Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2 Path: news.uiowa.edu!news.uiowa.edu!uunet!in1.uu.net!newsfeed.internetmci.com!news.msfc.nasa.gov!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!lll-winken.llnl.gov!fnnews.fnal.gov!nntp-server.caltech.edu!news.ridgecrest.ca.us!owens!croton From: Cyrus Roton Subject: Apple ii Comm programs X-Sender: croton@owens X-Nntp-Posting-Host: owens Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Message-ID: Sender: usenet@ridgecrest.ca.us (Ridgenet Usenet admin) Content-Transfer-Encoding: QUOTED-PRINTABLE Organization: RidgeNet - SLIP/PPP Internet, Ridgecrest, CA. (619) 371-3501 Mime-Version: 1.0 Date: Fri, 25 Aug 1995 01:08:09 GMT Lines: 182 The subject keeps coming up. Maybe this will help some folks. Apple II Communications Programs TIC - Talk is Cheap TIC is a ProDOS based terminal program for the Apple //e and Apple //c pers= onal computers with an Apple Super Serial card or equivalent in slot 2 and = an optional printer attached to slot 1. TIC also supports the Apple IIgs w= ith either an Apple Super Seri al card plugged into slot 2 or using the built-in IIgs serial port. TIC can do screen emulation of many popular terminals. The default is TTY (= no emulation). You may use the supplied DEFTERM basic program to define you= r own terminals. Note that TIC can only emulate terminals that are based on= binary codes. This leaves out the VT-100/VT-200 series since they are based on ascii codes. This may be = a serious handicap for Internet uses, but perhaps one of the supplied emula= tion would be useable. This program supports file transfer protocols: xmodem, xmodem crc, ymodem, = ymodem crc, turbo xmodem/ymodem and Ascii Express (tm USII) protocol for Pr= oDOS file transfers. Ascii text uploads are also supported using x-on/x-off= protocol with user selectable prompt, character, and line delays. This is a Shareware program. In return for $30 you get a nice manual, techn= ical support, and update notices. The downloaded version includes an abbrev= iated documentation file intended to give you enough information about TIC = to let you try it out, and the program isn't quite all inclusive either'. Don Elton 3207 Berkeley Forest Drive Columbia, SC 29209-4111 803 776 3936 (300-2400 baud) -------------------------- Comm.System v1.8 (COMM 8) This Apple II freeware Comm.System runs on the II Plus (64K), IIe, IIc, IIc= Plus and IIgs, automatically determining the cpu type and activating any P= roDOS-recognized 80 column card. It runs in 40 columns on the II Plus and I= Ie if no 80 column card is fou nd. Apple IIc and IIgs computers have built-in modem ports that Comm.System can= use. All other systems require either the Apple Super Serial Card or compa= tible interface in slot 2, or the Applied Engineering DataLink 2400 in slot= 2. Comm.System does NOT suppo rt any other interfaces. If you have a IIgs, it assumes you have an externa= l modem connected to the modem port and will not support any other configur= ation. But, it should work with just about any Hayes compatible modem. Comm.System always uses 8 data bits, no parity, and 1 stop bit to communica= te, and works in full duplex (no echo), or half duplex (echo). --------------------------------------- DCOM 3.3 DCOM does one thing, it emulates a VT100 (or VT200) terminal without the ad= ditional fluff of file transfer or keyboard macros. It does allow printing = the screen. DCOM is written entirely in 6502 assembly language and is started from a sm= all BASIC program at boot time. It does not use interrupts and can operate = at speeds as fast as 7200 baud when using =D2dumb=D3 interface cards. What = that means is, you can set the bau d rate on the card, and DCOM will not change it. If you use a "smart" card,= DCOM will let you set the baud rate at 300, 1200, 2400. (Editor note: I ha= ve modified a copy to set 9600 baud on a Super Serial Card, and to ignore c= ommands to change it. One thin g about DCOM, it is not difficult to modify. The documentation gives enough= info to allow re-programming.) Before you can successfully run DCOM, you must know a few things about the = hardware connected to your computer.