From: fdc@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Frank da Cruz)
Subject: Announcing C-Kermit 7.0.197
Date: 28 Feb 2000 00:16:54 GMT
Organization: Columbia University
Message-ID: <89cepm$lve$1@newsmaster.cc.columbia.edu>
To: kermit.announce@columbia.edu


This is to announce a minor update of C-Kermit 7.0: version 7.0.197.

This update includes absolutely no functional changes, not even bug fixes,
in any C-Kermit implementation that was available in the original 7.0
release.  The only changes are to make it compile, link, and run
successfully on platforms or in configurations where 7.0.196 would not.
These include:

 . 4.2BSD and 4.3BSD on the VAX
 . AT&T 3B2 System V R3
 . BeOS 4.5 (sort of)
 . Compaq Tru64 UNIX 4.0F and 5.0
 . DEC OSF/1 1.3
 . DEC Ultrix 4.2, 4.3, 4.4
 . IBM AIX 2.2.1 on the PS/2
 . Intergraph CLIX 3.1
 . Microware OS-9/68000 with TCP/IP
 . SCO OSR5 (due to a last-minute typo in the makefile)
 . Siemens Nixdorf SINIX-L 5.41
 . Stratus FTX
 . Stratus VOS
 . SunOS 4.1 with SunLink X.25
 . Unixware 2.0

Also in response to reports (that I can't reproduce) of "TOC overflow"
errors when building on AIX 4.3, "-bbigtoc" was added to the AIX 4.3 target.

The biggest change in the new release is a functional version for VOS, which
includes both TCP/IP and X.25 networking, and which has been built for all
three Stratus architectures: Continuum, i860, and m68k.

Note that the BeOS version most likely is not capable of making connections,
and definitely not capable of entering CONNECT mode, since BeOS supports
neither of the mechanisms that C-Kermit uses for that (fork() or select()).

Version 7.0.197 is installed on the C-Kermit website:

  http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ckermit.html

None of the 7.0.196 binaries was replaced, nor do they need to be, but any
new binaries added from now on might be 7.0.197, since there is no point in
building on new platforms from older source.

Working C-Kermit distributions and packages based on version 7.0.196 do not
need to be updated.  This release affects only the platforms listed in this
announcement, for which C-Kermit 7.0.196 was not available (or buildable)
prior to these changes.  Of course, anybody who wishes to work on the source
code should download the new version.  About half of all the changes are in
the UNIX makefile.  There are no changes at all in the VMS version.

Any bugs reported in C-Kermit 7.0 (only a few minor ones so far) will be
fixed in a subsequent release or patch.

- Frank

------------------------------
From: fdc@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Frank da Cruz)
Subject: The C-Kermit 7.0 CDROM
Date: 28 Feb 2000 00:44:10 GMT
Organization: Columbia University
Message-ID: <89cgcq$n9e$1@newsmaster.cc.columbia.edu>
To: kermit.misc@columbia.edu


C-Kermit 7.0.197 was announced on comp.protocols.kermit.announce just
now.  As noted there, there are no functional changes -- just cleanups of
7.0.196 in preparation for the C-Kermit 7.0 CDROM, which should go to
press within a few days.  There's no need to download the new version
if you already have a working copy of 196; the new version is
functionally identical, but runs on some additional platforms.

If you are able to make any C-Kermit 7.0 binaries that we aren't listed
(with a "+" sign to indicate they are current) in the C-Kermit binaries
list:

  http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ckermit.html#binlist

this is the last chance to get them in time for the CD.  Here are some of
the notable absentees:

 . Unixware 1-point-anything
 . SCO ODT 3.0
 . Solaris 2.6 Intel
 . MkLinux DR3
 . Cray Unicos
 . DEC OSF/1 2.0 and 3.0
 . DEC Ultrix 4.5
 . Encore Multimax
 . HP-UX 9.xx on Model 800
 . IBM RT PC with 4.3BSD (AOS)
 . IBM RS/6000 with any AIX prior to 3.2.0
 . IBM RS/6000 with AIX 3.2.4 or 3.2.4
 . ICL DRS6000 Sparc with System V R4
 . Motorola Delta 88K with System V R3
 . NeXTSTEP 3.2 (any architecture)
 . NeXTSTEP any version on i486
 . DG/UX 5.40 or earlier (any architecture)
 . DYNIX/ptx 2.16 or earlier
 . ESIX
 . FreeBSD 2.2.7 or earlier (any arch)
 . Red Hat Linux prior to 5.1 (any arch)
 . Red Hat 6.0 (any arch)
 . Any SuSE, Corel, or Caldera Linux builds at all
 . Any NetBSD prior to 1.4
 . Any QNX version prior to 4.25
 . SINIX-L 5.42 on PC
 . Interactive UNIX 4-point-anything
 . Unisys, any UNIX version on any architecture
 . IRIX, any version prior to 5.3
 . IRIX 6.0
 . IRIX 6.4
 . SunOS, any version prior to 4.1
 . VMS, any version prior to 4.7

Let's make this the biggest collection of binaries for any program ever!
At present we have nearly 600 C-Kermit binaries, about 260 for version
7.0, the rest for earlier releases.  Of course some of these are
redundant (e.g. cc and gcc versions for the same platform), but it's
still quite a pile.

- Frank

------------------------------
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.kermit.misc
Subject: Announcing C-Kermit 7.0
Summary: 
Followup-To: 
Distribution: 
Organization: Columbia University
Keywords: Kermit Telnet IKSD Kerberos TLS SRP Unicode Linux Internet


C-Kermit 7.0 is a new release of C-Kermit communications software for UNIX
(all versions), VMS, VOS, QNX, OS-9, Plan 9, AOS/VS, and other platforms.
It replaces C-Kermit 6.0 of September 1996.  If you have Web access, you can
skip the rest of this message and go here:

  http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ckermit.html

for a more complete presentation, complete with download links.

The major new features of C-Kermit 7.0 include:

A new license
  o Allows inclusion of C-Kermit with Free UNIX distributions

Making and Using Connections
  o Internet Kermit Service Daemon (IKSD) - client and server
  o Kerberos IV, Kerberos V, SRP, and SSL/TLS security
  o HTTP client commands
  o A new and improved Telnet protocol engine
  o TELNET protocol option debugging
  o Support for IBM AIXLink/X.25
  o Connections via external programs like ssh or tn3270
  o PPP dialing in UNIX
  o Give multiple phone numbers to the DIAL command
  o New support for 8 data bits + parity on serial connections
  o New ability to select number of stop bits on serial connections
  o Dialing improvements (10-digit dialing, blind dialing, PBXs, etc)
  o SET DIAL MACRO for last-minute phone number manipulations
  o 20 new built-in modem types
  o New all-purpose "generic-high-speed" modem type.
  o Higher serial speeds in VMS, IRIX, SCO, BSDI, Linux, . . .
  o Hardware flow control for more platforms

File Transfer and Management
  o FAST Kermit protocol settings are now the default
  o New streaming protocol for FTP-like speeds on reliable connections
  o Binary mode is now the default for file transfer, rather than text
  o File-transfer command switches (e.g. for file selection)
  o File-transfer pipes and filters
  o Automatic per-file text/binary mode switching (by name)
  o Transfer and preservation of file permissions
  o Ability to transfer directory trees even between unlike systems
  o Ability to move or rename each file after successful send or receive.
  o High-precision timers and statistics
  o New display and log formats
  o New options for coping with broken Kermit protocol partners

Character Sets
  o Automatic transfer/file character-set matching in file transfer.
  o Unicode / ISO-10646 Universal Character Set
  o Full conversion between Japanese character sets and Unicode
  o KOI8-R (Russian) and KOI8-U (Ukrainian) character sets
  o ISO 8859-7 Latin/Greek Alphabet (= ELOT 928)
  o ELOT 927 Greek, CP869 Greek code page
  o ISO 8859-15 Latin Alphabet 9 (includes Euro and OE)
  o Bulgaria-PC (code page)
  o Mazovia (Polish PC code page)
  o CP855 (Cyrillic PC code page)
  o CP858 (West European PC code page, includes Euro)
  o CP1250, 1251, 1252 (Windows code pages, include Euro)

Logs
  o New syslogging option for UNIX
  o New connection log
  o New brief transaction-log format option
  o New FTPD-like transaction-log format option
  o Time-critical debugging with millisecond timestamps.
  o Unbuffered transaction log (e.g. for UNIX "tail -f")

Script Programming
  o A new general-purpose file i/o package
  o Floating-point numbers and arithmetic
  o Associative arrays
  o Ability pass arguments to command files as well as macros
  o Pattern matching in the [M]INPUT command
  o Ability to pass more than ten arguments to a macro or command file
  o Expanded command buffer length to allow bigger macros, variables, etc.
  o Maximum number of macros increased.
  o New support for compound Boolean expressions.
  o "kerbang" scripts now take arguments from the command line.
  o New built-in Array operations: COPY, RESIZE, CLEAR, SET, SORT, ...
  o SEND an array as if it were a file
  o New SCREEN command for screen clearing & cursor positioning.
  o Date conversion functions (Julian dates, etc)
  o Timed ASK commands
  o New IF conditions
  o Automatic arrays
  o Array initializers
  o Assignment operators
  o New TRACE and SHOW STACK commands for debugging scripts.

New platforms
  o IRIX 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, and 6.5
  o AIX 4.2, 4.3 (including X.25)
  o DG/UX 5.4R4.11
  o Solaris 2.6 (including X.25 support)
  o Solaris 7
  o SCO OpenServer R5.0.0 through 5.0.5
  o SCO Unixware 7
  o HP-UX 10.01, 10.10, 10.20, 10.30, 11.00
  o Trusted HP-UX
  o Mac OS/X
  o OpenStep 4.2
  o Red Hat Linux 5.1 through 6.1
  o Slackware Linux 3.5 through 7.0
  o SuSE Linux 6.0
  o MkLinux DR3
  o New OpenBSD/NetBSD/FreeBSD versions
  o Siemens Nixdorf Reliant UNIX 5.43 and 5.44
  o Sequent DYNIX/ptx 4.4
  o Stratus VOS with TCP/IP and X.25 support
  o VMS 7.2

This is just a brief list; you can find more detail on the new C-Kermit
7.0 web page:

  http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ckermit.html

The complete story runs to more than 200 printed pages, and can be found in
the ckermit2.txt file, which is a supplement to Using C-Kermit, 2nd Edition,
until the new 3rd Edition is ready, probably about 6 months from now.

Thanks to the hundreds of people who contributed to the development and
testing of this new release over the past 3+ years, especially Jeffrey
Altman, Peter Eichhorn, Lucas Hart, Peter Mauzey, Fred Smith, Christian
Mondrup, Gerry Belanger, Clarence Dold, Graham Jenkins, William Bader,
Martin Whitaker, Nigel Roles, Dat Nguyen, Dragan Milicic, Steve Walton,
Nelson Beebe, JP Radley, Joe Doupnik, Ted T'so, and Carl Friend, with
apologies to anybody I forgot to list!

We have made and/or collected over 100 individual binaries so far; if you
can make any that are not listed as current on the web page:

  http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ckermit.html#bin

please let me know.

If you have any problems getting or using the new version, send email
to kermit-support@columbia.edu.

Frank da Cruz
The Kermit Project
Columbia University

------------------------------
From: Frank da Cruz <fdc@columbia.edu>
Subject: Announcing C-Kermit 6.0
Date: 6 September 1996

C-Kermit 6.0 is a major new release of C-Kermit communications software
for UNIX (all versions), VMS, QNX, OS-9, Plan 9, BeOS, AOS/VS, and other
platforms.  It replaces C-Kermit 5A(190) of October 1994.

All of the new features of C-Kermit 6.0 -- as well as all those added in
all releases since 5A(188) -- are completely documented in the new revised
and expanded second edition of the Digital Press book, "Using C-Kermit",
just back from the printer and available now.

C-Kermit is a combined serial and network communication software package
offering terminal connection, file transfer, character-set translation, and
automation through its powerful cross-platform script programming language,
which is available not only on all the platforms listed above but also on
OS/2, Windows 95 and NT, and (to the degree that MS-DOS and C-Kermit are
compatible, which is significant) also on DOS and Windows 3.x.

