=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Terminals News =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Article 3493 of comp.terminals: Path: cs.utk.edu!gatech!udel!news.mathworks.com!transfer.stratus.com!xylogics.c om!Xylogics.COM!carlson From: carlson@Xylogics.COM (James Carlson) Newsgroups: comp.terminals Subject: Re: asking for suggestions for a kermit/linux terminal type Date: 27 Jan 1995 16:04:39 GMT Organization: Xylogics Incorporated Lines: 44 Message-ID: <3gb5in$747@newhub.xylogics.com> Reply-To: carlson@xylogics.com NNTP-Posting-Host: newhub.xylogics.com In article <3gb08p$78n@hearst.cac.psu.edu>, nodog@sabine.psu.edu (Anderson Mills) writes: |> |> I have a Linux box and an 8088 runnng kermit connected together with a |> serial cable. I can specify that the kermit emulate a Heath-19, |> Honeywell VIP7809, VT52, VT100, VT102, VT220, VT320, Tek4010, Prime |> PT200, Data General D463, or D470. I think that the Linux termcap has |> most of these. Now, which one should I choose? Is there one with less |> overhead that would make the connection feel quicker? I assume that I |> should avoid the VT100 if it actually implements some of the bugs that |> the VT102 was supposed to correct (I have no idea if they would do |> that). I looked around at the cs.utk.edu site and wasn't really able to |> find a comparison between different terminals. Any thoughts??? The differences aren't very great. (I can't comment on the VIP or the Prime terminals; I've never written code for them.) The D463 and D470 have the smallest cursor movement sequences of any of those listed (one character for the arrow keys, three characters to set any cursor address). Next would be the Tek4010, H-19 and VT52 (two characters for the arrow keys and about three to address), then followed by the others (VT series -- about 3 characters for cursor keys and about 8 characters for any cursor address). Unless you're running at 300 bps, I'd suggest that the differences are entirely negligible. Pick the one with the best features for your application. The D463 (at least a real one; I don't know about emulators, and I'd be wary of them) has integrated graphics support, and more function keys than any of the others (15 function keys by 4 combinations of CTRL and SHIFT, plus 4 CX keys by 4 CTRL/SHIFT, plus a few extras -- about 80 function keys in all). The Tek4010 and VT-series are much more standard and will be better supported by application programs. The Tek4010 has a funky way of handling text (you sure wouldn't want to edit with it), but it has a nice, standard graphics protocol. The VT-series are good for editing. The VT52 and H-19 are essentially the same. Limited support for character attributes, but reasonable low-featured functionallity. --- James Carlson Tel: +1 617 272 8140 Annex Software Support / Xylogics, Inc. +1 800 225 3317 53 Third Avenue / Burlington MA 01803-4491 Fax: +1 617 272 2618 [NOTE: The MS-Kermit implementation of the "VT100" does NOT reproduce the bugs. ...RSS ] Article 3586 of comp.terminals: Newsgroups: comp.terminals Path: cs.utk.edu!stc06.CTD.ORNL.GOV!fnnews.fnal.gov!mp.cs.niu.edu!vixen.cso.uiu c.edu!uwm.edu!news.alpha.net!news.mathworks.com!newshost.marcam.com!charnel.ecs t.csuchico.edu!olivea!wetware!barrnet.net!nntp.ampex.com!dct1!holter From: holter@ampex.com (Jerry Holter) Subject: Re: Ampex A210 plus V2.0 Message-ID: Sender: news@ampex.com Nntp-Posting-Host: pr2 Reply-To: holter@ampex.com Organization: AMPEX Recording Systems Corp. Date: Tue, 14 Feb 1995 02:18:01 GMT Lines: 16 In article h9p@news.u.washington.edu, thorson@homer23 (thorson) writes: >thorson (thorson@homer23) wrote: >: Hi. >: Can someone tell me how to change the speed from 9.6k to 19.2k on the >: Ampex A210 plus terminal. Shift + setup gives me the setup status bar and >: the arrow keys let me move around the setup menus, but how do I change >: the settings. I can't find the correct key. And when I do change the >: settings how will I save them. I have no manual. The space bar is used to cycle through alternate choices for a given setup item. Then you can use Shift-S to save the setup. Article 3646 of comp.terminals: Path: cs.utk.edu!stc06.CTD.ORNL.GOV!fnnews.fnal.gov!uwm.edu!news.alpha.net!news .mathworks.com!uunet!in1.uu.net!newstf01.news.aol.com!newsbf02.news.aol.com!not -for-mail From: psichel@aol.com (PSichel) Newsgroups: comp.terminals Subject: Re: vt100 emulator Date: 23 Feb 1995 22:10:48 -0500 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Lines: 18 Sender: root@newsbf02.news.aol.com Message-ID: <3ijino$gb0@newsbf02.news.aol.com> References: <3ih94s$fem@ixnews2.ix.netcom.com> Reply-To: psichel@aol.com (PSichel) NNTP-Posting-Host: newsbf02.mail.aol.com In Message-ID: <3ih94s$fem@ixnews2.ix.netcom.com> you wrote > i'm looking for a vt100 emulator that will run under windows or > dos that will respond to software comands to switch between 132 > and 80 col modes and swap font pitch in the process. i'm having > trouble finding anything that is legible in the small pitch. > thanks for the help... jcr A frequently overlooked fact is that even the cheapest video terminals have higher horizontal resolution than most PCs. The original VT100 displayed 800 pixels across. The "standard" for PCs is only 640. The VT510 uses 800x432 to display 50 lines of132 columns using a 6x8 cell (24 lines uses 6x16). Unless you're prepared to go beyond VGA (640x480), it will be difficult to find a legible 132 column font. - Peter \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ X-Date: 27 February A.D. 1995 X-From: shuford@cs.utk.edu Some persons have inquired about where to purchase used terminals. One place to try: Computer Hardware Resources, Inc. Houston, Texas WATS voice: 1-800/410-6161 POTS voice: +1 713/683-8853 POTS fax: +1 713/683-8977 This firm sells refurbished DEC, Televideo, and Wyse terminals and dot-matrix printers and will repair most brands of terminals for a flat rate of $79.00 (US). \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ Article 3674 of comp.terminals: Path: cs.utk.edu!news.msfc.nasa.gov!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!howland.reston.ans.net !math.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!lll-winken.llnl.gov!uop!pacbell.com!amdahl.com!amd !netcomsv!flying!frisbie From: frisbie@flying-disk.com (Alan Frisbie) Newsgroups: comp.terminals,alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Questions about archaic terminals Message-ID: <1995Feb26.101155.484@flying-disk.com> Date: 26 Feb 95 10:11:54 PST References: <3iifuu$dan@netaxs.com> Organization: Flying Disk Systems, Inc. Lines: 30 Xref: cs.utk.edu comp.terminals:3674 alt.folklore.computers:98701 In article <3iifuu$dan@netaxs.com>, esr@netaxs.com (Eric Raymond) writes: > 1. I believe Hazeltine, Fortune Systems, Ann Arbor, Harris (the Beehive > people), Intertec Data Systems, and Soroc are out of business. Can > anyone confirm any of these? While I do know the current status of any of these, I would like to pass on a bit of history (folklore?) about Soroc. As you may recall, the Soroc logo consisted of their name, with the letter "S" superimposed over an odd design. This consisted of a circle with a slightly smaller 15 degree (approx.) wedge with rounded corners inside it. The color was sort of a metallic gold/yellow. If I had been more of a beer drinker it might have been obvious to me, but it took a clue from their service department to make me exclaim, "Of course!" The circular object was the top of a beer can (the old removable pop-top style) and "Soroc" was an anagram for "Coors". I can just imagine the founders of the company sitting around one evening, tossing back a few and trying to decide what to call their new company and what to use for a logo. -- Alan E. Frisbie Frisbie@Flying-Disk.Com -- Flying Disk Systems, Inc. -- 4759 Round Top Drive (213) 256-2575 (voice) -- Los Angeles, CA 90065 (213) 258-3585 (FAX) Article 3679 of comp.terminals: Path: cs.utk.edu!nntp.memphis.edu!nntp.msstate.edu!gatech!news-feed-1.peachnet. edu!darwin.sura.net!wvnvms!marshall.wvnet.edu!marshall.edu!copley1 Newsgroups: comp.terminals,alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Questions about archaic terminals Message-ID: <1995Feb27.084311@hobbit> From: copley1@marshall.edu (Ronald Copley) Date: 27 Feb 95 08:43:11 EDT References: <3iifuu$dan@netaxs.com> <3impmp$hh0@vixen.cso.uiuc.edu> Organization: Marshall University Nntp-Posting-Host: frodo.marshall.edu Lines: 26 Xref: cs.utk.edu comp.terminals:3679 alt.folklore.computers:98755 