=20 If you don't have a true upper/lower case keyboard, you MUST have the shif= t key of the keyboard wired to paddle button number two in order to get upp= ercase letters.) If your 80 column card does not emulate one of the devices on the list, the= n you cannot use DCOM. Please see the section about writing your own driver= at the end of the manual. If your serial card does not appear on the list, experiment with the =D2Gen= eric Pascal Compatible=D3 driver or the ALS dispatcher driver. They usually= work with most anything. If you aren't running on a //c you will be asked = what slot your serial card is loca ted in. DCOM needs to know how to dial your modem. If you are connected directly to= a network or host, those options are available. If you're not sure, choose= the =D2DUMB=D3 option from the menu and dial the phone manually. When you type =D4S=D5 your settings will be saved to the disk and loaded ev= erytime the computer is powered up. ----------------------------------------- Z-Link Z-Link is a program for the Apple // that is small, fast, and powerful. It = includes everything you'd expect from a good modem program - capture buffer= , terminal emulation, a split-screen person to person chat mode, and the ab= ility to transmit and receive=20 files using several different protocols including XMODEM/Checksum, XMODEM/C= RC-16, YMODEM/CRC-16, and YMODEM/Batch and compatability with Ascii Express= Pro/Mousetalk file transfer. Soon, there will be a Binary II transfer mode= .. The program currently runs o n an Apple //c, Apple //e, or Apple //GS under ProDOS 8. Z-Link will work on a //c, a //GS, or an enhanced //e with a 128k 80 column= board in slot 3 and Super Serial Card (or *exact* equivalent). If your ca= rd can't generate interrupts, then Z-Link won't work as it wholly depends o= n them for every aspect of the program. If you are using an internal modem (such as the DataLink by Applied Enginee= ring), be sure that it "looks" like a Super Serial Card and it is capable o= f generating interrupts. (I really don't know which internal modems are cap= able of what and how compatibl e they each may be).=20 Z-Link comes with a terminal emulator that can handle Heath h19 (otherwise = known as VT52) and VT100 (or ANSI) terminals. The vt100 emulation is curren= tly quite robust, but bugs exist. If you locate a bug, let the author know.= =20 Upload a file (Send): The default upload prefix is displayed, and you may = simply type the name of a file which is in that directory, or you may type = in a comlete pathname.=20 Option 1 is the standard Xmodem transfer mode. Option 2 is an Ascii Express compatable transfer mode. The AE protocol is a= slight addition to the XMODEM/Checksum protocol in that it sends ProDOS fi= le attributes after the file is sent. AE will step down to XMODEM/Checksum = if the other end doesn't seem=20 to want to talk. Option 3 is similar to XMODEM/CRC except that it uses 1k data packets. This= reduces the time overhead when sending huge files. Option 4 is a new batch transfer protocol developed by Chuck Forsberg. The = UNIX programs rb and sb support YMODEM/Batch, as do several programs in the= IBM world. It allows the transfer of several files (hence Batch) while ret= aining all file attributes.=20 Option 5 is a straight ASCII dump. It is intended for sending text files on= ly. Download a file (Receive): This is very much like the Upload section, excep= t that you can't do ASCII receive here (you would noramlly use the Capture = Buffer). Hit OA-? and the help screen will pop up.=20 The Macro Editor There is a separate macro editor written and graciously donated by David Ly= ons (of DAVEX fame) which will allow you set up macros to do just about any= thing. Any key or key+modifier (such as Closed Apple) can be turned into a = macro key. ShareWare P.S. Don't forget the $25 shareware fee.=20 Dave Whitney 450 Memorial Drive Cambridge MA 02139 dcw@goldilocks.mit.edu Cyrus Roton croton@ridgecrest.ca.us Ridgecrest Apple User Group