Date : Sat, 18 Jun 1983 00:28:00 EDT
From : Paul L. Kelley <PLK@mit-mc>
Subject: MODEM 9.03
A new version of MODEM9 is now available on MIT-MC as
CPM;MODEM 903ASM. The comments from the reviser, Tony Camas,
are as follows:
06/15/83 Revised program as follows:
(MODEM903)
1. Fixed bug in INBUFF routine which jumped to START (of program)
instead of ISTART (beginning of read line code) on a ^U,
2. Added save of register A (& PSW) to interrupt handler for
VT180/ROBIN version (in 8251SYS.ASM),
3. Corrected Kaypro/Xerox clear to end of screen sequence in
SIOSYS.ASM per P. L. Kelley.
4. Made extensive changes to TERM.ASM to better support Robin
system. Basically, this involved setting up a private routine
for handling console interrupts when in MODEM terminal mode so
as to avoid funny processing of ^S, ^Q, and VT100 arrow keys
done by DEC's CBIOS.
5. Added wait for modem output character ready to main loop of
terminal mode. This was never there, presumably due to the
assumption that no one can type that fast. Unfortunately, this
was a problem in (at least) the Robin configuration, since the
pressing of certain keys generates escape sequences faster than
the output baud rate.
6. Added definitions of version number and revision date values to
MODEM9xx.ASM...these are now referenced in the signon message
in START.ASM. This eliminates the necessity of editing START.ASM
when changing version numbers. Also added brief instructions to
MODEM9xx.ASM as to what to do when you want to change versions.
7. Added strongly-worded warning to START.ASM about not setting
certain combinations of file transfer options. Mostly I did
this because it tripped me up for a good four or five hours when
I tried to set XOFF testing and Echo Waiting modes together as
defaults.
8. Comment: Someone who feels energetic should add code to one or
more of the xxxSYS modules to handle the BREAK key (if the
appropriate system has one) in terminal mode. One of the remote
machines I frequent uses BREAK like a ^C, and when I hit break
in MODEM, the 8251 for my console line gets framing errors and
produces one or more funny input data values (which are then
dutifully sent off to the remote system). It's an annoying
problem, but I'm too lazy at the moment to try and tackle it
myself.
A. G. Camas
An update file (MODEM9xx.UPD) also been added which
contains the names of the files which have been changed so that
users need extract only those files from the library.
Tony has done some violence to the philosophy of putting
system dependent routines only in the SYS files; the TERM file
now contains ROBIN specific conditional assembly code. In the
next version either Tony or I will try to return to the
SYS-file-only approach. In any case, Tony's changes are most
useful, particularly for ROBIN owners.