In article <3impmp$hh0@vixen.cso.uiuc.edu>, dawn@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu (Dawn Owens-N icholson) writes: > esr@netaxs.com (Eric Raymond) writes: >>2. Anyone have either Internet or snail addresses, or phone numbers, for the >> terminal-manufacturing groups at the following corporations? > >> Visual, Control Data, Datamedia, IBM, General Terminal Corp., >> Kimtron, Microterm, Perkin-Elmer, Tektronix, Volker-Craig, Masscomp, >> General Electric, Southwest Technical Products, Cybernex. > > I would try IBM at: > [IBM addressed deleted for clarity] MASSCOMP is sadly out of business (gazing lovingly at an MCX-530). However, the entire line was purchased by XS International in Georgia. I don't have the number on me, but a prompt will bring it... -- Informatiks | Ronald Copley, owner | Buying and selling small to medium 1010 Township RD 78W | quantities of used Pyramid, Sun, Scottown OH 45678-9051 | DEC (PDPs) and Data General computer +1.614.643.1340 | equipment. Trades welcome!! (evenings, please) | -- Article 3804 of comp.terminals: Path: cs.utk.edu!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!newsjunkie.ans.net!newstf01.news .aol.com!newsbf02.news.aol.com!not-for-mail From: psichel@aol.com (PSichel) Newsgroups: comp.terminals Subject: Re: WANTED: small screen VT100s Date: 27 Mar 1995 11:04:24 -0500 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Lines: 10 Sender: root@newsbf02.news.aol.com Message-ID: <3l6nm8$gtv@newsbf02.news.aol.com> References: Reply-To: psichel@aol.com (PSichel) NNTP-Posting-Host: newsbf02.mail.aol.com In Message-ID: you wrote: > I have an application where I require small screen (6-9") > VT100-compatible terminals Check out the ADDS "Little Foot". It's a small pizza box with an external DC adaptor designed to hang off small monitors. I think they offer a 9" version. - Peter Article 3806 of comp.terminals: Newsgroups: comp.terminals Path: cs.utk.edu!stc06.ctd.ornl.gov!fnnews.fnal.gov!mp.cs.niu.edu!vixen.cso.uiu c.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!news.sprintlink.net!online!kimz From: kimz@online.magnus1.com (Bulletin board login) Subject: RESELLERS Organization: Magnus Online Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 21:20:10 GMT Message-ID: Lines: 20 Portable Solutions, Inc. located in Baltimore Maryland has developed an RF Mobile Terminal for use in the manufacturing, warehousing, governmental, healthcare, hospital, hotel, or automotive environments. The RF Mobile Terminal's Spread Spectrum radio modems require no FCC site license and delivers fast reliable real time wireless communication. The full-screen terminal emulator provides for true "plug and play" versatility, requiring no system programming. The terminal weighs 4.5 lbs and has a battery life of 8 hours. PSI is looking for established VAR/Resellers to market the RF Mobile Terminals. Portable Solutions, Inc. 3510 Parkfalls Dr., Baltimore, MD 21236; (410) 529-6132; Contact: Kim Zech |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| | PORTABLE SOLUTIONS, INC. | | || || || || | 3510 Parkfalls Dr. | | |||||||| |||||||| || | Baltimore, Maryland 21236 | | || || || | (410) 529-6132 Voice/Fax | | || |||||||| |||||||| |gopher.magnus1.com hhtp://www.magnus.com/| | RF Mobile Terminals Supplier | kimz@online.magnus1.com | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ [NOTE] Another vendor, with a product called the "Mobile Terminal", is Reflection Technology Suite R-509 230 Second Ave. Waltham, MA 02154 voice: +1 617/890-5905 fax: +1 617/890-5918 The Mobile Terminal appears to mount in a headset; it is advertised to combine radio and voice technology for hands-free operation. Compatibility is claimed with DEC, IBM, and HP terminals. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ Article 4029 of comp.terminals: Path: cs.utk.edu!news.msfc.nasa.gov!europa.chnt.gtegsc.com!news.mathworks.com!n ews.kei.com!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!crl.dec.com!crl.dec.com!nntpd.lkg.dec.com!mrne ws.mro.dec.com!hannah.enet.dec.com!hedberg From: hedberg@hannah.enet.dec.com (Bill Hedberg) Newsgroups: comp.terminals Subject: Re: scrolling Date: 5 MAY 95 10:57:30 Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation Lines: 25 Distribution: world Message-ID: <3odeu2$gh2@mrnews.mro.dec.com> References: <3noc4r$qme@ixnews4.ix.netcom.