskette, 9-track tape, TK50
cartridge, or quarter-inch tape cartridge) from Columbia University by mail
order as "Tape B" (see the order form, kermit/a/aaxfly.doc or aaxfly.ps).

The C-Kermit filenames all start with the letters "ck" (for C-Kermit).  The
third letter in the filename is used for grouping: c = Portable C, u =
UNIX-specific, v = VMS-specific, etc.  The following sections give brief
synopses of the files needed for each version.  A detailed description of
the file naming conventions and organization is given in the file
ckaaaa.hlp.  Notation:

    *   = matches any string of characters
  [abc] = matches the single character a, b, or c

GENERAL TEXT FILES

  ckaaaa.hlp   Explanation of file naming conventions
  ckcplm.doc   C-Kermit "program logic manual"
  ckccfg.doc   C-Kermit configuration info
  ckcker.bwr   General C-Kermit beware file
  ckuker.doc   plain-text user manual (still for edit 179)
  ckuker.ps    Postscript user manual (ditto)
  ckcker.upd   Detailed description of changes since edit 179

INITIALIZATION AND COMMAND FILES

  ckermit.ini  Standard initialization file for all versions
  ckermod.ini  Sample user-modification (customization) file for all versions
  ckermit.kdd  Sample Kermit Dialing Directory
  ckermit.ksd  Sample Kermit Services Directory

NOTE: Some of the binaries listed below are not yet at edit 188 level.  They
will be installed as soon as they arrive.

THE UNIX VERSION

  UNIX sources:     ck[cuw]*.[cwh] (+ ckustr.sed for 2.1x BSD)
  UNIX build:       ckuker.mak (for 2.1xBSD, use ckubs2.mak)
  UNIX docs:        ckuins.doc, ckuker.bwr, ckuker.nr
  UNIX binaries:    There are some UNIX binaries in kermit/bin/wermit.*,
            use ftp in binary mode:

              wermit.next         - NeXT OS 2.0 or 3.0
              wermit.sun4         - SunOS 4.1.1, sparc
              wermit.sv386r4      - i368 with Dell System V R4

  There is also a compressed tar archive of the UNIX sources and makefile
  in kermit/bin/cku188.tar.Z, which you can ftp in BINARY mode.

To build the UNIX version, rename ckuker.mak (or ckubs2.mak) to makefile, read
the comments at the top of the makefile to select the make-option appropriate
for your computer, and then give the appropriate "make" command, for example
"make bsd", "make sunos41", "make sys5r4", etc (there are about 150
possibilities).  Read the makefile and the file ckuins.doc for further
installation instructions.

THE (Open)VMS VERSION

  VMS sources:      ck[cuwv]*.[cwh], plus ckvcvt.c (labeled-file decoder)
  VMS build:        ckvker.com (DCL), ckvker.mak (VMS MAKE), or
            ckvker.mms (MMS).  Instructions: ckvins.doc.
  VMS executable:   ckvker.hex, use ckvdeh.mar to decode it into .EXE format.
            NOTE: this executable does not include TCP/IP support.
  VMS docs:         ckvker.hlp, ckvins.doc, ckvker.bwr

To get a version of VMS C-Kermit that includes TCP/IP networking support, you
must build from source code on a VMS system that has a C compiler and
libraries plus the TCP/IP libraries for DEC, TGV, or Wollongong TCP/IP.

THE OS/2 VERSION

  OS/2 sources:     ck[cuwo]*.[cwh], ckwart.def, ckoker.def
  OS/2 build:       ckoker.mak
  OS/2 executable:  ckoker16.boo (unboo with ckbunb.c)              (16-bit)
            ckoker32.boo (ditto)                            (32-bit)
            or kermit/bin/ckoker16.exe (ftp in binary mode) (16-bit)
            or kermit/bin/ckoker32.exe (ditto)              (32-bit)
  OS/2 doc:         ckoker.bwr

    OS/2 C-Kermit comes in a 16-bit version (required for OS/2 1.x) and a
    32-bit version (only works on OS/2 2.x).  See ckoker.bwr for details.