The major new features of C-Kermit 6.0 include:

SERIAL COMMUNICATIONS
   o Dialing - Major advancements in C-Kermit's dialing capabilities
   o Modems - A major overhaul of C-Kermit's modem support
   o Speeds - more and higher speeds allowed in many versions
   o New Ability to answer incoming calls
   o Automatic adjustment of flow control

NETWORKS
   o New ability to accept incoming TCP/IP connections (UNIX and VMS only)
   o New Rlogin client (privileged in UNIX and VMS)
   o New network directory, like dialing directory but for network connections
   o New SET TELNET controls (binary mode, etc)
   o New SET TCP controls (buffer sizes, keepalive, "linger", etc)
   o New command-line option "-J" makes C-Kermit "be like Telnet"
   o X.25 support updated for Solaris / SunLink 8.00 and 9.00.

FILE TRANSFER
   o Autodownload (automatic RECEIVE while in CONNECT mode) (VMS and UNIX)
   o Autoupload (and more) while in CONNECT mode (VMS and UNIX)
   o REGET (crash recovery, like RESEND, but for downloading from a server)
   o Peer recognition for automatically switching into binary mode
   o Dynamic packet timeouts and other improved error recovery procedures
   o Lots of useful info added to the fullscreen file transfer display
   o Quick selection of transfer settings with FAST, CAUTIOUS, ROBUST commands
   o New command-line option -Q to select fast file transfer
   o ADD SEND-LIST (build up a list of files to send)
   o SET FILE DOWNLOAD-DIRECTORY (make all downloads go to same place)
   o Text-file record format selection
   o In the UNIX version, built-in support for external protocols (ZMODEM, etc)

CLIENT/SERVER
   o SET SERVER LOGIN (authentication for incoming connections)
   o Redirection of REMOTE command results (to file, printer, or pipe)
   o SET SERVER GET-PATH (search path for GET requests)

SCRIPT PROGRAMMING
   o New block structure for script programs - no more commas and dashes!
   o Local (automatic) variables for macros and command files
   o New SWITCH statement, as in C
   o Lots of other new commands and features
   o Many new variables and functions
   o Automatic evaluation of arithmetic expressions in many contexts

GENERAL
   o Year-2000 compatibility
   o Ability to become a fully transparent 8-bit link between 2 end systems
   o More and better messages and help text
   o Default prompt shows current directory
   o NOPUSH available at runtime to disable escape to shell
   o Many new file management features
   o Improved speed & responsiveness
   o Bugs fixed

NEW PLATFORMS:
   o BeBox BeOS DR-7
   o Bell Research UNIX v10
   o Digital UNIX 3.2 and 4.0
   o Digital OpenVMS 7.x
   o HP-UX 10.10, 10.20, and 10.30
   o IBM AIX 4.1 and 4.2
   o NCR SVR4 MPRAS 2.xx
   o Plan 9 from Bell Labs
   o SCO OpenServer R5.0
   o SCO UnixWare 2.x
   o Sequent DYNIX/ptx 4.1
   o Siemens/Nixdorf SINIX 5.42
   o Silicon Graphics IRIX 6.0
   o Sun Solaris 2.5 and 2.5.1

DIALING IMPROVEMENTS:
   o Intelligent dialing directory:
     . Can consist of multiple distributed files
     . Travels well: understands country codes, area codes, PBXs, etc.
     . Unlimited alternative entries for same service with
       "cheapest-first" dialing
   o Automatic redial
   o Multistage dialing
   o Credit-card dialing
   o Dialing numeric and alphanumeric pagers
   o Incoming modem calls (ANSWER command)
   o Lots of new built-in modem types
   o Flexible configuration of additional modem types

Much of the work on C-Kermit 6.0 and the forthcoming 3.15 release of MS-DOS
Kermit was aimed at bringing their script programming languages closer
together.  This will become apparent when MS-DOS Kermit 3.15 is released.

Space prohibits description of all the other new features, but you can
get a detailed overview on the Web at:

  http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ck60.html

HOW TO GET IT

C-Kermit 6.0 and the second edition of "Using C-Kermit" are available now
by mail order.  The C-Kermit software is also available via anonymous ftp.
If you have a Web browswer, visit the aforementioned URL for easy navigation.
Or use anonymous ftp to kermit.columbia.edu, directory kermit, read the
READ.ME file, and take it from there.

Or contact the Kermit Project by email, phone, or post:

 E-mail: kermit-orders@columbia.edu

    Fax: +1 212 663-8202
  Voice: +1 212 854-3703

   Post: The Kermit Project
         Columbia University
         612 West 115th Street
         New York NY  10025-7799
         USA

Thanks to the hundreds of people who contributed to the development and
testing of this new release over the past two years; space does not permit a
complete list (look in the Acknowledgements section of the new book :-), but
special thanks to Jeffrey Altman, William Bader, Mark Berryman, Nelson Beebe,
Peter Eichhorn, Carl Friedberg, Hunter Goatley, Lucas Hart, Bo Johansson,
James Jones, Tim Kientzle, Igor Kovalenko, Robert Lipe, Neal Murphy, Nigel
Roles, John Santos, Ulli Schlueter, Steven M. Schultz, Jim Spath, Eduard
Vopicka, Steve Walton, Jamie Watson, Joellen Windsor, and Martin Zinser.

If you have any problems getting or using the new version, send email
to kermit-support@columbia.edu.

Frank da Cruz
The Kermit Project
Columbia University

------------------------------
From: Frank da Cruz <fdc@columbia.edu>
Subject: C-Kermit 5A(190) Replaces 5A(189)
Date: 13 Nov 1994 19:38:59 GMT
Keywords: C-Kermit, UNIX C-Kermit, VMS C-Kermit, OS/2 C-Kermit
Keywords: Stratus VOS C-Kermit, AOS/VS C-Kermit, OS-9 C-Kermit
Keywords: QNX C-Kermit, RESEND, Recovery

As of 13 November 1994, C-Kermit 5A(190) is installed for real on
kermit.columbia.edu, replacing the previous version, 5A(189) of 30 June
1993.  This is the Kermit software for UNIX (all varieties), VMS, OS/2,
Stratus VOS, AOS/VS, OS-9, the Macintosh, the Commodore Amiga, and the
Atari ST.  Highlights of the new version are:

 . File transfer recovery from point of failure (binary-mode transfers
   only): UNIX, VMS, OS/2, AOS/VS, VOS, Amiga.

 . Massive improvements in the OS/2 version.

 . Totally new and full-featured implementations for QNX and Stratus VOS.

 . Support for many new OS releases: Solaris 2.3, AIX 4.1, Unixware 1.1,
   new releases of Linux, {Free,Net,etc}BSD, OpenVMS 6.x, etc etc...

 . Auto-upload/download/configuration/anything-else via APC mechanism:
   UNIX, VMS, OS/2.

 . Numerous improvements in performance, script programming, client/server
   protocol, character sets, file transfer display, dialing, etc.

C-Kermit 5A(190) is available via anonymous ftp from kermit.columbia.edu,
directory kermit/f (NOT kermit/b), also known as kermit/c-kermit, and
several other directories, as follows:

  kermit/f (= kermit/c-kermit) - FTP all files in text mode:
    Source code;
    Documentation files (.hlp, .nr, .upd, .bwr, .doc, etc);
    Initialization and script files (.ini, .kdd, .ksd, etc);
    ASCII-binaries except for VMS, UNIX, and OS/2:
      ckd190.uue - DG AOS/VS
      ckiker.boo - Amiga
      cklker.h68 - VOS 680x0
      cklker.h86 - VOS i860
      ckm190.hqx - Macintosh
      cksker.boo - Atari ST
      cksncp.boo - Atari ST (small version)

  kermit/bin - FTP all files in binary mode (except READ.ME):
    True binaries for UNIX, VMS, etc.  See the READ.ME for details.

  kermit/vmshex - FTP in text mode:
    VMS C-Kermit binaries in hex format, together with the decoding
    program, ckvdeh.mar.  See the READ.ME file for details.

  kermit/archives - FTP in binary mode unless otherwise indicated:
    cku190.tar.Z  - Compressed tar of C-Kermit source code & other files.
    cku190.tar.gz - Gzip'd tar of C-Kermit source code & other files.
    ckvsrc.hex    - (TEXT mode) VMS C-Kermit source BACKUP saveset.
    cko190.zip    - OS/2 C-Kermit distribution diskette image.

See kermit/f/ckc190.ann for a detailed list of changes in 5A(190).
See kermit/f/cko190.ann for new features of the OS/2 version.
For overviews of specific versions, see:

  kermit/f/ckaaaa.hlp - General C-Kermit overview
  kermit/f/ckdaaa.hlp - AOS/VS
  kermit/f/ckiaaa.hlp - Amiga
  kermit/f/cklaaa.hlp - Stratus VOS
  kermit/f/ckoaaa.hlp - OS/2
  kermit/f/ckuaaa.hlp - UNIX
  kermit/f/ckvaaa.hlp - VMS

The user manual, "Using C-Kermit", is recommended for everybody who wants
to make serious use of C-Kermit and to get the most out of it; remember
that manual sales are the primary source of support for the Kermit effort.
Call +1 212-854-3703 to order, or send email to kermit@columbia.edu for
further info.  A German-language edition is also available.

- Frank

------------------------------

Date: Thu Aug 25 17:50:57 1994
From: Frank da Cruz <fdc@columbia.edu>
Subject: Announcing C-Kermit 5A(190) Beta
Keywords: C-Kermit, UNIX C-Kermit, VMS C-Kermit, OS/2 C-Kermit
Keywords: Stratus VOS C-Kermit, AOS/VS C-Kermit, OS-9 C-Kermit
Keywords: QNX C-Kermit, RESEND, Recovery

This is to announce a Beta testing period for C-Kermit 5A(190), a new
release of C-Kermit communications software for for UNIX, VMS, OS/2, AOS/VS,
Aegis, OS-9, the Commodore Amiga, the Apple Macintosh, and now also Stratus
VOS.

The major new feature of version 5A(190) is the ability to continue file
transfers that failed.  This feature is available in the C-Kermit versions
for:

 . UNIX (all versions except 2.xBSD)
 . IBM OS/2 (the 16-bit and 32-bit versions)
 . Digital Equipment Corporation VMS
 . Data General AOS/VS
 . Stratus VOS
 . Commodore Amiga

It works only for binary-mode transfers.  For example, suppose you were
transferring a huge binary file between UNIX C-Kermit and OS/2 C-Kermit over
a slow dialup modem connection, and the phone call was disconnected.  Now
you can reconnect and continue the transfer where it left off.  Suppose you
were uploading or downloading a bunch of large ZIP files in binary mode and
the same thing happened -- the new "resend" feature lets you reestablish the
connection and "resend" the same files; the ones that were already
transferred are not transferred again, the one that was partially
transferred is continued where the transfer left off, and the ones that were
not transferred are sent.  All the commands are the same, except you tell
C-Kermit to RESEND instead of to SEND.  This feature will also be available
in the next release of MS-DOS Kermit, 3.14, coming soon, and later maybe
also other Kermit programs too.

Other highlights of version 5A(190) include:

 . An entirely new C-Kermit implementation for Stratus VOS.
 . Execution of APC escape sequences while in CONNECT mode, just like MS-DOS
    Kermit 3.13, for "auto-download", "auto-upload", and auto-anything-else
    (UNIX, VMS, OS/2); 
 . Macintosh Kermit now works under System 7.1 (on PowerMac, etc).
 . Automatic directory creation for incoming files (UNIX, VMS, OS/2, VOS)
 . Command retry and recall, typeahead now allowed in command mode.
 . Improved transaction logging.
 . MAJOR improvements in OS/2 C-Kermit (see below).
 . A complete, full-featured port of C-Kermit to QNX 4.2.
 . Numerous bug fixes and speedups in all departments, especially
    script programming.
 . Documentation now available in German.