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: minim.enet.dec.com In article <3noc4r$qme@ixnews4.ix.netcom.com>, shg@ix.netcom.com (sheldon goldb erg) writes... >hi everybody, > >does anyone know what functions to call to make a terminal scroll in c. > >say we are displaying lines to a screen and want a scroll, can you tell >from termcap what the escape sequence would be - it is a fairly cryptic >file. Data typically scrolls off the top of the screen as new lines of data enter the terminal and are displayed at the bottom of the screen. Scrolling regions may be defined for VT (ANSI) terminals using: DECSTBM CSI Pt;Pb r Set Top and Bottom scroll Margins New data is displayed at the bottom of the scroll region and scrolls off the top of the scrolling region. Screen clears, etc are confined to the scrolling region. Other sequences which effect scrolling are: DECOM CSI ? 6 h Set Origin Mode DECPEX CSI ? 19 l Set Print Extent Mode-Print Scroll Region (In 7-bit environments, use Esc [ in place of CSI.) .............................................................................. Bill Hedberg Digital Equipment Corp. Video Architecture Engineering For more info call 1-800-777-4343 or e-mail terminals@digital.com http://www.digital.com ftp://gatekeeper.dec.com/pub/DEC/termcaps '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Article 4173 of comp.terminals: Path: cs.utk.edu!stc06.ctd.ornl.gov!fnnews.fnal.gov!uwm.edu !lll-winken.llnl.gov!noc.near.net!news3.near.net!paperboy.wellfleet.com !news-feed-1.peachnet.edu!news.Gsu.EDU!gatech!news.mathworks.com!uunet !inews.intel.com!itnews.sc.intel.com!usenet From: Bennet Wong Newsgroups: comp.terminals Subject: Re: Need Info on DataMaxx Terminal Date: 31 May 1995 15:40:32 GMT Organization: Intel - Internet Information Technologies Lines: 3 Message-ID: <3qi2lg$b4g@itnews.sc.intel.com> References: <3qcl5o$ssc@ionews.ionet.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: bwong.sc.intel.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 1.1N (Windows; I; 32bit) To: mrbill@ionet.net I believe DataMaxx go bye bye 6-7 years ago. A company call Link Technologies used to manufacture terminal for them. Check them out. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Newsgroups: comp.terminals Subject: Re: alloy link terminal Summary: Link Technology Expires: 30 Jul 1995 22:11:33 GMT References: <3r67lu$srl@freenet.vancouver.bc.ca> Date: Wed, 8 Jun 1995 17:00:00 EDT Sender: shuford@cs.utk.edu Followup-To: comp.terminals Organization: University of Tennessee, Knoxville--Dept. of Computer Science In article <3r67lu$srl@freenet.vancouver.bc.ca>, dastow@freenet.vancouver.bc.ca (David Stow) writes: > > I would like to find a keyboard for a PCST/G terminal made by Alloy Computer > Products and Link Technologies. Please contact me if you know what kind of > keyboard might work or where I could contact either of these two companies. Link Technology, Inc. 46595 Landing Parkway Fremont, CA 94538 +1 510/623-6637 Link has a very close business relationship with Wyse Technology. [even closer than I thought...see below. ...RSS] Wyse Technology, Inc. 3471 North First Street San Jose, CA 95134 +1 408/473-2595 You might find a keyboard at a used equipment dealer, such as Spectra Equipment, Inc. Suite 206 5101 East La Palma Ave. Anaheim, CA 92807 voice: +1 714/970-7000 fax: +1 714/970-7095 WATS: 800/745-1233 although such a dealer would rather sell you the whole unit. -- ...Richard S. Shuford | "If you find honey, eat just enough-- ...shuford@cs.utk.edu | too much of it, and you will vomit." ...Info-Stratus contact| Proverbs 25:16 NIV [########## update ##########] Message-Id: Date: Fri, 16 Jun 95 08:45:29 -0700 From: Bennet Wong Link is part of Wyse Technology for the past five years. They have closed down Link in January. Link Technologies is now only a brand name of Wyse. The 510 phone number and its address will still be vaild till end of Aug. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Article 4260 of comp.terminals: Path: cs.utk.edu!not-for-mail From: shuford@cs.utk.edu (Richard Shuford) Newsgroups: comp.terminals Subject: Re: wanted: info on old terminal Followup-To: comp.terminals Date: 16 Jun 1995 11:35:42 -0400 Organization: University of Tennessee, Knoxville--Dept. of Computer Science Lines: 29 Distribution: world Expires: 10 Aug 1995 22:11:33 GMT Message-ID: <3rs8ceINN47g@duncan.cs.utk.edu> References: <3rqo1p$flo@netnews.upenn.