THE DATA GENERAL AOS/VS VERSION

  AOS/VS sources:     ck[cuwd]*.[cwh]
  AOS/VS build:       ckd*.cli
  AOS/VS executable:  kermit/bin/ckdker.df (binary, dumpfile format)
              ckdker.uue (uuencoded, decode with ckdeco.c)
  AOS/VS doc:         ckdins.doc, ckdker.bwr

THE OS-9 VERSION

  OS-9 sources:     ck[cuw9]*.[cawh]
  OS-9 build:       ck9ker.mak or ck9ker.gcc
  OS-9 executable:  ck9ker.boo (unboo with ckbunb.c) (for OS-9 2.2 - 2.4)
            ck9ker.bin (ftp in binary mode)
  OS-9 doc:         ck9ker.bwr, ck9ker.doc

THE AMIGA VERSION

  Amiga sources:    ck[cuwi]*.[cwh]
  Amiga build:      ckiker.mak (use Aztec C V5.0b)
  Amiga executable: ckiker.boo (for edit 178 -- unboo with ckbunb.c)
            kermit/bin/ckiker.exe (ftp in binary mode)
  Amiga doc:        ckiker.bwr, ckiker.doc (old)

THE ATARI ST VERSION

  Atari ST sources: ck[cuws]*.[cwh]
  Atari build:      cksker.mak
  Atari executable: cksker.boo (full version, unboo with ckbunb.c).
            kermit/bin/cksker.ttp (full version, ftp in binary mode)
            kermit/bin/cksncp.ttp (no cmd parser,ftp in binary mode)
  Atari doc:        (none yet)

Please report successes or failures to Frank da Cruz, [e-mail]
or [e-mail].  Thanks again to the hundreds of people who
helped with the development and testing of C-Kermit 5A.

------------------------------

End of Info-Kermit Digest
*************************

From fdc  Mon Dec 28 20:41:07 1992
Return-Path: <fdc>
Received: by watsun.cc.columbia.edu (5.59/FCB/jba)
    id AA11284; Mon, 28 Dec 92 20:41:07 EST
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 92 20:41:05 EST
From: Frank da Cruz <[e-mail]>
To: Info-Kermit
Subject: Info-Kermit Digest V16 #7
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Queries-To: [e-mail]
Errors-To: [e-mail]
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>

Info-Kermit Digest         Mon, 28 Dec 1992        Volume 16 : Number 7

Today's Topics:
    Announcing Release 4.2.5 of Kermit-370 for VM/CMS
    New Patches for MS-DOS Kermit 3.11 and 3.12
    Gateway Telepath Intenal Modem Problems Solved
    New MS-DOS Kermit Dialing Scripts
    New BOO-File Encoder and Decoder Programs
    OS/2 C-Kermit 5A(188) Extended Keyboard Definitions
    C-Kermit 5A News

Digest submissions may be sent to [e-mail] or
[e-mail].  Requests for addition to or deletion from the
Info-Kermit subscriber list should be sent to [e-mail] or
[e-mail].  These messages must be of the form:

  SUBSCRIBE I$KERMIT <your-personal-name>    (To start a subscription)
  UNSUBSCRIBE I$KERMIT                       (To cancel a subscription)
  REGISTER I$KERMIT <your-personal-name>     (To correct your name)

Kermit files may be obtained over networks and by mail order.  On the
Internetwork, use FTP to log in to host WATSUN.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU, a SUN-4/280
running UNIX (SUNOS 4.1), IP host number 128.59.39.2.  Login as user anonymous
(note, lower case), any password, and GET or MGET (MULTIPLE GET) the desired
files.  The file kermit/read.me is a general guide to where things are.  The
Kermit files are in directories kermit/a, kermit/b, kermit/c, kermit/d, and
kermit/e.  Test versions are in kermit/test.  All files in these directories
should be transferred in text (ASCII) mode.  Binaries are in kermit/bin (use
ftp in binary mode).  All files on watsun have lowercase names, and case is
significant.

You can also get Kermit files over the BITNET/EARN network; to get started
send a message with text HELP to KERMSRV, the Kermit file server, at host
CUVMA.  For detailed instructions, read the file kermit/a/aanetw.hlp
(AANETW.HLP on KERMSRV).  To order by mail, request a complete list of Kermit
versions and an order form from Kermit Distribution, Columbia University
Center for Computing Activities, 612 West 115th Street, New York, NY 10025
USA.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 1992 Dec 2 12:18 EST
>From: "John F. Chandler" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Announcing Release 4.2.5 of Kermit-370 for VM/CMS
Keywords: VM/CMS Kermit, IBM 370 Kermit

A new release of Kermit-370 for CMS is now available: 4.2.5.  It includes a
new CNTRL file for installing Kermit under VM/ESA (370 Feature) when HASM is
not available.  This CNTRL file is automatically used, as needed, by the
(now revised) IKCINS EXEC included in IKCKER.INS.  The other new features
are mainly diagnostics.  They include:

 1) An extra line of greetings for send/receive/server, as introduced
    in release 4.2.4 of the TSO, ROSCOE, and CICS variants of Kermit-370,
    as well as the latest releases of MS-DOS Kermit and C-Kermit.

