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From: cjdb@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (Charles Blair)
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: PD Communications Program Wanted
Message-ID: <161@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 15-May-86 09:57:59 EDT
Article-I.D.: sphinx.161
Posted: Thu May 15 09:57:59 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 17-May-86 02:19:26 EDT
References: <2149@uwmacc.UUCP> <512@ethos.UUCP> <135@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP> <1054@well.UUCP> <358@bnrmtv.UUCP>
Reply-To: cjdb@sphinx.UUCP (Charles Blair)
Organization: U. Chicago - Computation Center
Lines: 24


> I have used both Crosstalk and PROCOMM in their latest versions.  I
> would not suggest anybody buy Crosstalk unless they really want to spend 
> money or have already tried PROCOMM.  Crosstalk has a number of problems.  
> It doesn't seem to do flow control particularly well, has no conditional
> capabilities (the WHEN command, I think its called, just plain DOES NOT
> WORK and NEVER HAS), and doesn't handle pathnames particularly well.  On
> top of that the interface is getting just a little old.

The WHEN command does work, but the documentation on it is misleading
(at least so I think). It is possible to write pretty fancy scripts
using more than one when statement to automate logins, and even to
switch between machines, though some people might think the sweat
necessary to figure out how might be more trouble than it's worth (but
you've got to use the tools you have, right?).  The inability to handle
pathnames (except to the editor) is a hassle, but PC DOS 3.1 solves
that (subst.exe). So Crosstalk has its problems, but is there anything
out there that does *everything* it does, and better? If so, I'd sure
like to know about it: so far I haven't seen any informed indication
that there is. And at least its interface doesn't whistle at me like
PROCOMM's (yes, I know, you can turn the sound effects off).
-- 
Charles Blair   			    ..!ihnp4!gargoyle!sphinx!cjdb
The University of Chicago		    lib.cb%chip@UChicago.Bitnet