Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site tilt.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!princeton!down!tilt!chenr From: chenr@tilt.UUCP (Raymond Chen ) Newsgroups: net.micro.pc Subject: Re: pc communication with unix Message-ID: <63@tilt.UUCP> Date: Wed, 18-Apr-84 18:32:48 EST Article-I.D.: tilt.63 Posted: Wed Apr 18 18:32:48 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 19-Apr-84 04:19:36 EST References: <1295@mhuxl.UUCP> Organization: Princeton Univ. EECS Lines: 48 This is what you do if you want full-screen capability with UNIX. First, you buy, beg, borrow, or steal (no flames about software pirating, please, I don't care how you get it) the IBM 3101 terminal emulator. Then, you make sure that you're installation has an IBM 3101 termcap entry. (If it doesn't, I'll mail you one.) Then, simply tell your machine that you're a 3101 and viola, vi, vnews, wraparound, and general functionality with your PC. The problem with PC-Talk is that it's designed to run as a line-at-a-time terminal. I've heard rumors about a VT-100 option merge file, but the one I saw didn't work. The probability of success using the SmartComm II package varies with how up-to-date yours is. The earlier versions were absolute dogs, but I hear the later versions are OK. The only problem with the 3101 emulator is that it doesn't have an "insert line" mode, which means every time I tell vi cntrl-D or cntrl-B, at 1200 baud, I cringe because it has to redraw the screen instead of scrolling up. Oh, well, I guess we can't have everything. The price on the terminal emulator is quite reasonble, $100-150, I forget exactly how much, and like the real 3101 terminal, it supports block mode, so if you ever have to try and tie into a brain-damaged IBM mainframe, you can go full-screen without having to deal with the now fairly-common "use a Series 1 to emulate a bunch of 3270's" hack. (If you've never had to deal with an IBM, count your blessings, pray for continued good fortune, and disregard most of the above paragraph). Other nice features on the thing include the ability to define everything on the keyboard except for the standard typewriter keys. (i.e. alt-anything and cntr-lots of things) Also, baud rate, stop bits, xon/xoff and other things are also settable. By the way, high on my list of projects this summer is to write a terminal emulator specifically designed to be intelligent at 1200 baud and work with UNIX. If I get something up, I'll post it. In any case, good luck! Not an IBM (shudder) salesman... -- From the Random Fingers of -- Ray Chen {allegra | ihnp4 | mhuxi}!princeton!down!tilt!chenr "It's amazing what a thousand monkeys and a few typewriters can accomplish..."