And here is a more-detailed list of the changes:

NEW OR CHANGED COMMANDS

ASK & ASKQ
  Now allow unquoted entry of backslash (\) and question mark (?) for
  more convenient processing of DOS-like file specifications.
DIAL <phone-number>
  For the first time, DIAL is available in the Commodore Amiga version.
FORWARD <label>
  A forward-only GOTO (for speeding up command-file execution).
GETC <variable> <prompt>
  Like ASK, but gets a single character from the keyboard.
IF DIRECTORY <name> <command>
  Execute the <command> if <name> is a directory.
IF NEWER <file1> <file2> <command>
  Execute the <command> if <file1> is newer than <file2>.
INPUT & OUTPUT commands
  Are now buffered for speed.
MINPUT <timeout> <list-of-strings>
  Like INPUT, but looks for multiple input strings simultaneously.
OUTPUT <string>
  String may now contain \N to output a NUL (0).
PSEND <filespec> <position> [ <as-name> ]
  Send a file starting at the given byte position (UNIX, OS/2, Amiga).
REDIRECT command (OS/2, SunOS, AIX, NeXT, ULTRIX, OSF/1, Linux, ...)
  For running external protocols via redirected standard i/o,
  or for use with "term" (mainly UNIX).
REMOTE PWD
  Display remote server's current directory.
REMOTE ASSIGN <name> [ <value> ]
  Client assigns a value to a variable in the remote server's namespace.
REMOTE QUERY { KERMIT, SYSTEM, USER } <name>
  Client retrieves the value of a variable in the remote server's
  namespace, displays it, and makes its value available in the local
  \v(query) variable.
REMOTE SET FILE TYPE { TEXT, BINARY, LABELED }
  LABELED added for VMS, OS/2.
RESEND <filespec> [ <as-name> ]
  Continue a binary-mode transfer from where it was interrupted
  (UNIX, OS/2, AOS/VS, Amiga).
SCRIPT <script-string>
  For the first time, SCRIPT is available in the Commodore Amiga version.
SET COMMAND QUOTING { ON, OFF }
  Turn ON/OFF special processing of \ and ? during command entry (turn it
  off to allow easier entry of DOS-style file specifications).
SET EXIT WARNING { ON, OFF }
  Require confirmation before EXIT or SET HOST/LINE if a connection is
  active.
SET { FILE, TERMINAL } CHARACTER-SET HP-ROMAN8
  New support for the Hewlett-Packard Roman8 character set.
SET TELNET NEWLINE-MODE { ON, OFF, RAW }
  RAW added - send CR as bare CR, rather than CRLF or CR-NUL.
SET TERMINAL APC { ON, OFF, UNCHECKED }
  Whether and how to allow execution of APC escape sequences
  (UNIX, VMS, OS/2).
WRITE-LINE (or WRITELN) <file> <text>
  A system-independent way to write a line of text to a file.

GENERAL CHANGES

File transfer protocol fixes, speedups, and improvements:
 . Recovery of failed (incomplete) binary-mode transfers.
 . Faster recovery from errors in non-windowed transfers.
 . SET SEND PAUSE to overcome problems with HP-48s, etc.
 . End-of-Attributes attribute (@) now emitted at end of attribute string.
 . Maximum sliding window size increased from 31 to 32.
 . Long G and Y packets now permitted.
 . Improved recovery from echoed packets.
 . Transfer status now indicates success if file refused due to date or name.
 . A bug that made windowed transfers sometimes act like stop & wait, fixed.
 . A bug that (very infrequently) resulted in corrupted files, fixed.
RECEIVE command can be given a disk/directory name for incoming files.
Ability to create directories for incoming files (UNIX, VMS, OS/2, VOS)
File transfer display now includes a "percent done" thermometer graphic.
File transfer display now includes a running display of chars per second.
Repainting of fullscreen file-transfer display (UNIX, VMS).
New command-line options:
 -D n  Delay n seconds before sending
 -R    "remote-only" for faster startup with standard init file
 -N n  NETBIOS adapter number (OS/2 only)
BSEND and TSEND macros in CKERMIT.INI fixed to accept wildcards.
PCGET macro now recovers from errors.
KERMIT READY TO blah ... messages now issued consistently.
Default cancellation sequence changed from 2 to 3 Ctrl-C's.
Services directory now allows specification of host prompts.
Many annoying pauses between commands removed.
TRANSLATE command fixed for Latin-2 based character sets.
Command retry, command history buffer, command recall.
Typeahead is now permitted in interactive command mode.
DIAL now uses no parity during dialing, selected parity after connection.
Crashes during DIAL command (hopefully) all fixed.
DIAL and SCRIPT commands added to Commodore Amiga version.
END and RETURN commands now work from within FOR, WHILE, and XIF.
CD commands in "application files" were broken, now fixed.
Various commands now allow spaces in directory or filenames if enclosed in
  braces.

NEW VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS

\v(charset)      - local character set or code page.
\v(cols)         - number of columns on (characters across) screen.
\v(connection)   - connection type (serial, tcp/ip, etc).
\v(cps)          - speed in characters-per-second of last file transfer.
\v(dialstatus)   - completion code from DIAL command.
\v(evaluate)     - result of most recent EVALUATE command.
\v(keyboard)     - keyboard type (OS/2 only).
\v(modem)        - current modem type.
\v(newline)      - the system's line terminator.
\v(parity)       - current parity setting.
\v(query)        - result of most recent REMOTE QUERY.
\v(rows)         - number of rows (lines) on screen.
\v(space)        - free space on current storage device.
\v(startup)      - Kermit's startup directory (OS/2 only).
\v(sysid)        - Kermit code for system ID.
\v(terminal)     - terminal type.
\fdate(filename) - returns modification date/time of given file.
\fsize(filename) - returns size of the given file.

UNIX IMPROVEMENTS

APC support during CONNECT sessions (for auto upload/download/anything-else).
CONNECT-mode speedups, important when C-Kermit is "in the middle".
Interfork-signaling in CONNECT module bulletproofed.
POSIX signal handling now supported, for reliable signals.
New makefile entries and/or systems supported:
  Amdahl UTS + TCP/IP
  Bull DPX/2 BOS/X
  CONSENSYS System V R4 + TCP + curses
  DECstation 5000 MIPS3 CPU    
  FreeBSD
  HP-UX: many variations, big improvements in functionality
  Lynx
  MachTen
  OSF/1 2.0
  QNX 4.2
  Solaris 2.x
  Solaris 2.x + SunLink X.25
  UnixWare 1.1 + curses + TCP/IP
System-wide initialization file is now an option.
TELNET window (i.e. screen) size negotiation, SIGWINCH trapping.
RTS/CTS flow control added for Linux, NetBSD, FreeBSD, OSF/1, SCO ODT 3.0,..
Support for higher serial speeds added for Linux, HP-UX, QNX, etc.
FIONREAD and select() support added for Linux.
(Optional) FSSTND compliance for Linux.
Correct handling of file date/time in 4.4BSD, BSDI, etc.

IMPROVEMENTS FOR VMS AND OPENVMS, VAX AND ALPHA AXP

APC support during CONNECT sessions (for auto upload/download/anything-else).
Problems running from DCL procedures, SPAWN'd, in batch, etc - fixed.
New support for CMU/Tektronix TCP/IP.
Append-to-file operations now available.
SET SPEED problems fixed.
Console terminal flow-control fixed.
Automatic compensation for systems SYSGEN'd with small MAXFUFs, etc.
GNU CC and DEC C compatibility.
TRANSMIT command fixed to handle VMS-specific file types sensibly.
Session-log record format fixed.
TELNET window (i.e. screen) size negotiation.
New sensible completion codes for RUN, SPAWN, !, @, DIR, etc.

MACINTOSH KERMIT 0.991(190)

Now works with System 7.1 and later on Power Macs, etc:
  downloads files without crashing.
Many commands fixed or added that never worked before:
  CD, PWD, DIRECTORY
  OPEN READ / READ / CLOSE READ
  LOG { SESSION, TRANSACTION, PACKETS }
  Log files and other text files now in TeachText format
  LOG DEBUG goes to a window.
  SET FILE TYPE { TEXT, BINARY, MACBINARY }
File transfer display improved:
  Direction and mode shown correctly when transfer started from prompt.
  Current directory is shown.
Numerous bugs fixed.
Mac-specific modules can now be compiled with Think C as well as MPW C.

OS/2 C-KERMIT IMPROVEMENTS

Numerous terminal-emulation improvements:
 . VT220, ANSI, and VT100 emulations added (to VT102 and VT52);
 . Mouse support added: mouse-directed cursor movement, copy-and-paste.
 . Complete support for all VT220 PF, F, keypad, arrow, and editing keys.
 . A big selection of keyboard verbs ("\Kverbs"), as in MS-DOS Kermit,
     including a complete set of VT220 keyboard verbs and a
     new keymap file, CKOVTK2.INI, to set them up for you, and
     allowing the Num Lock key to be used as DEC PF1 (or anything else);
 . Hebrew terminal emulation for use with ALEPH library software;
 . Ability to assign user-defined macros to hot keys via \Kverbs;
 . Executes APC escape sequences, just like MS-DOS Kermit, for
     "auto-download", "auto-upload", and auto-anything-else;
 . Improved colors, color control, new border color;
 . Improved, context-sensitive popup help screens and status lines;
 . Print/Dump screen;
 . Many new host-controlled printer actions;
 . Redirection of printer to file;
 . New screen rollback options and features, increased rollback capacity;
 . TELNET bugs fixed, TELNET screen-size negotiation added;
 . Session debugging display, including graphic display of TELNET
     options, control characters, and escape sequences;
 . Compose Key for composing accented characters;
 . New unique scan codes added for keypad period, Shift-Esc, Tab;
 . Answerback string now includes C-Kermit version number and terminal type;
 . Code page control.
 . SET FLOW KEEP now leaves RTS alone instead of always turning it on.

OS/2 C-Kermit file transfer improvements:
 . File transfer recovery.
 . ".LONGNAME" attribute supported on FAT file systems.
 . Automatic directory creation for incoming files.
 . SET FILE TYPE LABELED, a file-transfer mode that transfers OS/2
     files along with all their attributes (read-only, hidden, system,
     and extended), similar to the same facility in VMS C-Kermit.
 . Automatic parity detection during file transfer;
 . Ability to transfer files with IBM mainframes thru non-transparent
     3270 protocol converters;
 . SET FILE COLLISION UPDATE really works now;
 . Server's execution of REMOTE DIRECTORY, REMOTE TYPE, etc, fixed;
 . Problems transferring with HP-48, CP/M, etc, fixed.
 . New XSEND macro transfers entire directory trees intact.
 . New macros for activating external protocols.

Other OS/2 C-Kermit improvements:
 . TCP/IP support for IBM TCP/IP 1.2.1 was added in edit 189; edit 190 adds
   native-mode support for IBM TCP/IP 2.0, Essex Systems TCP/2, FTP Software
   PC/TCP, and IP-Switch Vantage.
 . Support for the LAN Manager Named Pipe communication method.
 . Support for peer-to-peer NETBIOS connections (e.g. to MS-DOS Kermit).
 . NetBIOS and Named Pipe connections can be either established or received.
 . A REXX programming interface, so C-Kermit scripts can contain REXX
     commands, and REXX programs executed from within C-Kermit may contain
     C-Kermit commands.  This also works, to a limited extent, with VX-REXX.
 . Improved, more-flexible install procedure.
 . HP-Roman8 character-set support.
 . Hebrew text-file transfer.
 . Task list adjusted to show current serial port or TELNET host.
 . More accurate available-space checking for incoming files.
 . Documentation for updates now in indexed VIEW/INFO format.

AMIGA C-KERMIT IMPROVEMENTS

File transfer recovery (RESEND)
DIAL command added.
SCRIPT command added.
SHOW MODEM now shows modem signals.
Date/time formats fixed.
Timeouts fixed.

