SUMMARY: Telecommunications Software

From: Jack Stewart (jack@ccsf.caltech.edu)
Date: Tue Dec 24 1991 - 00:50:41 CST


Original Question: What telecommunications software (along the lines of Versaterm Pro ) are available for the Sun.

Short Answer: Not much. Kermit and pcomm will provide basic terminal emulation. For users looking to emulate TCPIP on a dialup, ppp might be the best bet.

I have a user who has taken their Sun home for a few months to work from home. I was wondering what sort of Telecommunications software there might be out there. I was hoping for something along the lines of Microphone II or Versaterm Pro, preferably with an X or OpenWindows Interface.

There are absolutely no commercial products that I could find for the Sun. I am almost absolutely positive that none exist. Probably the best public domain implementations along those lines are Kermit and pcomm. They are both available via anonymous ftp (use archie to get the site closest to you). Kermit is slow are reliable and easy to use for those people who are used to in. Pcomm is a program that is loosely modeled on procomm and will allow for zmodem transfers. The user I was setting this

 prefered kermit over pcomm so I didn't get too close of a look at the latter.

If you are looking for something more sophisticate, and you can get the modems (i.e. T3000's) to make it worthwhile, PPP (Point to Point Protocol) might be the solution. This will allow you to "plug" into the network over dialup lines. It seems to be a more reliable (noise tolerant) communication than SLIP. There are several public domain and commercial implementations. It was something a little more that what I needed for this particular case, but I might look into it for myself.

Just as an observation, I find it amazing that there are no commercial products (along the lines Versaterm). I know that Microphone II is available for the NeXT (which has a much much smaller market share of the Unix workstation market than Sun). I also suspect that something is available for SYSV boxes. It might say alot about the ways that Suns are being used ...

---Jack

-- 
Jack Stewart                                     E-Mail: jack@CCSF.Caltech.EDU
Caltech Concurrent Supercomputing Facility,       Phone: 818-356-2153
Mail Stop # 158-79, 391 S. Holliston, 
Pasadena, CA 91125.                            #include  <std.disclaimer>



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