 2) A new option to dump Kermit's internal trace table to KER LOG.

 3) Extra debug log info for TTY and FULLSCREEN modes, similar to that
    for SERIES1, GRAPHICS, and AEA modes.

 4) The status code from a SEND or RECEIVE is now available to the
    accounting exit, if any.

See the IKCKER.BWR file for further details.

COMING SOON: Kermit-370 customized for languages other than English.  The
Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Turkish versions
are in progress.  Volunteers are needed to translate the (200-line)
Kermit-370 message file into other languages.  The help files and user guide
chapters could also be translated, but that's a much bigger undertaking.

John

[Ed. - Thanks, John!  The new files are in kermit/b/ on watsun.cc.columbia.edu
for anonymous FTP access on the Internet, and available from KERMSRV at CUVMA
on BITNET/EARN/CREN.]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 2 Dec 92 11:59:59 EST
>From: Christine M Gianone <[e-mail]>
Subject: New Patches for MS-DOS Kermit 3.11 and 3.12
Keywords: MS-DOS Kermit 3.11, MS-DOS Kermit 3.12, Patches for MS-DOS Kermit
Cross-Reference: IBM PC.  See MS-DOS Kermit

>From Professor Joe R. Doupnik: patches for MS-DOS Kermit 3.12 to correct
the following problems:

  1. Optional patch needed to enable 132 column mode on certain VGA board
     models from Orchid Designer.
  2. Make VT terminal emulator ignore ESC C.
  3. Don't exit from macros when Ctrl-C'd out of server mode.
  4. Some IBM mainframe fullscreen file transfer corrections.
  5. Fix \v(ndate) to omit unwanted extra zero in Oct, Nov, and Dec.
  6. Fix for serial device initialization.
  7. Fix for using MS-DOS Kermit under OS/2.
  8. Don't do repeat-count compression if other Kermit says it won't.
  9. Speedup for Interconnections TES connections.
 10. Workaround for problems with Gateway 2000 Telepath internal modems.

The new patch file is available in ~kermit/a/mskermit.pch, and is usable
only with the IBM PC binary MS-DOS Kermit 3.12 program distributed by
Columbia University (kermit/a/msvibm.boo or kermit/bin/msvibm.exe).

Patches 7 and 10 above have also been added to the version 3.11 patch file
as patches number 10 and 11.  The new updated 3.11 patch file is available
in kermit/a/msr311.pch (MSR311 PCH on KERMSRV),

To install the patches, get the appropriate patch file (which is a text file
and should be transferred in text mode) onto your PC, rename it MSKERMIT.PCH
if necessary, and put it in the same directory as your MSKERMIT.INI file.
Make sure your MSKERMIT.INI file contains the PATCH command near the top (as
the standard MSKERMIT.INI file does).  The patches are applied automatically
each time you start MS-DOS Kermit.

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 5 Dec 1992 11:10:53 -0800 (PST)
>From: Fred Forster <[e-mail]>
Subject: Gateway Telepath Intenal Modem Problems Solved
Keywords: Gateway Telepath Modem

I implemented the new MSKERMIT.PCH that you sent to me yesterday in response
to my inquiry about problems I was having with a Gateway 2000 computer with
a Telepath internal modem.  It was surprising to find how few patches have
been incorporated into v3.11 and to see a patch particular to that computer!
I never expected such as specific response!  I was just groping since I did
everything that I could think of.  Also thanks for your prompt response!
You guys are great!  Most importantly, Kermit now appears to work.  As
usual, I will be more certain after I exercise it more, but it is much
improved now!  It may be of interest to note that I am able to connect at
38400 to my campus' fast modem line.  I wasn't sure that would be the case
after reading the comment associated with the patch that referred to slowing
things way down. But let me tell you this Gateway seems to be an O.K.
computer, 66MHz is great, and having only used a 2400 baud modem before this
computer makes it just short of amazing.  Using e-mail from home through
Kermit with this hardware is really being in touch.  End of message.