ATARI ST

The Atari ST version has not been updated from 5A(189) level.  Bruce J.
Moore, who had previously cared for the Atari ST version, would like to
turn over this responsibility to someone else who has more time and a
bigger Atari ST system -- volunteers are needed.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Grateful acknowledgements for help with developing and testing edit 190 to:

  Ken Adelman, Jeffrey Altman, Ric Anderson, Ronald Antony, Steven Asher,
  William Bader, Mark Berryman, John Chandler, Albert Crosby, Joe Doupnik,
  Alex Dupuy, Max Evarts, Vincent Fatica, Mike Freeman, Christine Gianone,
  Madhusudan Giyyarpuram, Bill Glass, Chuck Goodhart, Eugenia Harris, Russ
  Herman, Dan Hildebrand, Tarjei Jensen, Hugo Jimenez, Mark Johnson, Terry
  Kennedy, "Carlo Kid", Tom Kloos, John Kohl, Bo Kullmar, David Lane, Mike
  Long, James Lummel, Scott Mace, Montserrat Mane, Mike O'Malley, Andy
  Newcomb, Marc Pawliger, Paul Placeway, Jim Reisert, Kai Uwe Rommel,
  Shinichi Sakata, Nick Sayer, Bill Schlesinger, Steven Schultz, Jason
  Seaman, Olaf Seibert, Rick Sladkey, Marko Teittinen, Lee Tibbert, Bernie
  Volz, Steve Walton, Jamie Watson, Rick Watson, Rob Weiner, Gerald Werner,
  Steven Woolgar, and many others, and with apologies to everybody I missed.

Special thanks to Jeffrey Altman for huge amounts of work on OS/2 C-Kermit
(REXX, .LONGNAME, Labeled-File transfer, mouse, Named Pipe, and NETBIOS
support, multithreading in the CONNECT module, plus the installation script
and much more), and also to Kai Uwe Rommel for much OS/2 work, to David Lane
for the Stratus VOS support -- *all* of it, to Steve Walton for his
continuing support of the Amiga, to Terry Kennedy for many services above
and beyond the call of duty, to Mike O'Malley for not only the CMU/Tek
TCP/IP support in C-Kermit but also for the CMU/Tek sockets library itself,
and to Eduard Vopicka in Prague for his contributions to the UNIX CONNECT
module.

TESTING

I have successfully compiled and tested edit 190 on the following platforms:

   Apple Macintosh with System 6.03 and MPW C 3.2
   Apple PowerMac 7100 System 7.1.2
   Apple Centris 660 AV System 7.1
   Data General AViiON DG/UX 5.4
   Data General MV 2500 with AOS/VS-II 2.20.00.39 and TCP/IP-II
   DEC Alpha AXP with OSF/1 1.3 and 2.0
   DEC Alpha AXP with OpenVMS 1.5 and 6.1
   DEC MicroVAX-II with VMS 5.3 and VAX C 3.1 and TGV MultiNet TCP/IP
   DEC VAXstation 3100 with VMS 5.5 and VAX C 3.2 and DEC TCP/IP
   DECstation 5800 with Ultrix 4.2
   HP-9000 Model 300 4.4BSD
   HP-9000 Model 550 with HP-UX 5.21
   HP-9000 Model 385 with HP-UX 8.00
   HP-9000 Model 715 with HP-UX 9.03
   HP-9000 Model 712 with HP-UX 9.05
   IBM PS/2-70 with OS/2 2.00
   IBM PS/VP with OS/2 2.01 and IBM TCP/IP 1.20 (16-bit and 32-bit)
   IBM RS/6000 with AIX 3.2.1
   NeXT with NeXTSTEP 3.1
   PC 486/50 with Dell UNIX System V/386 R4
   PC 486/50 with Linux 0.99.14
   PC 486/50 with UnixWare 1.1.1
   PC 486/xx with QNX 4.21 (16-bit and 32-bit)
   PC 486/xx with NetBSD 1.0
   Silicon Graphics Indigo R4000 with IRIX 5.2
   Sun SPARC-10 with SunOS 4.1.3 in BSD and POSIX environments
   Sun SPARC-10 with Solaris 2.3

Volunteer testers have reported success on numerous other platforms, listed
at the end of the ckc190.upd file.

I'd like to find out every machine and operating system where this new version
can be built and used successully.  Please report testing results, positive or
negative, or just questions, to kermit@columbia.edu.  In your reports, please
include:

 . The make and model of computer
 . The operating system name and version
 . The build procedure if any, e.g. which UNIX makefile entry you used
 . The size of the resulting (stripped) executable.

For example:

MACHINE                 OS NAME     OS VERSION  MAKE ENTRY  DATE     SIZE
DEC Alpha AXP 3000-800  VMS / TVG 3.3   6.1FT4  ckvker.mak  940820 819200
Dell 433 DE             SCO UNIX       3.2v4.0  sco32v4     940820 344872
IBM RS/6000 320         AIX             3.2.3E  rs6aix32c   940820 491445
Harris Night Hawk       CX/UX              6.1  cx_ux       940820 626560
Silicon Graphics Indigo IRIX            4.0.5F  irix40ypc   940820 606208
Tandy Model 6000        Xenix              3.2  trs16       940820 435842

HOW TO GET IT

During the testing period, C-Kermit 5A(190) will be available via anonymous
ftp from kermit.columbia.edu [128.59.39.2] in the following directories:

  kermit/test/text  -  Text files, ftp in text (ASCII) mode
  kermit/test/bin   -  Binary files, ftp in binary (I) mode

In particular:

kermit/test/bin/cku190.tar.Z (or cku190.tar.gz for gunzip)
  Compressed (or gzip'd) tar archive for the complete set of files
  needed for UNIX C-Kermit.  C-Kermit must be built from the included
  source code using the included makefile (but if you don't have a C
  compiler, see below about selected binaries).  Read the comments at 
  the top of the makefile for more detailed building instructions.

kermit/test/bin/cko190.zip
  ZIP archive of the complete OS/2 C-Kermit distribution (no source code).
  Includes both the 32- and 16-bit versions, all supporting files, and an
  automated install script (INSTALL.CMD).

kermit/test/text/ckvaaa.hlp
  A text file explaining exactly which files are needed for the VMS version.
  Get this file, read it, then follow the instructions.

kermit/test/text/ckm*
  ckm190.hqx - Macintosh Kermit 0.991(190) in BinHex 4.0 format.
  ckmker.bwr - Macintosh Kermit "beware" file (up to date).
  ckmaaa.hlp - Macintosh Kermit "read me" file (points to other files too).

kermit/test/text/ckd190.uue
  uuencoded AOS/VS DUMP_II dumpfile containing the AOS/VS C-Kermit
  executable and supporting text files.

kermit/test/bin/
  Also contains selected C-Kermit executables for UNIX, VMS, AOS/VS, and
  others.  See the READ.ME file in that directory for a list.

kermit/test/text/ckcker.upd
  Documentation for all features new to edits 189 and 190.  Use this as
  a supplement to the user manual, "Using C-Kermit" and/or "C-Kermit
  Einfuehrung und Referenz".

kermit/test/text/ckc190.upd
  Detailed edit history and test results.

kermit/test/text/ckaaaa.hlp
  A text file describing all of the C-Kermit files and which ones are needed
  for each type of system, including the sources files, which are all in the
  the kermit/test/text directory.

Some of the binaries for this version might not be quite up to date, and in
a few cases might be missing altogether.  The stragglers will be installed 
as they arrive.  (If you are able to provide any of the missing our outdated
ones, please let me know.)

The public Beta testing period should be relatively short because this
version has already been tested thoroughly by a smaller (though still quite
large) group.  Please send testing results to kermit@columbia.edu.
Hopefully we can have the new release out of Beta quickly -- e.g. in time
for the Fall semester.  Thanks.

- Frank

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 15 Jun 93 16:30:00 EDT
From: Frank da Cruz <fdc@columbia.edu>
Subject: Announcing C-Kermit 5A(189)
Keywords: C-Kermit 5A, Hebrew
Keywords: Efficiency, Performance, Control-Character Prefixing
Keywords: Prefixing of Control Characters, TCP/IP, OS/2

This is to announce C-Kermit 5A(189) for UNIX, VMS, OS/2, AOS/VS, and some
other operating systems.  This is a minor update of C-Kermit 5A(188).  The
major new features are:

 . Control-character unprefixing.
 . Hebrew character-set translation.
 . New APC command for use with MS-DOS Kermit.
 . TCP/IP support for OS/2 systems equipped with IBM TCP/IP.
 . Terminal emulation scrollback improvements for OS/2.
 . Sliding window protocol error-recovery improvements
 . Support for Process Software TCPware for VMS
 . Many new and/or improved UNIX makefile entries, especially for SCO
 . OUTPUT command improvements: buffering, pacing control
 . POSIX improvements: file timestamps, access to hostname
 . RS/6000 AIX improvements, primarily RTS/CTS flow control
 . VMS improvements, including GNU CC support, better operation under VAX PSI
 . Numerous minor bug fixes

The two major new features -- control-character unprefixing and Hebrew
character-set translation, are described in the announcements above, and also
in the new "update" file, CKCKER.UPD, which serves as a new supplement to
the book "Using C-Kermit".  See the CKC189.UPD file for full details of all
the changes.

The OUTPUT command improvements increase the speed of the OUTPUT command,
which is important on X.25 networks and for I/O-intensive script programs, and
they also allow you to slow OUTPUTs down, for example when interacting with
devices that can't accept characters at the full transmission speed.

OS/2 C-Kermit now supports TCP/IP connections, just like the UNIX, (Open)VMS,
and AOS/VS versions do, with all the same features, for OS/2 2.x systems
equipped with IBM TCP/IP.  The new TCP/IP support requires a small but
important change in the C-Kermit installation procedure for OS/2 systems that
are NOT equipped with TCP/IP.  Be sure to read the READ.ME file for details.
Or, better still, run the new automatic installation procedure contributed by
Jeffrey Altman.  Files needed for the OS/2 version:

OS/2 Name     watsun.cc.columbia.edu   KERMSRV@CUVMA   Remarks

 READ.ME       kermit/b/ckoaaa.hlp      CKOAAA DSK     READ-ME file (read it!)
 INSTALL.CMD   kermit/b/ckoins.cmd      CKOINS CMD     Install procedure

 CKOKER32.EXE  kermit/bin/ckoker32.exe   (none)        32-bit binary
  (none)       kermit/b/ckoker32.boo    CKOKER32 BOO   Same, BOO-encoded 
 CKOSYSL.CK2   kermit/bin/ckosysl.ck2    (none)        32-bit SYSLEVEL info
  (none)       kermit/b/ckosys32.boo    CKOSYS32 BOO   Same, BOO-encoded
 CKOTCP32.DLL  kermit/bin/ckotcp32.dll   (none)        32-bit dummy TCP/IP DLL
  (none)       kermit/b/ckotcp32.boo    CKOTCP32 BOO   Same, BOO-encoded

 CKOKER16.EXE  kermit/bin/ckoker16.exe   (none)        16-bit binary
  (none)       kermit/b/ckoker16.boo    CKOKER16 BOO   Same, BOO-encoded 
 CKOSYSL.CK1   kermit/bin/ckosysl.ck2    (none)        16-bit SYSLEVEL info
  (none)       kermit/b/ckosys16.boo    CKOSYS16 BOO   Same, BOO-encoded
 CKOTCP16.DLL  kermit/bin/ckotcp16.dll   (none)        16-bit dummy TCP/IP DLL
  (none)       kermit/b/ckotcp16.boo    CKOTCP32 BOO   Same, BOO-encoded

 CKERMIT.CMD   kermit/b/ckermit.cmd     CKERMIT CMD    Sample startup file
 CKERMIT.ICO   kermit/bin/ckoker.ico     (none)        Desktop Icon
  (none)       kermit/b/ckoicon.boo     CKOICON BOO    Same, BOO-encoded

 CKERMIT.INI   kermit/b/ckermit.ini     CKERMIT INI    Standard init file
 CKERMOD.INI   kermit/b/ckermod.ini     CKERMOD INI    Sample customizations
 CKERMIT.KDD   kermit/b/ckermit.kdd     CKERMIT KDD    Sample dial directory
 CKERMIT.KSD   kermit/b/ckermit.ksd     CKERMIT KSD    Sample service dir.
 CKCKER.UPD    kermit/b/ckcker.upd      CKCKER UPD     Updates documentation
 CKCKER.BWR    kermit/b/ckcker.bwr      CKCKER BWR     C-Kermit "beware" file
 CKOKER.BWR    kermit/b/ckoker.bwr      CKOKER BWR     "beware" file for OS/2
 CKOVTK.INI    kermit/b/ckovtk.ini      CKOVTK INI     VT102 keypad map

For convenience, all these files have been collected together into a ZIP file:

 CKOKER.ZIP    kermit/bin/ckoker.zip     (none)        All OS/2 C-Kermit files
  (none)       kermit/b/ckozip.boo      CKOZIP BOO     Same, boo-encoded

For other versions, some of the binaries are available, others might not have
come in yet.  Binaries are located in kermit/bin/ck*.  See kermit/bin/READ.ME
(text).  VMS binaries are available for VAX/VMS (no TCP/IP), VAX/VMS (TGV
MultiNet), VAX/VMS (DEC UCX), AXP/VMS (no networks) as ckv*.exe, and also in
kermit/b/ckv*.hex (to be decoded with VMSDEH or CKVDEH -- same thing).  The
Data General AOS/VS binary is in kermit/bin/ckdker.pr, also available as a
uuencoded dumpfile in kermit/b/ckdker.uue.  Various UNIX binaries are in
kermit/bin/cku*.*; additional ones will be added as they arrive, space
permitting.

