From: Frank da Cruz <fdc@watsun.cc.columbia.edu>
To: wermit-l@wkuvx1.wku.edu
Subject: C-Kermit 6.0.193 Alpha.06

And here's Alpha.06 of C-Kermit 6.0.193.  Still a closed Alpha (pre-Beta)
test, not ready for open public testing yet.  Details about the new version
are given in the text files mentioned towards the end of this message.
Let me know if you want off the announcement list.  Also, sorry for the long
wait for relatively few changes -- I had lots of interruptions.

GENERAL CHANGES SINCE ALPHA.05

 . Certain packets, notably A (attribute) and S or I (parameter exchange)
   packets, could be sent that were longer than the negotiated length.
   C-Kermit now properly breaks them up or, as a last resort, truncates them
   or abbreviates their contents (but in a good way :-)  This should make
   a difference only when an extremely short maximum packet length, like 20
   or 30, is requested; otherwise everything should be as before.  But needs
   lots of testing to be sure (under both normal conditions and with short
   packet lengths).

 . For developers: a new system-dependent routine, ttspdlist(), has been
   defined.  Placed in the system-dependent i/o module ck?tio.c, it returns
   a list of the serial speeds supported by the particular implementation.
   So no more mountains of #ifdefs in the mainline code, no more parallel
   lists, no more guessing wrong.  I implemented this routine for UNIX and
   for VMS and it seems to do the job nicely; the command parser calls it,
   gets the list, and builds the "set speed" keyword table on the fly.

 . New variable \v(startup) shows your current directory at the time
   C-Kermit was started (added for UNIX and VMS).

 . New "set modem type" for Rolm 244PC and 600-series dataphones, which
   are supposed to be just like the Hayes 1200, but are different enough 
   to confuse the heck out of everybody, so now they have their own type.

UNIX-SPECIFIC CHANGES

 . Nothing special, except the "set speed" table (please check -- just start
   the program and type "set speed ?" -- see if all the speeds that should
   be there are there).

VMS-SPECIFIC CHANGES

 . Speed table, please check.

 . One more attempt at making "cd" work right even when Kermit is linked 
   with the Alpha VMS 6.2 CRTL and its faulty chdir().  In the absence of any
   other information, I tried William Bader's suggestion of using chdir() and
   then falling back on sys$setddir() only when chdir() fails.  Plus, C-Kermit
   now gets its startup directory (which you can see in variable \v(startup))
   and restores it upon exit if sys$setddir() was ever used.  Not perfect but
   hopefully better than before.

 . We're still in hot water with regard to transferring RMS$BIZARRE_FORMAT
   files that "just worked" in Kermit-32, but fail in C-Kermit.  I could
   really use some help on this one!

WHERE TO FIND IT

C-Kermit 6.0.193 Alpha.06 is in the usual places for C-Kermit test versions,
along with early drafts of all the update documentation, etc:

  ftp://kermit.columbia.edu/kermit/test/tar
    cku193src.tar.Z   Source code (UNIX and VMS), tar, UNIX compress
    cku193src.tar.gz  Source code (UNIX and VMS), tar, gzipped
    cku193txt.tar.Z   Other text files, tar, UNIX compress
    cku193txt.tar.gz  Other text files, tar, gzipped

  ftp://kermit.columbia.edu/kermit/test/text
    Source and text files separately.

  Among the interesting text files:
    ckermit2.upd -- Docs for new features since 6.0.192.
    ckc193.upd   -- Program edit history since 6.0.192.
    ckuins.doc   -- UNIX installation instructions.
    ckvins.doc   -- VMS installation instructions.
    ckcplm.doc   -- Program logic manual, API definition, etc.

INDIVIDUAL ALPHA.05 BINARIES:

I didn't have a chance to update all of these, so the ones I managed to build
this time are marked with an asterisk (*); the others are still Alpha.05:

  ftp://kermit.columbia.edu/kermit/test/bin
    ckdker-aosvsii.pr:         DG AOS/VS-II
    ckuker.bsdi2-2.1           PC, BSDI 2.1
    ckuker.bsdi2-3.0           PC, BSDI 3.0
    ckuker.hpux90o700          HP-9000/712 HP-UX 9.05
  * ckuker.hpux100o-10.20      HP-9000/712 HP-UX 10.20
    ckuker.bsd44c-hp9000-300   HP-9000/300 4.4BSD
    ckuker.du32                DEC Alpha Digital UNIX 3.2
    ckuker.du40                DEC Alpha Digital UNIX 4.0
    ckuker.irix51-5.3          SGI IRIX 5.3
  * ckuker.next-3.1-mc68040    NeXT 68040 NeSTSTEP 3.1
  * ckuker.rs6aix41c           IBM RS/6000 AIX 4.1
  * ckuker.sco32v504net        PC, SCO OpenServer 5.0.4
  * ckuker.sinix542-5.42-mips  SNI SINIX 5.4.2 MIPS (RM200)
    ckuker.solaris2x-2.4-sparc Sun Sparc, Solaris 2.4
    ckuker.solaris2x25-2.4     Sun Sparc, Solaris 2.4 + SunLink X.25
  * ckuker.solaris25-sparc     Sun Sparc, Solaris 2.5.1
  * ckuker.sunos41c            Sun Sparc, SunOS 4.1.3
    ckuker.ultrix42c           DECstation 5000, Ultrix 4.3
  * ckuker.unixware2-2.1.1     PC, Unixware 2.1.1
  * ckuker.unixware2-2.1.2     PC, Unixware 2.1.2
  * ckvaker-vms62-nonet.exe:   Alpha CPU, VMS 7.1,   no TCP/IP
  * ckvaker-vms62-tgv40a.exe:  Alpha CPU, VMS 7.1,   MultiNet 4.0A
    ckvaker-vms71-nonet.exe:   Alpha CPU, VMS 7.1,   no TCP/IP
    ckvaker-vms71-tgv40b.exe:  Alpha CPU, VMS 7.1,   MultiNet 4.0B
  * ckvvker-vms55-nonet.exe:   VAX CPU,   VMS 5.5-2, no TCP/IP
  * ckvvker-vms55-ucx20.exe:   VAX CPU,   VMS 5.5-2, UCX 2.0
    ckvvker-vms61-nonet.exe:   VAX CPU,   VMS 6.1,   no TCP/IP
    ckvvker-vms61-tgv40a.exe:  VAX CPU,   VMS 6.1,   MultiNet 4.0AX
    ckvvker-vms71-nonet.exe:   VAX CPU,   VMS 7.1,   no TCP/IP
    ckvvker-vms71-tgv40b.exe:  VAX CPU,   VMS 7.1,   MultiNet 4.0B

Please send any bug reports straight to me.

Thanks to all of you for your help with & comments on this version so far!
Barring any disasters in this edit I think it should be time to go Beta next
time around.

- Frank

P.S. The network has been pretty awful recently so start up your ftp just
before going to lunch...