[Ed. - The comment in the patch file says "vastly slow down serial port
setup".  The slowdown only occurs at the time the port is initialized, not
during communication.]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 28 Dec 92 11:59:59 EST
>From: Christine M Gianone <[e-mail]>
Subject: New MS-DOS Kermit Dialing Scripts
Keywords: MS-DOS Kermit 3.12, Penril modems, Vadic modems, SupraFAXmodem
Keywords: Telebit modems

>From John Klensin at MIT, new MS-DOS Kermit dialing scripts for the Penril
Alliance V.32 modem, the Vadic VA2400PA modem, and the SupraFAXmodem V.32bis
modem.  And, written locally, a new dialing script for the Telebit T3000
(which should also work with the T1600, QBlazer, and possibly WorldBlazer).
These new scripts are designed to be used with the DIAL macro that is defined
in the standard MSKERMIT.INI file, just like the current Hayes and Rolm
dialing scripts.  Here is a list of the available dialing scripts:

 Modem Type            DOS Filename  Internet                KERMSRV

  Hayes 2400            HAYES.SCR     kermit/a/msmhayes.scr   MSMHAYES SCR
  Penril Alliance V.32  PENRIL.SCR    kermit/a/msmpenril.scr  MSMPENRIL SCR
  Rolm CBX DCM          ROLM.SCR      kermit/a/msmrolm.scr    MSMROLM SCR
  SupraFAXmodem V.32bis SUPRA.SCR     kermit/a/msmsupra.scr   MSMSUPRA SCR
  Telebit T3000         T3000.SCR     kermit/a/msmt3000.scr   MSMT3000 SCR
  Vadic VA2400PA        VA2400PA.SCR  kermit/a/msmva2400.scr  MSMVA2400 SCR

Note that a new category of MS-DOS Kermit files, MSM, has been created for
modem-dialing scripts.  Previously, HAYES.SCR and ROLM.SCR were stored as
MSIHAY.SCR and MSIROLM.SCR (copies of these two only have been kept under
their old names to reduce confusion).

See the instructions in the modem script files themselves, and/or in the
MSKERM.BWR file.  For Telebits, also see MSMT3000.DOC, and for further
information about Telebits, see kermit/b/ckcker.bwr on watsun or CKCKER BWR
on KERMSRV.  Many thanks to John for contributing the Penril, Supra, and
Vadic dialing scripts!

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 21 Dec 92 11:59:59 EST
>From: Christine M Gianone <[e-mail]>
Subject: New BOO-File Encoder and Decoder Programs
Keywords: BOO-File Encoders and Decoders

A long delayed announcement: a new release of the BOO-File maker and decoder
programs, msbmkb.c and msbpct.c.  These are from Robert Weiner of
Programming Plus in New York, based on the Christian Hemsing versions that
were announced in Info-Kermit V15 #3 last April.  Robert has totally
rewritten the code to make it portable to multiple operating systems
including UNIX, VMS and OpenVMS, MS-DOS, OS-9, the Commodore Amiga, and the
Atari ST, and to fix a few bugs.  This version, like Christian's,
incorporates the new mechanism, first proposed by Charles Lasner, for
encoding the exact filesize, rather than (often) adding several null bytes
to the end of an un-boo'd BOO file.  This turns out to be essential in
operating systems (like OS-8 and OS-9) where executable programs contain
internal length and/or error-checking information.

The new versions replace the old ones as msbmkb.c (the BOO-file maker) and
msbpct.c (the decoder) in kermit/a and ckbmkb.c and ckbunb.c on kermit/b on
watsun.cc.columbia.edu, and as MSBMKB C, MSBPCT C, CKBMKB C, and CKBUNB C
on CUVMA.

Thanks to Robert for the all the work he put in on this, and to Christian and
Charles for all of their earlier work.

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 3 Dec 92 09:51:41 -0600
>From: [e-mail] (Kevin Lowey)
Subject: OS/2 C-Kermit 5A(188) Extended Keyboard Definitions
Keywords: OS/2 Kermit

Below please find enclosed a file called UOFS_KBD.INI.  This is a keyboard
definition file for the OS/2 version of C-Kermit 5A(188) which lets extended
keyboard numeric keypads act like the VT102 numeric keypad.

See the comments in the file for more information on what was re-defined.