The complete source files and online documentation are in kermit/b.  Begin by
getting the file ckaaaa.hlp and reading it for a guide to which files you
need.  All files in kermit/b are also available on BITNET via KERMSRV at CUVMA
with the same names, but converted to uppercase.

Thanks to Jeffrey Altman, William Bader, Stefaan Eeckels, William Glass,
Hunter Goatley, Michael Godfrey, Terry Kennedy, Lawrence Kirby, Tom Kloos,
Fulvio Marino, Kai Uwe Rommel, Warren Tucker, Eduard Vopicka, and many others
for their help with this release.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Nov 92 16:40:17 EST
From: Christine M Gianone <cmg@watsun.cc.columbia.edu>
To: Info-Kermit
Subject: Info-Kermit Digest V16 #6
Reply-To: Info-Kermit@watsun.cc.columbia.edu
Queries-To: Info-Kermit-Request@WATSUN.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU

Info-Kermit Digest         Mon, 23 Nov 1992        Volume 16 : Number 6

Today's Topics:
        Announcing C-Kermit 5A


Digest submissions may be sent to Info-Kermit@WATSUN.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU or
KERMIT@CUVMA.BITNET.  Requests for addition to or deletion from the
Info-Kermit subscriber list should be sent to LISTSERV@CUVMA.BITNET or
LISTSERV@CUVMA.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU.  These messages must be of the form:

  SUBSCRIBE I$KERMIT <your-personal-name>    (To start a subscription)
  UNSUBSCRIBE I$KERMIT                       (To cancel a subscription)
  REGISTER I$KERMIT <your-personal-name>     (To correct your name)

Kermit files may be obtained over networks and by mail order.  On the
Internetwork, use FTP to log in to host WATSUN.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU, a SUN-4/280
running UNIX (SUNOS 4.1), IP host number 128.59.39.2.  Login as user anonymous
(note, lower case), any password, and GET or MGET (MULTIPLE GET) the desired
files.  The file kermit/read.me is a general guide to where things are.  The
Kermit files are in directories kermit/a, kermit/b, kermit/c, kermit/d, and
kermit/e.  Test versions are in kermit/test.  All files in these directories
should be transferred in text (ASCII) mode.  Binaries are in kermit/bin (use
ftp in binary mode).  All files on watsun have lowercase names, and case is
significant.

You can also get Kermit files over the BITNET/EARN network; to get started
send a message with text HELP to KERMSRV, the Kermit file server, at host
CUVMA.  For detailed instructions, read the file kermit/a/aanetw.hlp
(AANETW.HLP on KERMSRV).  To order by mail, request a complete list of Kermit
versions and an order form from Kermit Distribution, Columbia University
Center for Computing Activities, 612 West 115th Street, New York, NY 10025
USA.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Nov 92 16:59:59 EST
>From: Christine M Gianone <cmg@watsun.cc.columbia.edu>
Subject: Announcing C-Kermit 5A
Keywords: C-Kermit 5A, UNIX Kermit, VMS Kermit, Amiga Kermit
Keywords: Atari ST Kermit, OS/2 Kermit, OS-9 Kermit, AOS/VS Kermit
Keywords: Sliding Windows, Script Programming, International Character Sets
Keywords: TCP/IP and C-Kermit
Xref: Commodore Amiga, See Amiga
Xref: OpenVMS, See VMS

I am delighted to FINALLY announce the FINAL release of C-Kermit version 5A,
for UNIX, VMS, OpenVMS, OS/2, AOS/VS, OS-9, the Commodore Amiga, and the
Atari ST.  The edit number is 188.  C-Kermit was written by Frank da Cruz
of Columbia University with contributions from hundreds of other programmers
all over the world.  Version 5A is the product of three and a half years of
development; the previous release of C-Kermit was 4E(072), released in
January 1989.  Version 5A was first announced for public Beta testing in
Info-Kermit V15 #2, 18 February, 1992.  The second and final Beta test was
announced in V16 #5, 13 Nov 1992.  The second beta test, though short, proved
quite successful, and therefore the software is being released.

C-Kermit 5A(188) is available for the following operating systems:

 . UNIX, practically all versions: AIX, ULTRIX, SunOS, BSD, System V, etc
 . VAX and AXP VMS and OpenVMS
 . Data General MV systems with AOS/VS
 . PCs and PS/2s with OS/2 1.0 and 2.0
 . Microware OS-9
 . The Commodore Amiga
 . The Atari ST

The major improvements in version 5A since version 4E are:

 . Improved file transfer efficiency:  sliding windows, longer packets,
   locking shifts, dynamic packet length, automatic parity detection.
 . Character-set translation for both file transfer and CONNECT mode,
   including West European, East European, Cyrillic, and Japanese.
 . Improved CONNECT-mode performance.
 . Dialing improvements, support for more modems, a new dialing directory.
 . The ability to make TCP/IP and other network connections.
 . A powerful, easy-to-use script programming language similar to MS-DOS
   Kermit's.
 . File attribute packet support to convey file size, type, date, and
   character-set.
 . New file collision options.
 . New server features, including security.
 . FULLSCREEN file transfer display available in VMS, OS/2, OS-9, and most
   UNIX implementations.
 . Ability to transfer files with IBM mainframes through non-transparent
   3270 protocol converters.
 . Non-error-checked file transfer via TRANSMIT and LOG SESSION.
 . Commands can be interrupted and C-Kermit returned to its prompt.
 . In UNIX, C-Kermit can be suspended and continued in the fore- or background.
 . More systems supported, including many more varieties of UNIX.
 . Support for hardware flow control on selected systems.
 . Improvements in every area too numerous to list.

Special highlights:

C-Kermit 5A includes extensive support for VMS and OpenVMS on VAX and Alpha
AXP platforms, including detailed knowledge of the VMS file system and a
special method for encoding complex VMS files for transmission and archival,
thanks to Terry Kennedy of Saint Peters College.  It also supports three
different TCP/IP networking products for VMS: DEC, TGV, and Wollongong; thanks
in particular to folks at TGV, DEC, and Wollongong for their help.

The OS/2 version includes built-in VT102 and VT52 terminal emulators with key
mapping, screen rollback, printer control, color selection, and communications
features including both software and hardware flow control and, if you have
PATHWORKS installed on your PC, support for DECnet LAT connections.  Thanks to
Kai Uwe Rommel of the Technical University of Munich for a great deal of work
on the OS/2 specifics.

The Data General AOS/VS version is brand-new and fully up to date, the first
upgrade to this program since version 4D in May 1987, thanks to Eugenia
Harris at DG.  It includes all the major features of version 5A, including
built-in TCP/IP support.

The OS-9 specifics were done by Christian Hemsing, RWTH, Aachen.  Thanks.
The Commodore Amiga specifics are from Steve Walton.  Thanks.
The Atari ST support is from Bruce J. Moore.  Thanks.

DOCUMENTATION

Like MS-DOS Kermit 3.x, C-Kermit 5A comes with a book, "Using C-Kermit" by
Frank da Cruz and Christine M. Gianone, published by Digital Press,
Burlington, MA, USA, Digital Press ISBN: 1-55558-108-0, Prentice Hall ISBN:
0-13-037490-3.  US single-copy price: $34.95; quantity discounts available.
Publication is still in progress, and should be complete in mid-January 1993.
In the USA, call DECdirect toll-free 1-800-344-4825 to order; use order number
EY-J896E-DP.  Major credit cards accepted.

HOW TO GET IT

C-Kermit 5A(188) is available on the Internet via anonymous ftp from
host watsun.cc.columbia.edu [128.59.39.2], using text (ASCII) mode, in the
directory kermit/b/, and on BITNET/EARN from host CUVMA through the
KERMSRV file server, in the main area.  Warning: some files might have records
longer than 80, making it impossible for KERMSRV to MAIL them to you.

You can also order C-Kermit 5A on magnetic media (diskette, 9-track tape, TK50
cartridge, or quarter-inch tape cartridge) from Columbia University by mail
order as "Tape B" (see the order form, kermit/a/aaxfly.doc or aaxfly.ps).

The C-Kermit filenames all start with the letters "ck" (for C-Kermit).  The
third letter in the filename is used for grouping: c = Portable C, u =
UNIX-specific, v = VMS-specific, etc.  The following sections give brief
synopses of the files needed for each version.  A detailed description of
the file naming conventions and organization is given in the file
ckaaaa.hlp.  Notation:

    *   = matches any string of characters
  [abc] = matches the single character a, b, or c

GENERAL TEXT FILES

  ckaaaa.hlp   Explanation of file naming conventions
  ckcplm.doc   C-Kermit "program logic manual"
  ckccfg.doc   C-Kermit configuration info
  ckcker.bwr   General C-Kermit beware file
  ckuker.doc   plain-text user manual (still for edit 179)
  ckuker.ps    Postscript user manual (ditto)
  ckcker.upd   Detailed description of changes since edit 179

INITIALIZATION AND COMMAND FILES

  ckermit.ini  Standard initialization file for all versions
  ckermod.ini  Sample user-modification (customization) file for all versions
  ckermit.kdd  Sample Kermit Dialing Directory
  ckermit.ksd  Sample Kermit Services Directory

NOTE: Some of the binaries listed below are not yet at edit 188 level.  They
will be installed as soon as they arrive.

THE UNIX VERSION

  UNIX sources:     ck[cuw]*.[cwh] (+ ckustr.sed for 2.1x BSD)
  UNIX build:       ckuker.mak (for 2.1xBSD, use ckubs2.mak)
  UNIX docs:        ckuins.doc, ckuker.bwr, ckuker.nr
  UNIX binaries:    There are some UNIX binaries in kermit/bin/wermit.*,
		    use ftp in binary mode:

		      wermit.next         - NeXT OS 2.0 or 3.0
		      wermit.sun4         - SunOS 4.1.1, sparc
		      wermit.sv386r4      - i368 with Dell System V R4

  There is also a compressed tar archive of the UNIX sources and makefile
  in kermit/bin/cku188.tar.Z, which you can ftp in BINARY mode.

To build the UNIX version, rename ckuker.mak (or ckubs2.mak) to makefile, read
the comments at the top of the makefile to select the make-option appropriate
for your computer, and then give the appropriate "make" command, for example
"make bsd", "make sunos41", "make sys5r4", etc (there are about 150
possibilities).  Read the makefile and the file ckuins.doc for further
installation instructions.

THE (Open)VMS VERSION

  VMS sources:      ck[cuwv]*.[cwh], plus ckvcvt.c (labeled-file decoder)
  VMS build:        ckvker.com (DCL), ckvker.mak (VMS MAKE), or
		    ckvker.mms (MMS).  Instructions: ckvins.doc.
  VMS executable:   ckvker.hex, use ckvdeh.mar to decode it into .EXE format.
		    NOTE: this executable does not include TCP/IP support.
  VMS docs:         ckvker.hlp, ckvins.doc, ckvker.bwr

To get a version of VMS C-Kermit that includes TCP/IP networking support, you
must build from source code on a VMS system that has a C compiler and
libraries plus the TCP/IP libraries for DEC, TGV, or Wollongong TCP/IP.

