CURRENT STATE OF MACINTOSH KERMIT As of: Mon Dec 27 13:41:30 1993 The last formal release of Mac Kermit was 0.9(40) in 1988. Unfortunately, it does not work very well on newer Macintoshes or Systems. However, newer versions are reportedly too big for 512K Macs or below, so you'll have to run 0.9(40) on these old models. A great deal of work has been done on the program since 1988, but the result (so far) is still not of release quality, though it is quite suitable for many purposes. The current pre-pre-release of Mac Kermit (still far from a final release) is 0.99(189), based on C-Kermit 5A(189). It is available via anonymous FTP from watsun.cc.columbia.edu [128.59.39.2], directory kermit/b. A comprehensive user manual will be published when the final release is complete. Sorry, I can't give any reasonable estimate about when that will be. Watch Info-Kermit (or comp.protocols.kermit, same thing) for further announcements. You can subscribe to the Info-Kermit Digest by sending email to LISTSERV@CUVMA.BITNET (or LISTSERV@CUVMA.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU) containing the text: SUBSCRIBE I$KERMIT your-personal-name-here Mac Kermit files, ftp in text mode: ckmker.hqx -- current prerelease of Mac Kermit in BinHex 4.0 format ckm0940.hqx - version 0.9(40) in BinHex 4.0 format ckmker.doc -- user documetation for 0.9(40), the previous release (1988) ckmker.ps -- PostScript version of user documentation for 0.9(40) ckmker.bwr -- Notes about current prerelease ckmker.fon -- Notes about the new Mac Kermit terminal emulation font and in the kermit/charsets directory: maclatin.* -- The new Mac Kermit font itself You might also find an even newer development copy of Mac Kermit in the kermit/test directory, also called ckmker.hqx (as of this writing, edit 190 is under development, and has several important fixes for Mac users). The new release is being worked on, in fits and starts, by a widely scattered group of volunteer programmers. Progress is slow. The most common complaints about 0.99(189) are: 1. The print menu is dimmed (see below). 2. Port selection is not saved in a Settings file. 3. Problems with filenames during file transfer (hopefully fixed in edit 190). 4. Poor (or broken) default mappings for some keys. 5. Conflicts with INITs -- especially those concerned with fonts. 6. You can't run two copies of Mac Kermit at the same time. 7. Crashes reported on certain Mac models (PB100, SE30, LCIII) when certain features are used. Read the ckmker.bwr ("beware file") for details. Because Mac Kermit is based on C-Kermit 5A, much of the material in "Using C-Kermit" applies, especially to the command window (DIAL command, script programming language, etc), even though the book does not discuss Mac Kermit explicitly. Frank da Cruz and Christine M. Gianone, "Using C-Kermit", Digital Press, Burlington, MA, 1993, 514 pages. Order Number: EY-J896E-DP Digital Press ISBN: 1-55558-108-0 Prentice Hall ISBN: 0-13-037490-3 US single-copy price: $34.95; quantity discounts available. Available in computer bookstores or directly Columbia University: Kermit Development and Distribution Columbia University Academic Information Systems 612 West 115th Street New York, NY 10025 USA Telephone: (USA) 212 854-3703 Domestic and overseas orders accepted. Price: $34.95 (US, Canada, and Mexico), $45 elsewhere. Orders may be paid by MasterCard or Visa, or prepaid by check in US dollars. Add $35 bank fee for checks not drawn on a US bank. Price includes shipping. Do not include sales tax. Here is how printing currently works in Mac Kermit. Everybody knows there is a Print item in the File menu, but it is dimmed so you can't use it. These items become active when Mac Kermit's terminal emulator receives certain escape sequences: ESC [ 5 i (or) ESC [ ? 5 i -- Start capturing text for printer ESC [ 4 i (or) ESC [ ? 4 i -- Stop capturing text for printer After receiving the "printer off" sequence, the print items can be used. These sequences are typically generated by a "PCPRINT" program. Examples of PCPRINT programs are available via anonymous from kermit.columbia.edu, directory kermit/a: mspupc.sh (A UNIX shell script) msvupc.com (A VMS DCL command file) There is also a TPRINT program for IBM mainframes running VM/CMS. NOTE: As of edit 190, the Print menus have changed somewhat, but the operation is substantially the same. When transparent print material arrives, a box appears on the screen saying "Capturing text to be printed", and when the transparent print operation is complete, the "Print captured text" menu item is activated. There is a new "Print..." item which is undimmed at all times, but apparently does not do anything.