RE: TK Added Value Items

> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected] 
> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Gerhard Postpischil
> Sent: 23 April 2010 01:24
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: Re: [turnkey-mvs] TK Added Value Items
> 
> 
> On 4/22/2010 3:43 PM, Tony Harminc wrote:
> > I'm not sure what the desired result of such support is. If 
> you want 
> > actually functionality, just use a TN3270 on the desktop 
> platform of 
> > your choice. If you want authenticity, use a real 327x, perhaps 
> > connected via a token-ring 3174. Or use a line-mode ASCII terminal 
> > connected via the 270x support.
> 
> I've considered the latter, but it's on my to-do list at a very 
> low priority.
> 
> The primary advantage of using the protocol converter is that it 
> provides ASCII CRT support with existing software, whereas the 
> TWX attach mode has neither screen services nor available 
> software. The other advantage is that it allows the use of 
> hardware tabs, which makes program entry much easier. Since I 
> still don't have a working Wylbur (chokes on ASM XF, and 804s on 
> Tachyon), this would be a nice alternative.
> 

Gerhard,

I can't see any point in doing 7171 support as if you have a LINUX, Solaris
or BSD box then you can get ASCII CRT support via TN3270. If you look at my
pics in the VM/370 group:-

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/H390-VM/photos/album/1040167207/pic/list

You can see my TeleVideo Personal Terminal (TV/PT) connected as a 3270 to
VM/370 via my Sparc U60. The TV/PT connects directly to one of the serial
ports on the U60 and runs a "C" shell so I have VI and EMACS on the U60. It
also runs C3270 to connect to Hercules running on my Windows/XP box. I think
I get 14 PF keys (I must admit I don't use it often, the screen on the TV/PT
is small and the keyboard makes a PET keyboard look usable) "hardware" TAB
etc. 

I have used a real 7171 and I would say the above gives almost exactly the
same functionality and feel. For example with the above set-up as the TV/PT
has only a limited set of control codes I had to create new TERMCAP and
TERMINFO entries for it, and I use a custom keyboard map in C3270. I recall
that to do the same on a 7171 required a special program on an IBM PC/XT (or
was it an AT) that extracted config files from the 7171.

Given this I can't see any point in adding 7171 or Yale ASCII support to
Hercules. Perhaps it would be worth providing a cook book for how to set
this up, and seeing if it could be made to work in Windows. I don't see why
it couldn't be made to work on Windows using one of the many UNIX for
Windows tool sets, such as CYGWIN, but as I have a SparcStation20 and a
SparcU60 I haven't really bothered. In fact if it won't work on Windows
directly I could probably produce a 7171/Yale Ascii VMWare appliance that
would run under the VMWare player/or the VMWare server and which would give
the same sort of function. Given that no "X" windows is needed this could be
a very light VM.....

> 
> 
> Gerhard Postpischil
> Bradford, VT
> 
> 

Dave
G4UGM
Illegitimi Non Carborundum