THE OS/2 VERSION

  OS/2 sources:     ck[cuwo]*.[cwh], ckwart.def, ckoker.def
  OS/2 build:       ckoker.mak
  OS/2 executable:  ckoker16.boo (unboo with ckbunb.c)              (16-bit)
		    ckoker32.boo (ditto)                            (32-bit)
		    or kermit/bin/ckoker16.exe (ftp in binary mode) (16-bit)
		    or kermit/bin/ckoker32.exe (ditto)              (32-bit)
  OS/2 doc:         ckoker.bwr

    OS/2 C-Kermit comes in a 16-bit version (required for OS/2 1.x) and a
    32-bit version (only works on OS/2 2.x).  See ckoker.bwr for details.

THE DATA GENERAL AOS/VS VERSION

  AOS/VS sources:     ck[cuwd]*.[cwh]
  AOS/VS build:       ckd*.cli
  AOS/VS executable:  kermit/bin/ckdker.df (binary, dumpfile format)
		      ckdker.uue (uuencoded, decode with ckdeco.c)
  AOS/VS doc:         ckdins.doc, ckdker.bwr

THE OS-9 VERSION

  OS-9 sources:     ck[cuw9]*.[cawh]
  OS-9 build:       ck9ker.mak or ck9ker.gcc
  OS-9 executable:  ck9ker.boo (unboo with ckbunb.c) (for OS-9 2.2 - 2.4)
		    ck9ker.bin (ftp in binary mode)
  OS-9 doc:         ck9ker.bwr, ck9ker.doc

THE AMIGA VERSION

  Amiga sources:    ck[cuwi]*.[cwh]
  Amiga build:      ckiker.mak (use Aztec C V5.0b)
  Amiga executable: ckiker.boo (for edit 178 -- unboo with ckbunb.c)
		    kermit/bin/ckiker.exe (ftp in binary mode)
  Amiga doc:        ckiker.bwr, ckiker.doc (old)

THE ATARI ST VERSION

  Atari ST sources: ck[cuws]*.[cwh]
  Atari build:      cksker.mak
  Atari executable: cksker.boo (full version, unboo with ckbunb.c).
		    kermit/bin/cksker.ttp (full version, ftp in binary mode)
		    kermit/bin/cksncp.ttp (no cmd parser,ftp in binary mode)
  Atari doc:        (none yet)

Please report successes or failures to Frank da Cruz, FDCCU@CUVMA.BITNET
or fdc@watsun.cc.columbia.edu.  Thanks again to the hundreds of people who
helped with the development and testing of C-Kermit 5A.

------------------------------

End of Info-Kermit Digest
*************************


Date: Fri, 13 Nov 92 11:42:56 EST
From: Christine M Gianone <cmg@watsun.cc.columbia.edu>
To: Info-Kermit
Subject: Info-Kermit Digest V16 #5
Reply-To: Info-Kermit@watsun.cc.columbia.edu
Queries-To: Info-Kermit-Request@WATSUN.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU

Info-Kermit Digest         Fri, 13 Nov 1992        Volume 16 : Number 5

Today's Topics:
        Announcing C-Kermit 5A(186), The Final Beta Test

Digest submissions may be sent to Info-Kermit@WATSUN.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU or
KERMIT@CUVMA.BITNET.  Requests for addition to or deletion from the
Info-Kermit subscriber list should be sent to LISTSERV@CUVMA.BITNET or
LISTSERV@CUVMA.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU.  These messages must be of the form:

  SUBSCRIBE I$KERMIT <your-personal-name>    (To start a subscription)
  UNSUBSCRIBE I$KERMIT                       (To cancel a subscription)
  REGISTER I$KERMIT <your-personal-name>     (To correct your name)

Kermit files may be obtained over networks and by mail order.  On the
Internetwork, use FTP to log in to host WATSUN.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU, a SUN-4/280
running UNIX (SUNOS 4.1), IP host number 128.59.39.2.  Login as user anonymous
(note, lower case), any password, and GET or MGET (MULTIPLE GET) the desired
files.  The file kermit/read.me is a general guide to where things are.  The
Kermit files are in directories kermit/a, kermit/b, kermit/c, kermit/d, and
kermit/e.  Test versions are in kermit/test.  All files in these directories
should be transferred in text (ASCII) mode.  Binaries are in kermit/bin (use
ftp in binary mode).  All files on watsun have lowercase names, and case is
significant.

You can also get Kermit files over the BITNET/EARN network; to get started
send a message with text HELP to KERMSRV, the Kermit file server, at host
CUVMA.  For detailed instructions, read the file kermit/a/aanetw.hlp
(AANETW.HLP on KERMSRV).  To order by mail, request a complete list of Kermit
versions and an order form from Kermit Distribution, Columbia University
Center for Computing Activities, 612 West 115th Street, New York, NY 10025
USA.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 10 Nov 44, 13:30:00 EST
>From: Christine M Gianone <cmg@watsun.cc.columbia.edu>
Subject: Announcing C-Kermit 5A(186), The Final Beta Test
Keywords: C-Kermit 5A, UNIX Kermit, VMS Kermit, Amiga Kermit
Keywords: Atari ST Kermit, OS/2 Kermit, OS-9 Kermit, AOS/VS C-Kermit
Keywords: Sliding Windows, Script Programming, International Character Sets
Keywords: TCP/IP and C-Kermit
Xref: Commodore Amiga, See Amiga
Xref: OpenVMS, See VMS

The final Beta release of C-Kermit 5A, Version 5A(186) BETA-8, is ready for
public testing.  This will be a relatively short testing period.  The final
release of version 5A should occur in a few weeks.

C-Kermit 5A is available for:

 . UNIX, practically all versions: AIX, ULTRIX, SunOS, BSD, System V, etc
 . VAX and AXP VMS and OpenVMS
 . Data General MV systems with AOS/VS
 . PCs and PS/2s with OS/2 1.0 and 2.0
 . Microware OS-9
 . The Commodore Amiga
 . The Atari ST

The changes since the first Beta release, 5A(179), on February 8th, 1992,
which was announced in Info-Kermit V15 #2, are:

SYSTEMS AND NETWORKS SUPPORTED

 . New support for Data General AOS/VS, including TCP/IP
 . Many new UNIX versions supported
 . OpenVMS AXP support
 . DEC TCP/IP, Wollongong TCP/IP, and TGV MultiNet TCP/IP support in (Open)VMS
 . Improved performance and functionality on VMS and OpenVMS
 . DECnet LAT supported in OS/2 version, and many OS/2-specific improvements

COMMUNICATIONS AND DIALING

 . Dialing directory feature added
 . Many new controls over the dialing process
 . Improved support for Telebit, Hayes, and Hayes-compatible modems
 . New support for CCITT and Digitel modems
 . New commands for managing TCP/IP connections and TELNET protocol
 . Improved support for hardware flow control
 . Improved SunLink X.25 support
 
KERMIT FILE TRANSFER

 . New support for IBM fullscreen file transfers (See Info-Kermit V16 #1)
 . New fullscreen and crt file transfer displays for local-mode file transfer
 . Standard "KERMIT READY TO xxx ..." messages at beginning of file transfer

PLUS:

 . New support for East European (Latin-2) character sets.
 . Improved script programming controls
 . Many, many bugs fixed and (hopefully) not too many new ones introduced

Before reporting bugs in this version of C-Kermit, please read the file
ckcker.bwr, the general C-Kermit "beware" file, plus the system-specific
beware file for your system, e.g. ckuker.bwr for UNIX, ckvker.bwr for VMS.

HOW TO GET IT

C-Kermit 5A(186) BETA is available on the Internet via anonymous ftp from
host watsun.cc.columbia.edu [128.59.39.2], using text (ASCII) mode, in the
directory kermit/test/, and on BITNET/EARN from host CUVMA through the
KERMSRV file server, in the T: area.  Warning: some files might have records
longer than 80, making it impossible for KERMSRV to MAIL them to you.

You can also order C-Kermit 5A on magnetic media (9-track tape, TK50
cartridge, or quarter-inch tape cartridge) from Columbia University by mail
order as "Tape T" (see the order form, kermit/a/aaxfly.doc or aaxfly.ps).

The C-Kermit filenames all start with the letters "ck" (for C-Kermit).  The
third letter in the filename is used for grouping: c = Portable C, u =
UNIX-specific, v = VAX/VMS-specific, etc.  The following sections give brief
synopses of the files needed for each version.  A detailed description of
the file naming conventions and organization is given in the file
ckaaaa.hlp.  Notation:

    *   = matches any string of characters
  [abc] = matches the single character a, b, or c

GENERAL TEXT FILES

  ckaaaa.hlp   Explanation of file naming conventions
  ckcplm.doc   C-Kermit "program logic manual"
  ckccfg.doc   C-Kermit configuration info
  ckcker.bwr   General C-Kermit beware file
  ckuker.doc   plain-text user manual (still for edit 179)
  ckuker.ps    Postscript user manual (ditto)
  ckcker.upd   Detailed description of changes since edit 179

THE UNIX VERSION

  UNIX sources:     ck[cuw]*.[cwh] (+ ckustr.sed for 2.1x BSD)
  UNIX build:       ckuker.mak (for 2.1xBSD, use ckubs2.mak)
  UNIX docs:        ckuins.doc, ckuker.bwr, ckuker.nr
  UNIX binaries:    There are some UNIX binaries in kermit/bin/wermit.*,
		    use ftp in binary mode:

		      wermit.aviion.5.4   - DG Aviion, DG/UX 5.4
		      wermit.du42         - DECstation 5800 Ultrix 4.2
		      wermit.next         - NeXT OS 2.0 or 3.0
		      wermit.rs6000       - RS/6000 AIX 3.1
		      wermit.sun4         - SunOS 4.1.1, sparc
		      wermit.sv386r4      - i368 with Dell System V R4

		    The last one *might* run on other i366/486 PCs with
		    other USL-based System V R4 implementations.

  There is also a compressed tar archive of the UNIX sources and makefile
  in kermit/bin/cku186.tar.Z, which you can ftp in BINARY mode.

To build the UNIX version, rename ckuker.mak (or ckubs2.mak) to makefile,
read the comments at the top of the makefile to select the make-option
appropriate for your computer, and then give the appropriate "make" command,
for example "make bsd", "make sunos41", "make sys5r4", etc.  Read the
makefile and the file ckuins.doc for further installation instructions.

THE (Open)VMS VERSION

  VMS sources:      ck[cuwv]*.[cwh], plus ckvcvt.c (labeled-file decoder)
  VMS build:        ckvker.com (DCL), ckvker.mak (VMS MAKE), or
		    ckvker.mms (MMS).  Instructions: ckvins.doc.
  VMS executable:   ckvker.hex, use ckvdeh.mar to decode it into .EXE format.
		    NOTE: this executable does not include TCP/IP support.
  VMS docs:         ckvker.hlp, ckvins.doc, ckvker.bwr

To get a version of VMS C-Kermit that includes TCP/IP networking support, you
must build from source code on a VMS system that has a C compiler and
libraries plus the TCP/IP libraries for DEC, TGV, or Wollongong TCP/IP.

THE OS/2 VERSION

  OS/2 sources:     ck[cuwo]*.[cwh], ckwart.def, ckoker.def
  OS/2 build:       ckoker.mak
  OS/2 executable:  ckoker16.boo (unboo with ckbunb.c)              (16-bit)
		    ckoker32.boo (ditto)                            (32-bit)
		    or kermit/bin/ckoker16.exe (ftp in binary mode) (16-bit)
		    or kermit/bin/ckoker32.exe (ditto)              (32-bit)
  OS/2 doc:         ckoker.bwr

    OS/2 C-Kermit comes in a 16-bit version (required for OS/2 1.x) and a
    32-bit version (only works on OS/2 2.x).  See ckoker.bwr for details.