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: duncan.cs.utk.edu Summary: MAI Basic Four address Keywords: MAI Basic Four In article <3rqo1p$flo@netnews.upenn.edu>, dthamm@dolphin.upenn.edu (Douglas H Thamm) writes: > > Hi. I have come across an old "MAI Basic Four" terminal which I > would like to purchase for the sole purpose of getting to the Internet. > Has anyone ever heard of this terminal? Here is basic contact information for this vendor: MAI Basic Four, Inc. 14101 Myford Road Tustin, CA 92680 +1 714/730-3022 This is old information, so your mileage may vary. There exist other types of used terminals that may be easier to deal with. > > Any help is appreciated, and please respond via email. How about being a good Net Citizen and at least bothering to listen to the conversation for a while in the room where you posed your question? -- ...Richard S. Shuford | "A man's riches may ransom his life, ...shuford@cs.utk.edu | but a poor man hears no threat." ...Info-Stratus contact| Proverbs 13:8 NIV =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Another ASCII terminal vendor: Relisys, Inc. 919 Hanson Ct. Milpitas, CA 95035 +1 408/945-3113 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Article 4569 of comp.terminals: Path: cs.utk.edu!gatech!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!crl.dec.com!crl.dec.com!nntpd.lkg. dec.com!dial20_port2.mro.dec.com!user From: sichel@hannah.enet.dec.com (Peter Sichel) Newsgroups: comp.terminals Subject: Re: Future of Terminals Date: Tue, 15 Aug 1995 17:51:36 -0400 Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation Lines: 55 Message-ID: References: <40otrh$57m@cronkite.ocis.temple.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: dial20_port2.mro.dec.com In article <40otrh$57m@cronkite.ocis.temple.edu>, rt@astro.ocis.temple.edu (Voyager) wrote: > I would like to get a scope of where terminals will be in 5 years. I > mean, it seems as though many people are using PCs as clients. I find > that terminals are a cheaper and more efficient way. Though the market for terminals is clearly changing, they are not going away for exactly the reasons you like them. They are a low cost efficient solution for a range of applications ("transaction processing", most "knowledge workers" have moved to other platforms). As for what's happening in the market and what to expect: - The market for serial asynchronous text terminals is declining at around 10% per year. Somewhat faster in the U.S., but slower in Europe. Depending on who's forecast you favor, the rate of decline could increase (faster migration to PCs) or decrease (most appropriate apps have already migrated leaving a mature installed base). - Market is 2-3 million units this year. - Digital eliminated the price umbrella for ANSI terminals when it announced the VT510/Dorio10 in September of 93 with a *list* price starting under $400. Lower prices, lower margins, and lower volume are driving industry consolidation. There is only room for a small number of large profitable vendors and some smaller niche vendors. Expect most others to get out of the business. Expect engineering investment/development for basic text terminals to slow since the products are already mature and feature rich. The business is still profitable and important to the remaining large vendors which will ensure good prices and availability for several years to come. I don't see PCs quickly replacing text terminals at the low end for these reasons: (1) basic economics - terminals are a lot less expensive for comparable displays; (2) Simpler and more durable; average service life is 6 years for VTs versus 3 years for PCs (before upgraded or replaced); (3) Even though PC prices are falling, PC software is driving hardware requirements up (mainstream DOS and Windows apps are requiring more and more RAM). On the other hand, PCs benifit from low software cost, strong mind share and availability, and low entry cost for smaller systems. -- - Peter Sichel C&P Video Terminals Architecture Digital Equipment Corporation =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= X-Date: 95-08-29 Subject: source of used terminals Preowned Computer Systems, Terminals, and Parts Microtrader Canada (Brent Crighton, Owner) 2229 Henderson Highway Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Voice....204-339-3999 Fax......204-334-6599 Direct...204-227-4089 www......http://www.magic.mb.ca:80/~microt/ email....microt@magic.mb.ca =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Article 4731 of comp.terminals: Path: cs.utk.edu!willis.cis.uab.edu!news.ecn.bgu.edu!