Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!apple!motcsd!mcdcup!mcdchg!laidbak!tellab5!toth
From: toth@tellabs.com (Joseph G. Toth Jr.)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: Request for Comment on Kermit...
Summary: Kermit fails, Xmodem always works - No way, No how...
Message-ID: <5867@tellab5.tellabs.com>
Date: 20 Apr 91 12:59:50 GMT
References: <hub.ucsb.edu!ucsbuxa!6500erik@UCSD.EDU> <10684@hub.ucsb.edu>
Sender: news@Tellabs.COM
Lines: 47

In article <10684@hub.ucsb.edu>, 6500erik@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu (Erik Adams) writes:
> In article <91Apr18.091711edt.23337@ugw.utcs.utoronto.ca> GRAY@ADMIN.HumberC.ON.CA (Kelly Gray) writes:
> 
> stuff deleted
> 
> >Kermit was written  specifically for data transfer to and from mainframes
> >via the terminal ports. Speed, elegance, and just about everything else
> >was sacrificed for RELIABILITY. Kermit may be slow, but it keeps on going
> >long after everything else has given up.
> 
> This goes completely against my experiences with Kermit, Xmodem,
> and Ymodem.  I have found Kermit to be extremely suceptible to
> line noise--it stops the transfer at the slightest hint of noise
> and I have to start over.  A simple test:  pick up the phone
> while transferring a file, and then put the phone back on the
> hook.  More often than not, Kermit stops cold.  Xmodem and Ymodem
> keep going.  Or at least that's my experience.

Your experience?  I find it very dificult to believe..
  As far as Kermit, maybe (if you are using an ancient [very ancient]
    version of kermit, say 'Kermit 3.65').
  My wife never bothers to check to see, or seems to care, if I am using
  the the phone.  Her method of seeing if the phone is free is simply 'pick
  it up and see if Joe yells "Hey, I'm using the phone"'.  I've never lost
  a transfer from one of these interruptions (I lost one when one of my
  kids picked up the phone, and it took too long (30 seconds or so) to
  restore the signal).  I transfered the 'tbsp' demo (145xxx bytes) when
  there was a storm by my ofice (which I didn't know about), I had a clean
  file after the transfer even though there were 123 block retrys.

  As far as Xmodem, I simply do NOT believe that it is immune to line
  noise!  It can't be.  Xmodem performs too many of its operations using
  non Ascii characters.  There are data networks that you might connect
  through that are not tolerant of binary transfers (just try sending
  a valid binary byte in a file that looks like (is) an XOFF character -
  bet you won't complete that transfer... Bet you have to reboot... ;^)
  On the plus side, I have used Xmodem at work from one computer directly
  to another using short haul modems, and I do like some of the features
  it provides (namely, letting me know how long the transfer will take -
  I don't know why Kermit doesn't do this).

  I don't have any experiences using Ymodem, so I won't say anything
  about it that I might regret later.
--
------------------------------------------------+---------------------
Maybe I shouldn't have done it, sarcasm is so   | Joseph G. Toth Jr.
seldom understood.  Don't FLAME on me, please.  | uunet!tellab5!toth