THE DATA GENERAL AOS/VS VERSION

  AOS/VS sources:     ck[cuwd]*.[cwh]
  AOS/VS build:       ckd*.cli
  AOS/VS executable:  kermit/bin/ckdker.df (binary, dumpfile format)
		      ckdker.uue (uuencoded, decode with ckdeco.c)
  AOS/VS doc:         ckdins.doc, ckdker.bwr

THE OS-9 VERSION

  OS-9 sources:     ck[cuw9]*.[cawh]
  OS-9 build:       ck9ker.mak or ck9ker.gcc
  OS-9 executable:  ck9ker.boo (unboo with ckbunb.c) (for OS-9 2.2 - 2.4)
		    ck9ker.bin (ftp in binary mode)
  OS-9 doc:         ck9ker.bwr, ck9ker.doc

THE AMIGA VERSION

  Amiga sources:    ck[cuwi]*.[cwh]
  Amiga build:      ckiker.mak (use Aztec C V5.0b)
  Amiga executable: ckiker.boo (for edit 178 -- unboo with ckbunb.c)
		    kermit/bin/ckiker.exe (ftp in binary mode)
  Amiga doc:        ckiker.bwr, ckiker.doc (old)

THE ATARI ST VERSION

  Atari ST sources: ck[cuws]*.[cwh]
  Atari build:      cksker.mak
  Atari executable: cksker.boo (full version, unboo with ckbunb.c).
		    kermit/bin/cksker.ttp (full version, ftp in binary mode)
		    kermit/bin/cksncp.ttp (no cmd parser,ftp in binary mode)
  Atari doc:        (none yet)

Please report successes or failures to Frank da Cruz, FDCCU@CUVMA.BITNET
or fdc@watsun.cc.columbia.edu.  Thanks again to the hundreds of people who
helped with the development and testing of C-Kermit 5A.

------------------------------

End of Info-Kermit Digest
*************************


Date:         Tue, 18 Feb 1992 11:39:16 EST
Reply-To: Info-Kermit%watsun.cc.columbia.edu@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu
Sender: INFO-KERMIT Digest <I-KERMIT%CUVMA.BITNET@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu>
From: Christine M Gianone <cmg%watsun.cc.columbia.edu@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu>
Subject:      Info-Kermit Digest V15 #2
Comments: To: Info-Kermit@watsun.cc.columbia.edu
To: Multiple recipients of list I-KERMIT <I-KERMIT@CUVMA.BITNET>

Info-Kermit Digest         Tue, 18 Feb 1992        Volume 15 : Number 2


                            Today's Topic:

                       Announcing C-Kermit 5A BETA


Digest submissions may be sent to Info-Kermit@WATSUN.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU or
KERMIT@CUVMA.BITNET.  Requests for addition to or deletion from the
Info-Kermit subscriber list should be sent to LISTSERV@CUVMA.BITNET or
LISTSERV@CUVMA.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU.  These messages must be of the form:

  SUBSCRIBE I-KERMIT <your-personal-name>    (To start a subscription)
  UNSUBSCRIBE I-KERMIT                       (To cancel a subscription)
  REGISTER I-KERMIT <your-personal-name>     (To correct your name)

Kermit files may be obtained over networks and by mail order.  On the
Internetwork, use FTP to log in to host WATSUN.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU, a SUN-4/280
running UNIX (SUNOS 4.1), IP host number 128.59.39.2.  Login as user anonymous
(note, lower case), any password, and GET or MGET (MULTIPLE GET) the desired
files.  The Kermit files are in directories kermit/a, kermit/b, kermit/c,
kermit/d, and kermit/e.  Test versions are in kermit/test.  All files in these
directories should be transferred in text (ASCII) mode.  Binaries are in
kermit/bin (use ftp in binary mode).  You can also get Kermit files over the
BITNET/EARN network; to get started send a message with text HELP to KERMSRV,
the Kermit file server, at host CUVMA.  For detailed instructions, read the
file kermit/a/aanetw.hlp (AANETW.HLP on KERMSRV).  To order by mail, request a
complete list of Kermit versions and an order form from Kermit Distribution,
Columbia University Center for Computing Activities, 612 West 115th Street,
New York, NY 10025 USA.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 Feb 92 23:31:00 EST
From: Christine M Gianone <cmg@watsun.cc.columbia.edu>
Subject: Announcing C-Kermit 5A BETA
Keywords: C-Kermit 5A, UNIX Kermit, VAX/VMS Kermit, Amiga Kermit
Keywords: Atari ST Kermit, OS/2 Kermit, OS-9 Kermit
Keywords: Sliding Windows, Script Programming, International Character Sets
Keywords: TCP/IP and C-Kermit
Xref: Commodore Amiga, See Amiga

We are very pleased to announce the availability of C-Kermit version 5A,
edit 179, for public Beta testing.  Over three years in the making, C-Kermit
5A was written by Frank da Cruz of Columbia University with contributions
from hundreds of other programmers all over the world.  Its major new
features include:

ADVANCED KERMIT FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL

Sliding window packet protocol, up to 31 window slots, for improved
efficiency, especially on connections with long delays (public networks,
satellites, etc).  The maximum packet size has been increased to 9024.
Sliding windows and long packets can be used together.  Using combinations
of long packets and sliding windows, file transfer efficiencies up to about
95% can be achieved (and more when Kermit can compress the data).

CHARACTER-SET TRANSLATION

C-Kermit translates character sets during text-file transfer and terminal
emulation.  Most Roman-alphabet-based character sets are supported, as well
as Cyrillic character sets and Japanese Kanji.  A new locking-shift
mechanism is provided for efficient transfer of Kanji and other
predominantly 8-bit character sets in the 7-bit communication environment.

SCRIPT LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING

C-Kermit now has a powerful and easy-to-use script programming language
similar to MS-DOS Kermit's.  Write script programs to automate your logins,
interact automatically with remote computers or services, and even run your
scripts late at night, unattended, when phone rates are lower and networks
less congested.

NETWORK SUPPORT

On UNIX computers that have Berkeley Sockets libraries and a TCP/IP
connection, and on VAX/VMS systems with TGV MultiNet, C-Kermit now can make
TCP/IP TELNET connections.  Unlike regular TELNET, C-Kermit brings its
script language capabilities and character-set translation ability to the
Internet world.  And unlike FTP, C-Kermit can translate text file character
sets as part of the file transfer process.  On SUN computers with SunLink
X.25, X.25 connections are also supported.

SYSTEMS SUPPORTED BY C-KERMIT

C-Kermit 5A is available for the following platforms:

 - Most known variations of UNIX including V7, 2.x BSD, 4.x BSD, AT&T
   System III and System V R2, R3, and R4, POSIX, Ultrix, SUNOS, NeXT OS, AIX,
   HP-UX, DGUX, IRIX, SCO XENIX, DNIX, UMAX, RTU, DYNIX, PTX, etc, etc, on
   hardware platforms of all makes, models, sizes, and shapes
 - VAX/VMS, including a completely new RMS interface
 - OS/2 1.3 and 2.0
 - Commodore Amiga
 - Atari ST
 - OS-9

Full ANSI C and/or POSIX compliance can be selected.

OTHER NEW FEATURES

Kermit File Transfer Protocol:
  Packet lengths shrink and grow dynamically based on the quality of the
    connection.
  Even, Odd, or Mark parity is detected automatically during packet
    operations.
  Low-level packet readers and writers recoded for increased efficiency.
  File transfer performance improvements (see below)
  Transfer of files with international character set translation (see below)
  Sending and recognition of file attribute (A) packets:
    File size, creation date, file type, character set, system ID.
    Incoming file's creation date set from Attribute packet.
    Control of use of attributes via SET ATTRIBUTES.
  Automatic entry into binary or text mode when receiving files that specify
    the file type in the attribute packet.
  New MSEND command to send a list of files ("msend foo.* dir/*.c aaa bbb")
  New MAIL and REMOTE PRINT commands (work in both directions).
  SET FILE COLLISION { APPEND, BACKUP, DISCARD, OVERWRITE, RENAME, UPDATE }
  REMOTE SET commands are now supported in both directions.
  REMOTE LOGIN, LOGOUT, and KERMIT commands (client end only).
  GET, BYE, FINISH, REMOTE commands now work in both local & remote modes.
  SET ATTRIBUTES ON/OFF can be used to enable/disable attribute packets.
  DISABLE and ENABLE commands to control client access to server functions.
  Ability to read packets without terminators, based on length field.
  Printable start-of-packet character now supported.
  Packet buffers allocated dynamically, overall size specifiable by user.
  Ability to run external protocols.
  Increased maximum number of files that can be sent in a single operation.

Non-Error-Checked File Transfer:
  New TRANSMIT command for uploading text files, complete with character
    set translation and many other options via SET/SHOW TRANSMIT.
  LOG SESSION for downloading text files or capturing other screen data,
    complete with character-set translation and TEXT/BINARY mode selection.

Command parser:
  Expansion of variables and functions in commands (see below).
  Partial as well as full completion of filenames.
  Improved error and help messages.
  Commands in progress can be interrupted, with return to prompt.

Macros and variables, compatible with MS-DOS Kermit:
  DEFINE macros and variables.
  ASSIGN variable's current value to another variable.
  INCREMENT and DECREMENT numeric variables by 1 (or any other number).
  Execute macros using DO or just by giving their name.
  Arguments are passed as parameters \%1..\%9
  Global variables \%a..\%z (and others).
  Access to environment variables via \$(name).
  Access to builtin Kermit named variables via \v(name), e.g. \v(date).
  Long variable names: \m(name).
  Backslash notation for numbers and characters as in MS-DOS Kermit.
  Dynamically allocated space for macro names and definitions.
  Variables and backslash codes in all commands are fully expanded.

And beyond MS-DOS Kermit (at least for now!):
  Built-in string and arithmetic functions.
  User-defined functions.
  Arrays.

Script programming language, mostly compatible with MS-DOS Kermit:
  INPUT, OUTPUT, REINPUT, PAUSE, GOTO, IF, ASK, ASKQ, ECHO, STOP, END,
  GETOK, and other new commands.
  INPUT, PAUSE, and WAIT interruptible from keyboard.
  SET INPUT, SET TAKE, SET MACRO, SET SCRIPT commands to control echoing,
    error handling.
  WRITE <log> <string>.
  OPEN, READ, WRITE/APPEND, and CLOSE local files.
  FOR and WHILE loops, which may be nested.
  BREAK and CONTINUE allowed in FOR and WHILE loops.
  Trailing comments ; like this one, allowed in all contexts.
  Command line continuation using hyphen (-) or backslash (\).
  Relaxed prefixing rules; backslashes no longer doubled.
  Conditional branching or execution of commands via IF. The IF command:
    May have an ELSE part.
    IF NOT can be used to reverse the truth of the following condition.
    IF <, IF =, IF > for numeric variables.
    IF EQUAL, LLT, LGT for string comparison.
    IF NUMERIC for checking numbers.
    IF COUNT for looping.
    IF EXIST for files.
    IF DEFINED for variable and macro names.
    IF SUCCESS, IF FAILURE based on success of previous command.
  Extended IF statement (XIF) allows nested, compound parts.

