Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!ucsd!sdcsvax!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!ncr-sd!crash!gryphon!pnet02!hrlaser
From: hrlaser@pnet02.cts.com (Harv Laser)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: WXModem and Plink ??
Message-ID: <2789@gryphon.CTS.COM>
Date: 6 Mar 88 20:40:49 GMT
Sender: root@gryphon.CTS.COM
Organization: People-Net [pnet02], Redondo Beach, CA.
Lines: 55

Marco - To clarify and correct just a tad...
1) Yes, Peter Boswell authored the WXmodem protocol.  The protocol was
placed in the p/d and the source code to it (which I gave you some time
ago) is available in C, Basic, and Turbo Pascal in various libraries
on Plink.

2) The last release version of Dan James' COMM was 1.34. Dan has tweaked
up some later versions but chosen not to release any of them, rather
preferring to release his source code and let others hack away at it.
COMM is completely and utterly public domain, not shareware as was
mentioned in Peg Herrington's AW article (April '88 issue). 

3) Other terminal programs incorporating WXmodem are:
   Dr. Term Professional from Progressive Peripherals & Software, just
      now being released
   ACO - the Amiga Conference, shareware by Stephen Pietrowicz
   Access - shareware by Keith Young
   AmicTerm - shareware and/or commercial (depends on the version) by
     Dave Salas
   SKETerm - from SKE software

   WXmodem has been promised for Diga! from Aegis in the next upgrade
   whenever that is scheduled to occur. 

4) To say that Plink, and no other services, use WXmodem is untrue.
Delphi, another commercial service, has it, as do some BBSs but I'd have
to do some investigation to tell you which BBS numbers apply. 

5) As to the previous poster's question about "How to use WXmodem on Plink"
I'll cover that here too... since protocol is always controlled by the
receiver, if one is downloading from Plink, one need only request Plink
to send via Xmodem, and then choose "WXmodem receive" on one's terminal
software.  When uploading to Plink, one would choose Xmodem and then
Plink will poll your terminal with a series of W characters to see if
you're WXmodem capable. If so, transfer will commence using WXmodem. If
not, protocol will fall back to CRC-Xmodem and finally to checksum
if CRC is not available on the sender's terminal.  Thus Plink need not
show WXmodem as a choice for file transfer. 

I use WXmodem on Plink ever day of my life and going through Telenet
I'm normally moving in excess of 100 Xmodem blocks/minute @ 2400 baud. 
Not too shabby considering all the delays induced through the packet
switching.  

This is not to say that WXmodem is the end-all be-all of binary file
transfer protocols.  I'd love to see Zmodem implemented on Plink too.
It comes down to a matter of development costs, return on investment,
and so on.  

disclaimer: I run the AmigaZone on Plink. I'm not a Plink employee.
I don't speak officially for Plink. 

Harv Laser, Sysop, the People/Link AmigaZone.  Plink ID: CBM*HARV
UUCP: {ihnp4!scgvaxd!cadovax, rutgers!marque}!gryphon!pnet02!hrlaser
INET: hrlaser@pnet02.cts.com
"The man in the crowd with the multicolored mirrors on his hobnail boots"