From: kehlet@kehlet.adsp.sub.org (Jesper Kehlet)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.datacomm
Subject: Re: Amiga Comms (was RE: Amiga Kiosks?)
Date: 26 Aug 92 16:56:18 GMT
Organization: Compos Mentis Software Systems
X-NewsSoftware: GRn 1.16e (7/4/92) by Mike Schwartz & Michael B. Smith

In article <1992Aug21.162454.7251@TorreyPinesCA.ncr.com> jgrimm@TorreyPinesCA.ncr.com (Jeffrey Grimmett 9999) writes:

> A demo would be nice.  I'm a bit spoiled by the try-before-you-buy concept
> at this point.  I've been burned by Baud Bandit and MindLink, and am not
> likely to spend 50 clams on another comm program unless I am *very* impressed
> by it.
> 
> BTW, if you can get it to a SAN or ADS fidonet node, you'll get even better
> coverage.

It will go to SAN.


> >Sure ain't!  ;-) Built-in transfer protocols to reduce the library
> >overhead, that is of great importance when doing file transfers...
> >
> >XPR *WILL* be available in the future, but why use them if the built-in are
> >faster and even more reliable?
> 
> Good.  Although there are legit gripes about XPR, it helps to have that
> ability in case someone wants to use something you didn't want to implement.
> Even with his superior ZModem, Jack Radigan still gets ragged on about
> not having XPR abilities in JRC, though I'd bet not 1 in 5 of the gripers
> would actually use it :-)

That's quite a problem.  A company wanted to do a word processing
application for OS/2 & Windows here in Denmark.  They told the programmers
to build in functions like count Chars/Words/Lines/Paragraphs etc. etc.

Now the programmers went to the major two client of that company and asked
them, if they really had a need for it.  The answer was simple:  "No, be
it'd be nice!"

So, basically, it all comes down to making money and keeping everybody happy.


> >And now for the NComm bug stuff:
> >
> >	- When trying to open the serial ports in shared mode (3 lines,
> >
> >	- NComm in general opens the serial port in a bad way.  It simply
> >
> >	- It's SLOW in file transfers.  It uses XPR and very badly
> 
> All but the last, I haven't had trouble with.  The last one, I have noticed
> *plus* seen the same thing in Term.  I have the feeling this is an XPRZModem
> bug instead (tons o' errors, too)

When we go a little beyond the serial.device as we know it, it crashes.
BTW:  not being able to change serial device before starting the program is
a BAD thing.  If you're using RTS/CTS and you're on the wrong serial unit,
NComm hangs -- it has no time-outs!

KAPOW!


> >	- The ANSI is awfully implemented.  I have experienced problems
> >	  with at least 30 BBS's here in Denmark and more than 50 foreign
> >	  ones.  I think this relates to the fact, that NComm uses CON:
> >	  compatible ANSI, so it's very non-compatible.
> 
> I've seen some problems with a few FSE's out there, and that is primarilly
> why I switched to JRC in the first place.  However, JRC I do beleive uses
> the CON: device, too (pipe in anytime, Jack) so if that's the case, we
> can't really blame Con:  Either way, ANSI doesn't work right, agreed.

We can blame CON: for sure, since it has an ANSI implement lacking a lot
of things.

So, if you get your hands on cwrite.library (V1.3-something should be on
SAN), try it, use it for ANSI and you know, what we build into this comms
package.

Of course, we enhanced it a lot more...  you can't really expect to get the
world in PD software, can you?!  ;-)


> *******************************************************************************
> Jeff Grimmett [SuperBitMap BBS]        | fido!1:202/1401.0 [619-460-7290]
> NCR -- Torrey Pines Development Center | Jeffrey.Grimmett@TorreyPinesCA.ncr.com
> ==========    "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."   =============
> *******************************************************************************

-- 
     Jesper Kehlet, Compos Mentis Software Systems -- A Kind Of Magic

        (uunet|pyramid|rutgers)!cbmvax!cbmehq!cbmden!kehlet!kehlet
             cbmehq!cbmden!kehlet!kehlet@cbmvax.commodore.com

      As long as I speak for myself, my employees can do that, too...