Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!jgreco
From: jgreco@csd4.milw.wisc.edu (Joe Greco)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.cbm
Subject: Re: Desterm 128 Questions
Message-ID: <2206@csd4.milw.wisc.edu>
Date: 24 Apr 89 14:50:46 GMT
References: <2091.244FF979@isishq.FIDONET.ORG>
Sender: news@csd4.milw.wisc.edu
Reply-To: jgreco@csd4.milw.wisc.edu (Joe Greco)
Organization: UW-Milwaukee Home for Out-of-date 8 bit Hackers
Lines: 57

In comp.sys.cbm article <2091.244FF979@isishq.FIDONET.ORG>, izot@f171.n221.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Geoffrey Welsh) wrote:
] > 2) I am having no luck with Eight bits, no parity--only garbage. Seven bits
] > even parity works fine, though.  Any thoughts?  This garbage appears at
] > all baud rates.  The DOV system accepts either automatically, and Kermit
] > works fine either way.
] 
]   Perhaps the host is seven, even? I can assure you that DesTerm's word 
]construction is correct. If the host doesn't like 8N from DesTerm, then I 
]doubt it would like 8N from any other terminal.

Funny, I had troubles too.  A local system I use constantly with 8N
(UWM's Gandalf PACX network, on an MNP line) refused to work with
DesTerm and 8N.  I had to switch to 7E.  And DON'T tell me it would
not like 8N from any other terminal....  I'm using it right now.  :-?

] > 4) The VT-100 emulation seems to have many bugs.

Understatement.

]   Believe it or not, we implemented everything possible from the VT-102 
]manual. We are discovering VT-100 "features" not mentioned in the DEC manuals 
]but used by some systems.

I ran into problems with 'sysline', and things went downhill from
there.  I suggest that you have Matt look at Kermit, which has a
beautiful VT100 emulation that I rarely have problems with (I have
more problems with some VT100's at school....)  Also, check various
releases of the VT100 manuals.  You know DEC... ;-)

] > While I realize that many users won't be using this
] > program for micro <--> mainframe communications, for me it is CRITICAL
] > to have near-perfect VT-100 emulation.

Forget "near perfect."  Perfect is more important....  the last "near
perfect" emulation I used sometimes goofed up where the cursor should
be and I would mess up files while using my visual editor.  HIGHLY
unsatisfactory.


Sorry, Geoff, but now I have another few comments to make.  I really
wasn't too thrilled with DesTerm, at least after DavesTerm 128.  I
didn't care for the way it was set up, I didn't care for all of the
menus (a few too many, DesTerm makes even setting the word length and
parity an exercise in menu selection.... I would rather be able to see
on a single menu what the current options are, too!)....  is my memory
failing me, or is there actually a period after each menu entry?  I do
appreciate the attention to detail (did I see four "LED" status
indicators on the top line?) but I don't like it.

DavesTerm 128, while it still needs some work, is just as nice in most
ways and much nicer in some ways.  If Dave ever polishes it up, the
only thing DesTerm will offer over it is speed.
--
jgreco@csd4.milw.wisc.edu		Joe Greco at FidoNet 1:154/200
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