Terminal emulation:
  Key-mapping via SET KEY command
  SET TERMINAL CHARACTER-SET
  SET TERMINAL LOCKING-SHIFT
  SET TERMINAL NEWLINE-MODE
  Flexible session logging
  TELNET protocol
  New escape functions: Suspend, Shell, Send Long BREAK, etc
  Improved efficiency

Other:
  Improved use of Xon/Xoff software flow control during file transfer.
  Ability to use RTS/CTS hardware flow control when host computer supports it.
  Ability to couple to external protocols via open file descriptor (UNIX).
  Many file-format-related options for VMS.
  Tilde-expansion in local UNIX filenames (~ = home directory).
  Ability to ask shell to expand wildcards ("send ck[cuw]*.{[cwh],{doc,ps}}").
  Alternative initialization filename specifiable on command line with -y.
  Kermit "application files" start Kermit automatically (UNIX only).
  Correct handling of Suspend interrupt (Ctrl-Z) in UNIXes with job control.
  New SUSPEND (Z) command.
  New TYPE command, interruptible by Ctrl-C.
  New PRINT command.
  New DELETE command.
  New RENAME command.
  Command synonyms added for compatibility with MS-DOS Kermit: RUN, PUSH, etc.
  And with UNIX: RM, LS, etc.
  And with VMS: SET/SHOW DEFAULT, SPAWN, @, etc
  SHOW command divided into SHOW FILE, SHOW PROTOCOL, SHOW COMMUNICATIONS, etc.
  SET SPEED no longer required with SET LINE - current speed used by default.
  75/1200 Split-speed communication supported in some implementations.
  Improved control and monitoring of modem signals.
  Improved interaction with Hayes modems.
  Support for speed-matching modems.
  Support for many new modem types including Telebit, Microcom.
  New SET DIAL command controls: HANGUP, TIMEOUT, INIT-STRING, DISPLAY, etc.
  New REDIAL command.
  Compatibility with new and distributed (struct dirent) file systems.
  Improved use of UUCP lockfiles.
  Improved operation and security when run setuid/setgid on UNIX.
  Improved handling of disk-full and disk-write errors.
  More detailed and accurate statistics reporting.
  New debugging display available during CONNECT.
  Append mode available for all logs.
  Under UNIX, Kermit no longer appears "idle" while transferring files.
  Program exit status code now reflects protocol success/failure.
  EXIT n explicitly sets program's exit status code to n.
  Many new additions and improvements to UNIX makefile.
  Simplification and expansion of makefile configuration options.
  New documentation - user manual, man page, improved built-in help text.
  Many bugs fixed.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

C-Kermit 5A has been a three-year cooperative effort involving hundreds of
people in all parts of the world.  It is not possible to list them all here
(but we have tried to keep track of them in the documentation); here is a very
much abbreviated list of just a few of the major designers, developers, and
testers:

   Chris Adie, Edinburgh U, Scotland (OS/2 support)
   William Bader, Moravian College (VMS, mostly)
   Fuat Baran, formely of Columbia University (lots of help)
   Jim Barbour, U of Colorado
   Donn Baumbartner, Dell
   Jack Bryans, California State U at Long Beach
   Nelson Beebe, U of Utah
   John Chandler, Harvard U / Smithsonian Astronomical Observatory
   Joe R Doupnik, Utah State U (many, many things)
   Kristoffer Eriksson, Peridot Konsult AB, Oerebro, Sweden (many things)
   Marcello Frutig, Catholic University, Sao Paulo, Brazil (X.25 support)
   Hirofumi Fujii, Japan National Lab for High Energy Physics, Tokyo (Kanji)
   James Harvey, Indiana/Purdue U (VMS)
   Chuck Hedrick, Rutgers U
   Ron Heiby, Motorola
   Christian Hemsing, RWTH Aachen, Germany (OS-9)
   Mark Johnson, Apple Computer
   Luke Jones, AT&T
   Peter Jones, U of Quebec at Montreal (MIPS)
   Sergei Kartashoff, Inst. of Precise Mechanics & Computer Equipment, Moscow
   Howie Kaye, Columbia University (lots of help)
   Terry Kennedy, St Peter's College, Jersey City, NJ (VAX/VMS, 2.11 BSD)
   John Klensin, MIT (standards, sage advice)
   Bo Kullmar, Central Bank of Sweden, Kista, and ABC-Klubben (many things)
   Bob Larson, USC (OS-9 and more)
   Bert Laverman, Groningen University, Netherlands
   David MacKenzie, Environmental Defense Fund, University of Maryland
   Fulvio Marino, Olivetti, Ivrea, Italy
   Peter Mauzey, AT&T
   Bruce J Moore, Allen-Bradley Co, Highland Heights, OH (Atari ST)
   Andre Pirard, U of Liege, Belgium (character sets)
   Paul W Placeway, (formerly of) Ohio State U (Macintosh & more)
   Piet W Plomp, ICCE, Groningen University, Netherlands
   Manfred Prange, Oakland U (Coherent)
   Frank Prindle, NADC
   Alan Robiette, Oxford University, UK (VMS)
   Kai Uwe Rommel, Technische Universitaet Muenchen (OS/2)
   Larry Rosenman (Amiga)
   Jay S Rouman, U of Michigan
   Benn Schreiber, DEC
   Steven Schultz, Contel
   Gisbert W Selke, WIdO, Bonn, Germany
   Warren Tucker, Tridom Corp, Mountain Park, GA (many things)
   Konstantin Vinogradov, ICSTI, Moscow (Cyrillic and more)
   Stephen Walton, Calif State U, Northridge (Amiga)
   Jamie Watson, Switzerland (RS/6000)
   Ken Yap, formerly of the U of Rochester
   Michael Yaroslavtsev, Inst. Precise Mechanics & Computer Equipment, Moscow

HOW TO GET IT

C-Kermit 5A(179) BETA is available on the Internet via anonymous ftp from host
watsun.cc.columbia.edu [128.59.39.2], using text (ASCII) mode, in the
directory kermit/test, and on BITNET/EARN from host CUVMA through the KERMSRV
file server, in the T: area.  Warning: some files might have records longer
than 80, making it impossible for KERMSRV to MAIL them to you.

You can also order C-Kermit 5A on magnetic media (9-track tape, TK50
cartridge, or quarter-inch tape cartridge) from Columbia University by mail
order as "Tape T" (see the order form, kermit/a/aaxfly.doc or aaxfly.ps).

The C-Kermit filenames all start with the letters "ck" (for C-Kermit).  The
third letter in the filename is used for grouping: c = Portable C, u =
UNIX-specific, v = VAX/VMS-specific, etc.  The following sections give
brief synopses of the files you will need for each version.  A detailed
description of the file naming conventions and organization is given in the
file ckaaaa.hlp.  Notation:

    *   = match any string of characters
  [abc] = match the single character a, b, or c

ALL VERSIONS

All C-Kermit versions include the files ckc*.c, ck*.h, and ckcpro.w.  These
files implement the Kermit file transfer protocol.  The user manual is
ckuker.doc (plain text), ckuker.ps (postscript).  It applies to all
versions, but (so far) includes system-specific information only for UNIX,
VAX/VMS, OS/2, Amiga, and OS-9.

THE UNIX VERSION

  UNIX sources:     ck[cuw]*.[cwh]
  UNIX build:       ckuker.mak (for 2.1xBSD, use ckubs2.mak)
  UNIX executable:  (none, build from source code)
  UNIX doc:         ckuker.doc, ckuker.ps

To build the UNIX version, rename ckuker.mak (or ckubs2.mak) to makefile,
read the comments at the top of the makefile to select the make-option
appropriate for your computer, and then give the appropriate "make" command,
for example "make bsd", "make sunos41", "make sys5r4", etc.  Read the file
ckuins.doc for further instructions and hints.

  There is also a compressed tar archive of the UNIX sources in
  kermit/bin/cku179.tar.Z, which you can ftp in BINARY mode: 595K.

THE VAX/VMS VERSION

This version is not quite finished.  Work on an interrupt-driven
communications I/O module is still in progress.  However, the file system
interface is more or less complete, and is quite advanced, thanks to endless
and unenviable hours of work by Terry Kennedy of St Peter's College in New
Jersey.  The result is quite usable, provided you don't push the
communications too hard (very long packets and/or big sliding window sizes),
especially on small, slow, or old VAXes.

A special feature of VMS C-Kermit 5A is called "labeled files", which allows
VMS files of any type to be transmitted to a foreign system and then
brought back to a VMS system with all their attributes and formats intact --
or for that matter, between two VMS systems directly.

  VMS sources:      ck[cuwv]*.[cwh], plus ckvcvt.c (labeled-file decoder)
  VMS build:        ckvcdt.com plus ckvker.com (DCL), ckvker.mak (VMS MAKE),
                    or ckvker.mms (DEC MMS)
  VMS executable:   ckvker.hex, use ckvdeh.mar to decode it into .EXE format.
  VMS doc:          ckuker.doc, ckuker.ps

THE OS/2 VERSION

C-Kermit was originally adapted to OS/2 by Chris Adie, of Edinburgh University
in Scotland in 1988.  Kai Uwe Rommel of the Technical University of Munich in
Germany has brought Chris's version up to date and added many new features in
the bargain.  This program runs in an OS/2 window under both OS/2 1.3 and 2.0,
performs VT102 emulation complete with key mapping, screen rollback, etc.

  OS/2 sources:     ck[cuwo]*.[cwh], ckwart.def, ckoker.def
  OS/2 build:       ckoker.mak
  OS/2 executable:  ckoker.boo (unboo with ckbunb.c), kermit/bin/ckoker.exe
  OS/2 doc:         ckuker.doc, ckuker.ps

THE COMMODORE AMIGA VERSION

The adaptation of C-Kermit 5A to the Amiga was handled by Steve Walton,
California State University at Northridge.  The original adaptation (for
C-Kermit 4E) was done by Jack Rouse of the "Software Distillery" in 1986.
The files are:

  Amiga sources:    ck[cuwi]*.[cwh]
  Amiga build:      ckiker.mak (use Aztec C V5.0b)
  Amiga executable: ckiker.boo, kermit/bin/ckiker.exe
  Amiga doc:        ckuker.doc, ckuker.ps

THE ATARI ST VERSION

This one is hot off the press, just in from Bruce J Moore of Allen-Bradley
Company in Highland Heights, Ohio.  This is not a desktop application; it
must be run under a character-mode shell like msh (which comes with Mark
Williams C), gulam, ksh, or bash.

  Atari ST sources: ck[cuws]*.[cwh]  (Mark Williams C)
  Atari build:      cksker.mak
  Atari executable: cksker.boo (decode with ckbunb.c), kermit/bin/cksker.ttp
  Atari doc:        cksker.bwr (more coming)

THE OS-9 VERSION

OS-9 is a UNIX variant from Microware Systems Corporation, designed mainly
for the real-time processing environment, mostly on Motorola CPUs.  C-Kermit
5A was adapted to OS-9/68K by Christian Hemsing, RWTH Aachen, Germany, and
Bob Larson of the University of Southern California.

  OS-9 sources:     ck[cuw9]*.[cwh]
  OS-9 build:       ck9ker.mak or ck9ker.gcc
  OS-9 executable:  (None, build from source code using cc or gcc)
  OS-9 doc:         ckuker.doc, ckuker.ps

OTHER VERSIONS

Macintosh Kermit is not at BETA level yet.  Much work remains to be done and
is, in fact, underway at this moment.  Announcements to come in forthcoming
Info-Kermit Digest issues.

Previous editions of C-Kermit were available for Apollo Aegis and Data General
AOS/VS.  The Aegis version appears to be pretty much dead; most people run
a UNIX-like environment on Apollos now, under SR10.  The Apollo SR10 UNIX
environments are fully supported by the UNIX version.

Work on updating the Data General AOS/VS support has recently begun.  Watch
this space for announcements.

Anybody who might have plans to adapt C-Kermit to any other kind of system,
please contact us first so we can keep all efforts coordinated.

DOCUMENTATION

Much of the documentation listed below needs additional work.  Improved
documentation will be announced as it becomes available.

  ckaaaa.hlp   Explanation of file naming conventions
  ckaplm.doc   C-Kermit "program logic manual"
  ckuker.ann   This message
  ckuker.doc   plain-text user manual, UNIX and VMS
  ckuker.ps    Postscript user manual, UNIX and VMS
  ckuker.mss   Scribe source for user manual + ckuhdr.mss
  ckuker.nr    UNIX man page, NROFF source (NEEDS WORK!)
  ckuins.doc   UNIX and VMS installation instructions, plain text
  ckuker.bwr   UNIX and VMS "Beware file", plain text
  ckvker.bwr   VAX/VMS-specific "beware file", plain text (mostly obsolete?)
  ckvker.hlp   VAX/VMS help file, for VMS HELP command (needs updates)
  ckiker.bwr   Amiga beware file
  ck9ker.bwr   OS-9 beware file
  ckuker.upd   C-Kermit program update history, plain text, BIG

As you might guess from the contents of this message, C-Kermit has grown
considerably in size and complexity since version 4E.  Consequently, many of
its features are now deselectable via feature-selection switches at compile
time: network support, script programming language, character sets, etc.  This
is necessary when the target computer (or compiler or linker) does not have
the capacity (memory or address space) to support this version in its full
glory.  The feature-removal techniques are documented in the file
ckuins.doc, and the various build procudures (UNIX makefile, etc) show which
(if any) features are removed from which versions.  In most versions, the
SHOW VERSION command also lists which features are present and which are
absent.

WHAT NEXT?

As far as features are concerned, this is the end of C-Kermit 5A.  Bugs will
be fixed, support for various systems will be updated, and then it will
replace version 4E(072) as the standard, supported, released version.  New
features will be added to future releases.

Please report successes or failures to Frank da Cruz, FDCCU@CUVMA.BITNET
or fdc@watsun.cc.columbia.edu.

------------------------------

End of Info-Kermit Digest
*************************