Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!think.com!paperboy!hsdndev!husc6!harvarda.harvard.edu!conrad
From: conrad@harvarda.harvard.edu (Conrad C. Nobili)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.comm
Subject: Re: 3270 Emulation
Message-ID: <4920@husc6.harvard.edu>
Date: 4 Dec 90 21:07:06 GMT
References: <1990Dec4.214002.10978@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
Sender: news@husc6.harvard.edu
Organization: Harvard University
Lines: 62

In article <1990Dec4.214002.10978@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> robs@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu 
(Rob Schaeffer) writes:
> I am looking for a IBM 3270 terminal emulator, that works out the
> modem port, not a TelNet program.  For the Mac of course.

Of course!  :-)

Get Term 4.5.1 from brownvm.brown.edu by anonymous ftp.  It is written by 
some subset (superset?  I don't feel like looking now...) of the same guys 
who produce tn3270 (tn3d19 now) out of NCSA Telnet.  It is excellent.  
Because it is done by the same people there is a consistency of interface 
between the network product and the serial product, which is nice.

The best deal is that you can also get a nice file transfer protocol 
implementation from brownvm to go with it.  Actually, it goes with both 
tn3270 AND Term 4.5.1!  It is very nice to be able to use the same file 
transfer protocol and commands whether you are at home on a serial 
connection or at work on a network connection.  RMAC and WMAC are very 
nice in that they bring up all the appropriate dialogs on the Mac.  Oh, 
yeah, WMAC also lets you print CMS files to any chooser-selected Mac 
printer.  Definitely very useful!

The WMAC and RMAC software can be installed on your VM/CMS IBM mainframe 
(I assume that is what you have and why you want to get a 3270 terminal 
emulator) pretty easily.  I had very little trouble doing it, and I am 
certainly no VM stud.  I was pretty much new to CMS at the time and only 
had to ask a programmer some dumb questions which I probably wouldn't need 
to do now.

I installed the WMAC and RMAC software on our mainframe about a year ago 
and it has been the solution to many people's problems, especially mine.  
I now have a very good answer to all those annoying questions about 
function key assignments in Kermit, Red Ryder, zip-comm, flash-modem, 
byte-blaster, and all the other disreputable packages you can imagine.  I 
also have a very good answer to complaints about slow, inefficient file 
transfer protocols.  I have not benchmarked WMAC and RMAC myself, but a 
user who seemed to be enough of a weenie :-) to know the difference told 
me that it is pretty fast (i.e. much faster than the old version of Kermit 
he was using).  The reason Term can solve all these support headaches is 
that one can GIVE it to people (read the copyright statement or whatever 
it has though, I don't have it in front of me right now)!  I have always 
hated telling people that the best answer to their problem is going to 
cost them lots of money.  I guess I most hate it because they are somewhat 
justified in demanding that I solve their problem with what they already 
own.  They've got no argument with a free best solution though.

I don't really mean that Kermit is disreputable as I said above....  
Kermit is a wonderful thing, but unless one is inclined to figure out how 
to map the keys it stinks for talking to a VM/CMS machine. 

I posted this because I thought other people besides Rob would be 
interested, and that some people who already have Term might not have 
known about RMAC and WMAC.  Hope it's been of some use....

--Conrad

                     C o n r a d  C .  N o b i l i
Harvard University                 |  Internet: conrad@harvarda.harvard.edu
Office for Information Technology  |  BITNET:   CONRAD AT HARVARDA
Information Services               |  voice:    (617) 495-8554
Technical and User Services        |  fax:      (617) 495-0715
                    < < < D i s c l a i m e r > > >