Import of "Kermit 80 for CP/M-80 and CP/M-85" from http://www.columbia.edu/kermit...

[kermit-80.git] / cpk409.ann

Following is the announcement of CP/M-80 Kermit version 4.09, the first
new release of CP/M Kermit since 4.05 since February 1985.

Kermit files may be obtained over networks and by mail order.  On the
Internetwork, use FTP to log in to host CU20B, CU20B.COLUMBIA.EDU, or
CU20B.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU (a DECSYSTEM-20), as user ANONYMOUS, using any password,
and GET (or MULTIPLE GET, or MGET) the desired files from logical device KER:,
e.g. MGET KER:CP*.* for the new CP/M files.  You can also get Kermit files over
BITNET/EARN; to get started send a message with text HELP to KERMSRV, the
Kermit file server, at host CUVMA.  For detailed instructions, read the file
KER:AANETW.HLP (AANETW HLP on KERMSRV).  To order by mail, request a complete
list of Kermit versions and an order form from Kermit Distribution, Columbia
University Center for Computing Activities, 612 West 115th Street, New York, NY
10025 USA.

Date: 8 Jan 88 0:00:00
From: Bertil Schou, Loughborough University, UK
Via: SYSKERMIT%vax1.central.lancaster.ac.uk@NSS.Cs.Ucl.AC.UK
Subject: Announcing Version 4.09 of Kermit-80 for CP/M-80
Keywords: CP/M-80 Kermit 4.09

After an incredibly long gestation period, here is hopefully an updated
version of Kermit-80 V4.05. Kermit-80 V4.08 is issued for testing purposes
only.  Version 4.09 is the release issue of version 4.08.  I still, however,
want any feedback about problems generated in this revision, or others
desperately want fixing.

Superficially, there is little real change in operation of Kermit-80, version
4.05, but there have been some major jobs tackled like trapping BDOS calls and
multiple FCB buffering...

New bits for this version include:
     SET       {SEND/RECEIVE} START-OF-PACKET character
     SET       DIRECTORY-FILE-SIZE (Shows or hides file sizes on 
                 DIRectory displays)
     SET       TERMINAL to OFF, VT52, DUMB, EXTERNAL, QUIET, REGULAR.
     SET       USER to set other user spaces
     RECEIVE   to collect a file from a remote SENDer
     GET       to collect a file from a remote SERVER
     SEND      {local filename} {remote filename}
     TAKE      to take command files from disk (including other take files!)
     FCOPY     Copy CP/M files from within Kermit (no wildcard)
     TYPE      Type a file to the console from within Kermit
     PRINT     Print a file to the printer from within Kermit
     -         Updated  TRANSMIT command that waits for a string of characters
                 from the host (default is CR).
     -         Command line commands, eg:
                    KERMIT ;SET FILE BINARY;SEND FOO.BAR
     -         Automatic TAKE KERMIT.INI on default disk on
                 loading KERMIT-80 (useful for SET BAUD etc.)
     -         Much improved speed on DIRECTORY 
     -         Automatic CLOSE-ing of a terminal connection if the line is
                 DROP-ped (currently only for an Apple, and Torch has a dummy
                 test for cntrl-] D in connect state)
     -         Improved printer handling.

On the negative side, only LASM and Microsoft M80 assemblers can be used to
assemble the source files. I personally see no point in being able to support
several assemblers if LASM can do the job, but then again, I have not used the
MAC80 cross assembler...  Comments on assembler compatabilities, please!

All source files have been renamed, and there are a few additions. All source
files are named in the form CPaxxx.ASM, where:

     a=A for general information
     a=S for system independent source files and hex file
     a=X for system dependent source files
     a=V for system-dependent hex files

The system dependent code has changed a litle too, hopefully bringing the
CPXSYS.ASM (formerly CP4SYS.ASM) file a bit more toward a manageable size.
There is now the possibility for FAMILIES of systems, like APPLE and NorthStar
(also Comart), which contains code for computers of a single type.  I have
immediately gone against all this by creating a family with the code for
Torches, Cifers, Ithacas and Superbrains (this because we have these systems
here at Loughborough.)

Bertil Schou.

[Ed. - Many thanks, Bertil!  And also to Alan Phillips and Steve Jenkins at
Lancaster University for sending this new version to us via transoceanic
magnetic tape, and to the many others in the UK who contributed to this new
release.  This version supports all the systems supported by version 4.05,
with the exception of the HP-125, and with the addition of many more, for a
total of something like 52 systems.  The new files have been installed in
KER:CP*.*, and the old ones moved (on CU20B, anyway) to KO:CP*.*.  CP/M
users, please get this new version and try it out, so we can make sure it's
safe to distribute.  And this is also the time to plead ONCE AGAIN for
volunteers to distribute CP/M Kermit on 5.25-inch diskette for different
kinds of systems, and also in "universal" 8-inch diskette format.  Please
come forward if you can do it, or know of a user group that can!]


