Date   : Fri, 08 Jan 1988 00:00:00
From   : Bertil Schou, Loughborough University, UK
Subject: Announcing Version 4.09 of Kermit-80 for CP/M-80

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!]