From: baffoni@aludra.usc.edu (Juxtaposer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Connect ... what is it?
Date: 5 Nov 1992 19:04:23 -0800
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: aludra.usc.edu

 
	Wolfgang asked me to post this for him.
-MikeB
_____________________________________________________________________
  Hi,

  With all of the posting going on about the various terminal programs
(STORM, STalker, etc.), several people have asked me to post about my 
terminal program CoNnect, so here is a discription that should help to
compare/contrast between them.

  First, I would like to point out that CoNnect nearly fulfills all of 
STORM's promised features. Internal multitasking, multitasking down/uploads
using GEMRZSZ.ACC, vt52 through vt220 emulation and so on.

  Features missing in CoNnect are the editor (which will be developed
soon) and the Basic-Interpreter. From my point of view a Basic
Interpreter is less flexible than CoNnect's CoSHy, the internal
Unix-Shell compatible Script language, which you can use to access
your remote's and the host's system from one commandline. Constructs like
loops, branches and functions can be done using CoSHy as well 
as any basic interpreter. In conjunction with the powerfull tools 
available with MiNT (ls, cat, awk, sed, ...) which can be 
accessed directly from CoSHy's commandline or from scripts, this
script language, which can also access CoNnect's terminal capabilities,
is one of the most powerful tools available in terminal programms
so far. In addition to this, CoNnect is able to learn from the user's
activities and produces CoSHy scripts to repeat e.g. news polling, 
login procedures or program up-/download.

  In contrast to STORM, CoNnect supports the terminal emulations
vt52, vt100, vt102, vt220 in nearly all proposed features. 132
colums are implemented as well as bug free scrolling regions,
soft scrolling and double sized characters. CoNnect has no
problems passing the 'vttest' programm _completly_. Even Uniterm
shows bugs in 'vttest'! The latest version of CoNnect even
supports TEK 4014 and allows correct GEM Metafile output
(EZGEM is not necessary like in UniTerm). CoNnect supports both the TT's 
and MEGA STE's special modem ports on baudrates of 38400, 57600 up to even 
153600 baud. 

Several sessions on different ports (including MIDI) can run 
simultaniously in different windows.

  CoNnect is completly based on GEM. It allows you to use GDOS fonts
with or without GDOS. Fonts are added to allow terminal sizes of
25x80 even with scrollbars in the terminal windows.
Screen accellerators like WARP9 or even better NVDI are recommended 
to compensate TOSs slow VDI. CoNnect allows the user to set or unset 
scrollbars, to set or unset the ANSI-Statusline, to define up
to 80 function keys which can be installed for sending text or
starting CoSHy-Scripts (e.g. start an external editor or and 
automatical download by a definable function key).

  CoNnects automatic dialer can store as many numbers the system's
memory allows. Seven numbers can be selected to become dialed
in a loop until a successfull CONNECT. All necessary modem
parameters can be defined for this dialer. The user can define
login scripts for each number separatly.

  For ZyXEL-Modem users CoNnect has the capability to act like an
answering mashine which can be upgraded (using CoSHy) to build one's
own VOICE-mail. This answering machine requires at least one
port running on 38400 baud (like MODEM2 on MEGA STE or TT).

  In conjunction with MiNT/MultiTOS CoNnect offers a lot of new
features. All dialogues are placed in windows so as not to desturb
the multitasking progress. Several shells (like bash or tcsh) can 
run in different windows simultaniosly in addition to the normal 
terminal action. CoNnect is also a MiNT-aware terminal
program which means the slow Bconin() or Bconout() routines
are tabu when running unter MiNT/MultiTOS.

  If you have any problems you can get quick help from either me or
Mike Baffoni (baffoni@aludra.usc.edu) via normal Internet mail.

  And the best. CoNnect's price is nearly half of STORMs. Only
$40,- for this shareware product.  
       
 - Wolfgang Wander