CPKERM.MSG       08 Jan 1988
**********

After  an incredibly long gestation peroid,  here is hopefully an 
updated version of Kermit-80 V4.05. Kermit-80 V4.08 is issued for 
testing  purposes  only.  Version  4.09 is the release  issue  of 
version 4.08.  I still, however, want any feedback about problems 
generated in this revision, or others desperately want fixing. 

Superficially,  there  is  little  real change  in  operation  of 
Kermit-80,   version 4.05,   but there have been some major  jobs 
tackled like trapping BDOS calls and multiple FCB buffering... 

New bits for this version include:
     SET       {SEND/RECEIVE} START-OF-PACKET character
     SET       DIRECTORY-FILE-SIZE (Shows or hides file sizes  on 
               DIRectory displays)
     SET       TERMINAL to  OFF,  VT52,  DUMB,  EXTERNAL,  QUIET, 
               REGULAR.   External  is for those wanting to write 
               their  own  drivers,  DUMB  passes  only  printing 
               characters and sone control characters (eg CR/LF).  
               QUIET/REGULAR    permits   brief/verbose    screen 
               displays during transfers.
     SET       USER to set other user spaces
     RECEIVE   to collect a file from a remote SENDer
     GET       to collect a file from a remote SERVER
     SEND      {local filename} {remote filename}
     TAKE      to  take command files from disk (including  other 
               takes files!)
     FCOPY     Copy CP/M files from within Kermit (no wildcard)
     TYPE      Type a file to the console from within Kermit
     PRINT     Print a file to the printer from within Kermit
     -         updated  TRANSMIT command that waits for a  string 
               of characters from the host (default is CR)
     -         Command line commands, eg:
                    KERMIT ;SET FILE BINARY;SEND FOO.BAR
     -         automatic  TAKE  KERMIT.INI  on  default  disk  on 
               loading KERMIT-80 (useful for SET BAUD etc.)
     -         much improved speed on DIRECTORY 
     -         automatic  CLOSE-ing of a terminal  connection  if 
               the line is DROP-ped (currently only for an Apple, 
               and  Torch  has  a  dummy test for  cntrl-]  D  in 
               connect state)
     -         improved  printer  handling.  (Kermit-80 sends  an 
               XOFF to the host if the characters are comming  in 
               faster  than they are printed.  This does not work 
               in  this version,  as another  option,  SET  FLOW-
               CONTROL  has not been fully implemented - also,  I 
               did  not  have  a printer to test this  out  on  a 
               Torch...) 

On the negative side,  only LASM and Microsoft M80 assemblers can 
be used to assemble the source files. I personally see no pont in 
being  able to support several assemblers if LASM can do the job, 
but  then  again,  I have not used the MAC80  cross  assembler... 
Comments on assembler compatabilities, please!

All  source  files  have  been  renamed,  and  there  are  a  few 
additions. All source files are named in the form:







CPaxxx.ASM

where:

     a=A for general information
     a=S for system independent source files and hex file
     a=X for system dependent source files
     a=V for system-dependent hex files

The  system  dependent code has changed a  litle  too,  hopefully 
bringing  the  CPXSYS.ASM (formerly CP4SYS.ASM) file a  bit  more 
toward  a  manageable  size.  There is now  the  possibility  for 
FAMILIES  of  systems,  like APPLE and NorthStar  (also  Comart), 
which  contains  code  for computers of a  single  type.  I  have 
immediately  gone against all this by creating a family with  the 
code for Torches,  Cifers, Ithacas and Superbrains. (This because 
we have these systems here at Loughborough) 

CPXSYS.ASM  is the "left over" systems not having a family to  go 
to  (poor  things),  but is very much smaller than  the  original 
CP4SYS.ASM.

All VDU and terminal information is now held in CPXVDU.ASM.  This 
is really the last section in the older CP4SYS.ASM file.