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!howland .reston.ans.net!news.sprintlink.net!in2.uu.net!EU.net!Belgium.EU.net!chaos.kuln et.kuleuven.ac.be!news.vub.ac.be!is1e!mlacroix From: mlacroix@vub.ac.be (Lacroix Marc) Newsgroups: comp.terminals,comp.periphs Subject: Re: info on getting DEC VT terminal working in highly magnetic environ ment. Date: 14 Sep 1995 17:36:48 GMT Organization: Brussels Free Universities (VUB/ULB), Belgium Lines: 35 Distribution: world Message-ID: <439p7g$if8@rc1.vub.ac.be> References: <40r104$nl6@ixnews7.ix.netcom.com> <40sq65$qmk@cronkite.ocis.temple .edu> <40tb1tINN94v@duncan.cs.utk.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: is1e.bfu.vub.ac.be. X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] Xref: cs.utk.edu comp.terminals:4731 comp.periphs:11826 : Steve Spurlock (spurlock@ix.netcom.com) wrote: : > : > I need information for a VT like terminal to be able handle being in a : > harsh magnetic environment that measures about 200 gauss. : > Would a liquid crystal display work? : > : > I am looking for a low cost solution. any information on who makes a : > VT terminal to work in such an environment would be appreciated. : > : > We have tried insulating a normal DEC terminal and putting the terminal : > in different enclosures. no matter what we try the screen gets highly : > distorted. I once had the same problem, trying to use a vt200 near a Cyclotron yoke during mappings of magnetic field. If 200 gauss is your figure , assume you need a 30 cm 'soft' iron (the magnetic one) box to contain the screen, 1.5 cm thick walls for the box will give you something in the range 2000 gauss (2 walls) in the iron, and almost nothing in the air (I donot remember permeability of Iron at 2Kgauss, but it must be fair. So : build a MAGNETIC iron shield (transformer blades steel is fine) about 1.5 or 2 cm thick (more if you can at the REAR of the terminal, closed at rear, opened in front (why do I say that...), and put screen in. Should work. I even did almost the same thing for a 19 inch screen, HiRes, Colour, for which even the terrestrial magnetic field is a problem (.5Gauss typ). This last field is generally 'neutralized' by the DEGAUSS button of the screens. Take care NOT TO USE NORMAL IRON, OR MAGNETIZED IRON : they will NOT work the good way. Speaking about EL displays and PC's : any LCD, plasma, TFT, or whatever will work fine : just keep the 'box' away (safer for HDD). I also once used a RS232 data line tester, with LCD screen and VT100 emulation inside (EPROM's) : with this one no problem, sure. Comfort is limited. E-mail if you want the specs (not at hand now) Hope this helps Marc Newsgroups: comp.terminals,alt.folklore.computers Subject: serial flow control (was Re: vt102 parity (checkered parity character) Summary: X-on/X-off flow control Expires: 30 Nov 1995 11:22:33 GMT References: <45m4uv$3bq@news.azstarnet.com> Sender: shuford@cs.utk.edu Followup-To: comp.terminals Distribution: world Organization: University of Tennessee, Knoxville--Dept. of Computer Science Keywords: flow control, serial communication, DEC VT102 In article <45m4uv$3bq@news.azstarnet.com>, equant@azstarnet.com (Nathan Hendler) writes: > > I have been able to connect my DEC VT102 to a host at speeds of 19,200 bps > and less. > However anything over 2400 and I get parity errors (ie - a character that is > like a checkered block, which a VT 100 manual calls a parity error character) > when I get a bunch of text at once. So, if I was to type "w" at the bash > prompt, I would get an ok listing of who's on the sytem until I reached about > half way, and then it would start to get garbled and there would be a grip > of parity error