- Kevin Lowey

[Ed. - Many thanks, Kevin!  Your contribution has been placed in
kermit/b/ckovtk.ini on watsun and CKOVTK INI on CUVMA.]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 28 Dec 92 11:59:59 EST
>From: Frank da Cruz <[e-mail]>
Subject: C-Kermit 5A News
Keywords: C-Kermit 5A, External Protocols, Alpha AXP, VMS Kermit, UNIX Kermit
Cross-Reference: AXP.  See Alpha, VMS, UNIX

Well, folks, we've been averaging about 500 FTP requests at watsun every
day since the C-Kermit 5A announcement, with thousands of additional requests
to CUVMA KERMSRV on BITNET/EARN/CREN.  Looks like a hit!

Most reports have been positive.  Successful testing has been reported for
about 250 different machine/operating-system/version combinations, including
over 210 different UNIX configurations.  The few systems (mostly early AIX
releases on IBM 370 and PS/2 machines) where compilation failures were
reported have been fixed.  Several new makefile entries have also been added:

  altos3         Altos ACX68000 with AT&T UNIX System III R2
  clix           Intergraph Clipper
  cray8          Cray supercomputers with UNICOS 8.0-Alpha
  dnixnetc       DIAB DNIX 5.2 with TCP/IP and fullscreen transfer display
  iclsys5r4_486  ICL DRS3000 (i486 platform) with DRS/NX System V R4
  isi            Integrated Solutions VS8 VME 680x0
  t31tos40x      Nixdorf Targon/31 M15 with TOS 4.0.x

And several have been updated or corrected:

  cray           Cray supercomputers with UNICOS 6.1, 7.0
  cx_ux          Harris Night Hawk
  ft21           Fortune For:Pro 2.1
  sys3upcx       AT&T 7300 UNIX PC
  sco286         SCO Xenix/286 2.3.3
  sco32v4        SCO UNIX/386 3.2 V4.0
  sco32v4gcc     ditto, with GNU CC
  sco32v4net     SCO UNIX/386 3.2 V4.0 with TCP/IP = ODT 2.0
  sco32v4netgcc  ditto, with GNU CC

The new UNIX makefile is available in kermit/b/ckuker.mak (CKUKER MAK on
KERMSRV), and is also incorporated in the UNIX C-Kermit tar archive,
kermit/bin/cku188.tar.Z (ftp in binary mode).

You can find a current list of successfully tested systems in the file
kermit/b/ckcker.upd on watsun.cc.columbia.edu and CKCKER UPD on CUVMA KERMSRV.
If you have successfully installed C-Kermit 5A(188) on a system that is not
listed in that file, please send a report to me giving the needed information:
machine make and model, operating system name and release, makefile entry
used, executable program size.

The minor (and mostly highly system-specific) corrections that were made
since the release are also listed in ckcker.upd.  C-Kermit 5A users should
get a copy of this file and read it to see if there are any new developments
that pertain to them.  There have definitely been some changes that will
interest OS/2 and OS-9 C-Kermit users.  Also, the set of SCO-related
makefile entries has been updated thanks to Warren Tucker in Georgia (USA),
Eduard Vopica in Prague (Czechoslovakia), and Piet Plomp in Groningen
(Netherlands).

Some statistics about the new release:

  Smallest executable (minimum configuration):    90372, 386 PC clone, SVR4
  Smallest fully configured executable:          310636, 386 PC clone, SVR4
  Biggest executable:                           1607480, Cray-2

Meanwhile, a new section has been added to the UNIX C-Kermit "beware file",
kermit/b/ckuker.bwr (CKUKER BWR on KERMSRV) about using C-Kermit as an
external protocol from other programs, and vice versa.

Finally, those of you with new DEC Alpha AXP machines running OpenVMS AXP 1.0
but without a C compiler can find a binary version of C-Kermit for the Alpha
in kermit/b/ckvaxp.hex (it is, needless to say, quite huge: 1.7MB), CKVAXP HEX
on KERMSRV (no network support).  It's a "CKBHEX" file to be transferred in
text mode.  You have to decode this file on a VAX (not an AXP) using
CKBDEH.MAR (or VMSDEH.MAR, same program) because we do not yet have hexifying
and dehexifying programs written for the AXP (any volunteers to convert
VMSHEX/CKBHEX.MAR and VMSDEH/CKBDEH.MAR for the Alpha AXP? -- they are written
in VAX assembly language, and do not not seem to work correctly when compiled
with the AXP's Macro-32 comiler).

------------------------------

End of Info-Kermit Digest
*************************