A quick "schematic" of what happens at assembly time... (assuming 
LASM is being used)

LASM CPXTYP... this then assembles the following:

CPXTYP
 |
 v
CPSDEF
 |
 v
CPXLNK
 |
 v
CPXCOM (Common code for most systems)
 |
 v
CPXSWT-------+----------+-----------+-----------+---- File selector
 |           |          |           |           |
 v           v          v           v       CPXTOR     CPXAPP      CPXNOR      CPX???    one of
 |           |          |           |           |      several
 |           |          |           |           |      Families
 +<----------+----------+-----------+-----------+----
 |
 v
CPXVDU   (if a terminal is required)
 |
 |
 v
<END of assembly>



Users  should  be  aware  of  the  change  both  to  the  linking 






information and start of the overlay address. Since Version 4.05, 
four new entries have been added to the overlay table.   First of 
all,  family  (offset +6),  which is a two byte poiter to a text 
string in the family file.   The remainder are two byte  pointers 
(in  the usual JMP 0 format) to a print status  routne,  (lptstat 
offset 20h),  an optional VDU driver, and a reverse entry back to 
the  system independent BDOS routines (which does a lot more than 
simply pass on the BDOS request to BDOS)

There  have  also  been some bugs fixed in  some  of  the  system 
dependent code, so you would be wise pulling all the source files 
across. 

The overlay address is now 6000h, and will probably change before 
this  revision  is  complete.  The speeding up of  multiple  file 
handling takes its toll on memory,  as there are now 64-ish  FCBs 
buffered. This speeds up the DIRECTORY command no end. 

With  the overlay address at 6000h there is still a lot of  space 
free for more things to be added,  so unless there is a big  hash 
made to Kermit, this will not change.

Most  of  the  Version 4.05 documentation still  holds  for  this 
version  of kermit-80.  Note however the changes in the number of 
system dependent files used, and the use of FAMILY files. 

The  new  commands are  (hopefully)  self-explanatory.  The  TAKE 
command  requires  files  TAKE-n to be pure ASCII  text,  with  a 
control-z as the end of file marker.  Most editors will  probably 
do this for you. 

LASM  and Microsoft M80 assembles are the only ones supported.  I 
suggest LASM be used by default for all further development work, 
though   I   DO  know  that  there  are  others   requestin   M80 
comaptability.  

How to get V4.09 onto your system.
**********************************
If you alread have a Kermit running on your system, you should be 
able  to  pull the CPSKER.HEX and suitable system file  to  yopur 
system,  then MLOAD the two together.   If you dont have  kermit, 
see  if you cannot get a copy from somewhere - it saves a lot  of 
frustrating work.  Failing that, refer to the REAL manuals!

If  you  want  to assemble the sources from  scratch,  pull  all 
CPS*.ASM  files,   and  CPX(TYP  LNK  COM  SWT).ASM  files,   and 
CPXVDU.ASM  if you use a terminal.   You will have to  pluck 
either  CPXSYS./ASM or another family file.   You will also  need 
loads of disk space.   If you run short,  but have a handy IBM PC 
or  clone  with a Mbyte or two free,  use the public  domain  Z80 
emulator Z80MU to develop the .HEX files required.  Also aquire a 
copy  of LASM.   Use LASM it to assemble CPSKER and CPXTYP  after 
editing CPXTYP and selecting a suitable system.    This generates 
CPSKER.HEX and CPXTYP.HEX.

MLOAD the two .HEX files together, eg: 

MLOAD NEWKER=CPSKER,CPXTYP

After this,  you will hopefully have a runnable copy of KERMIT-80 






Version 4.09 on your system. 

Disclaimer:  No  responsibilty can be assumed by anyone as to the 
suitabilty etc.etc.  In otherwords,  you are the one  responsible 
for your implentation of Kermit-80, any version. I will give help 
where I can,  but no guaranttes will be given.  Note that not all 
systems  and  facilities  have  been tested (thats  why  you  are 
getting  involved!) so make sure you have a copy of  4.05  Kermit 
before trying this one! 

Things yet to be done - lots!

There have been moves trying to add other independent modules for 
other terminal emulators other than the VT52. Demands for SERVER, 
REMOTE HOST..., file compression, better TRANSMIT, % of file sent 
and/or  Kbytes  sent/received  as  part  of  the  display  diring 
transfers,  a  lot  of cosmetic tidying up as well as  even  more 
systems  to be added.  CP/M-80 is a slowly dying DOS,  and I feel 
inclined to leave some bits out, like SERVER (how many use really 
large  Winchesters in CP/M-80 systems,  and want true  servers?). 
Does  anyone have a burning desire for these facilities?  And  if 
so, will YOU be willing to take on the job of implementing them? 

If you have any comments,  please E-mail them to  OBSchou (me) at 
Loughborough.  If you really must, try (0509) 222313, but I share 
a phone, so use the phone only if you cannot mail me. 

Best of luck, 

Bertil Schou.