characters. > > It seems to me that this could be a buffer problem, and not a parity problem You are correct. Most DEC character-cell terminals will display a checkered block for any character that it cannot understand, for whatever reason. Parity mismatch is one way this can happen, but what you are seeing is characters overrunning the input, coming in faster than the terminal can display them. You don't say what type of connection you have to your host computer, but most are able to honor in-band X-on/X-off flow control, so you should set your terminal server or serial port to use it. Ask your system administrator how to do this in your configuration. The "X-off" character is Control-S (or formally the "ASCII DC3 control"), and it tells the remote host computer to stop sending characters until further notice. The "X-on" character is Control-Q (DC1), and tells the host computer to re-start the flow of data. "In-Band" means that these flow-control characters are sent on the same wire as the regular data, mixed in with the text characters that are being displayed. This is in contrast with out-of-band methods of flow control that toggle a voltage on, for instance, the Data Terminal Ready wire in your multiconductor serial cable. However, most older DEC terminals can use only in-band X-on/X-off control. Incidently, it sometimes happens that a person using a terminal will type Control-S key by accident. This causes the host computer to stop sending data, much to the puzzlement of the user, who is mystified about why the display has stopped. Typically, the only way the host computer will start up again is if it receives a Control-Q, and the confused user may not know how to do this. Over the years, this quirk has caused users to report many nonexistent program bugs and system crashes that never happened. As a partial compensation for this problem, many DEC terminals automatically send a single Control-Q character when the power is first turned on. So if the frustrated user turns the terminal off and then back on, the flow-control deadlock will be broken as a side-effect. Article 5225 of comp.terminals: Newsgroups: comp.terminals,comp.unix.internals Path: cs.utk.edu!news.msfc.nasa.gov!newsfeed.internetmci.com!howland.reston.ans .net!blackbush.xlink.net!news.asys-h.de!baghira.han.de!anubis.han.de!user From: jum@anubis.han.de (Jens-Uwe Mager) Subject: Re: /dev/vt0 in early Unices: what was it? X-Newsreader: Yet Another NewsWatcher 2.1.2 Sender: news@baghira.han.de (news at baghira.han.de) Organization: At Home Message-ID: References: Date: Sun, 17 Dec 1995 15:47:11 GMT Lines: 32 Xref: cs.utk.edu comp.terminals:5225 comp.unix.internals:10831 In article , rsm@math.arizona.edu (Robert S. Maier) wrote: > I recently looked at the SunOS source for plot(3) (the old package of Unix > graphics routines, which I'm writing a modern version of). It includes > libraries of routines for plotting graphics on various graphics terminals. > One of them (libvt0.a) clearly wasn't intended to drive a specific terminal > at all. It simply sends command to /dev/vt0, in a special format. > > I'd hazard a guess that `vt' means `virtual terminal'. Can anyone fill me > in on this? Was there at one time (in very early Unices) a virtual > terminal driver in the kernel? If so, why was it there? And why was > it removed? If I remember right this was an interface for a Versatec plotter device. I believe it used an Unibus expansion card for PDP-11 computers to talk to the plotter, therefore the special kernel level driver. > To this day, the entries in many termcap files include a `vt' attribute > for older terminals. Is there any connection? Thanks in advance. This has nothing to do with the /dev/vt0 device, this was a number identifying a kernel based terminal emulator. One could set parameters using a struct termcb and the LDSETT and LDGETT ioctl() calls. It basically translated from a virtual terminal model (described in sys/crtctl.h) to a real terminal like VT100. Most System V.4 based systems still have the header files, although I doubt that anyone used this stuff for years. ______________________________________________________________________________ Jens-Uwe Mager jum@anubis.han.de 30177 Hannover jum@helios.de Brahmsstr. 3 Tel.: +49 511 660238