Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cmcl2!esquire!sbb
From: sbb@esquire.UUCP (Stephen B. Baumgarten)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Kermit question
Message-ID: <1302@esquire.UUCP>
Date: 5 Jul 89 15:13:03 GMT
References: <320@umabco.UUCP> <7233@cg-atla.UUCP> <32533@apple.Apple.COM> <3769@viscous.sco.COM> <6197@microsoft.UUCP>
Reply-To: sbb@esquire.UUCP (Stephen B. Baumgarten)
Organization: DP&W, New York, NY
Lines: 41

In article <6197@microsoft.UUCP> stuartb@microsoft.UUCP (Stuart Burden) writes:
>Yes, unfortunately, even though the title is very froggy, Mac Kermit is
>a bit of a dog.  It does terminal emulation (vt100) very well, but the
>througput of kermit file transfers is pretty pathetic.
>
>I've tried Microphone (a mild improvment) and VersatermPro (hang onto
>your hat cos this puppy flies) and have settled on VersaTerm Pro for
>any kermit transactions.. some rough benchmarks from memory (:-))..
>
>  80K file download, with 1K block transfer selected.
>
>  MacKermit = 10 + minutes
>  VersaTerm = 2 minutes
>
>VersaTerm is sort of spendy, but if speed is money to you, it's worth the
>dough.

Plain old VersaTerm is also very speedy and does everything that
VersaTerm-PRO does (including the keyboard remapper) except for the
extensive Tek emulation (it does do Tek emulation, it just doesn't
give you all the bells and whistles).  It also costs a lot less.

Part of the reason VT is so much faster is that it can use extended
length packets (e.g., 1K) and you can tell it not to do "quoting" for
binary transfers if you have an 8 bit line (Kermit normally assumes a
7 bit line and "quotes" 8 bit characters, but the protocol allows for
true 8 bit transfers that go almost as fast as YMODEM).

VT 4.0 also supports Kermit server mode, which makes many kinds of
file transfers more convenient.

I'm not sure how much 4.0 is going for, but 3.2 only cost me $79
mailorder.  It's a great value for the money.

(Standard disclaimers apply:  I'm just a happy customer).

--
   Steve Baumgarten             | "New York... when civilization falls apart,
   Davis Polk & Wardwell        |  remember, we were way ahead of you."
   cmcl2!esquire!sbb            | 
   esquire!sbb@cmcl2.nyu.edu    |                           - David Letterman