I don't want to get into reviewing all of the possible terminal emulation programs available for the Macintosh because there are a ton of them. However, you must have a terminal emulator to talk to a Unix machine, so here are some capsule reviews for those I've heard of and/or used.
- Communicate and Communicate Lite
Communicate and Communicate Lite are relatively simple terminal emulators from Mark/Space Softworks that use the Communications Toolbox. Communicate Lite is pretty much bare-bones terminal emulation; the more powerful Communicate adds features such as an In/Out box for queuing up uploads and downloads, scripting via AppleScript or Frontier, automated virus detection, and spell checking via Apple events. Contact Mark/Space Softworks at [email protected]. You can find a demo of Communicate Lite that has the Save, Save As, Open, and Session Directory commands disabled in:
ftp://ftp.tidbits.com/pub/tidbits/tisk/term/
- Crosstalk for Macintosh
I know little about DCA's Macintosh version of the popular PC Crosstalk communications programs, except for the fact that is CTB-aware and comes with a slew of CTB tools (22 tools for emulating different terminals and 15 tools for transfer protocols). If you're having trouble finding a terminal emulator to emulate a specific type of terminal, it might be worth checking out Crosstalk for Macintosh. Crosstalk also has its own powerful scripting language and generally costs about $120 (mail order).
- MicroPhone
MicroPhone is probably the most popular terminal emulation package on the Macintosh and comes in a number of different forms, including MicroPhone LT for about $40, MicroPhone II 5.0 for about $120, and MicroPhone Pro 2.0 (which includes fax software and various Internet tools such as Snatcher and Fetch) for about $150. MicroPhone is a powerful, fully laden terminal emulator with its own scripting language. Contact Software Ventures at [email protected] or 510-644-3232.
http://www.svcdudes.com/
- SITcomm
Aladdin Systems came out with SITcomm early in 1994, and it won a loyal following immediately because it's a small, relatively simple terminal emulator that still sports some neat features. SITcomm is completely CTB-aware and comes with all the connection and transfer tools that you might want. Perhaps most importantly, though, SITcomm is completely Apple event-driven, which means that you can script it in either AppleScript or Frontier and you can even record AppleScript or Frontier scripts from within SITcomm. SITcomm's cool features include a slick address book that simplifies connecting to many commercial services, automatic compression and expansion using Aladdin's StuffIt technology, and voice feedback. SITcomm costs about $50 mail order, and you can contact Aladdin at [email protected] or 408-761-6200.
- Termy
Termy is an extremely simple, free terminal emulator from Tim Endres, the programmer behind InterCon's UUCP/Connect and the free TGE TCP Tool. Termy doesn't do much on its own but is CTB-aware, so if you have Communications Toolbox tools, you can use them with Termy for a basic terminal emulation solution. You will need the basic CTB tools for Termy.
ftp://ftp.tidbits.com/pub/tidbits/tisk/term/
- VersaTerm
VersaTerm has garnered a reputation among those who know for having the most solid terminal emulations, especially for the stranger types of graphics terminals from Tektronix. The $120 VersaTerm itself supports a number of emulation modes, and the $170 VersaTerm Pro adds even more emulations. Both programs come with the VersaTilities, a collection of TCP/IP tools and utilities which you can also buy separately for about $85 (all prices mail order). Contact Synergy at [email protected] for more information.
- ZTerm
Although not CTB-aware, ZTerm has gained a loyal following among telecommunications users because of its simple interface and speedy ZMODEM transfer protocol. ZTerm is shareware from Dave Alverson and is available in:
ftp://ftp.tidbits.com/pub/tidbits/tisk/term/
If many of the programs I've talked about in this chapter seem like fairly serious hacks, well, you're right, for the most part they are. I wouldn't really recommend that you kill yourself trying to use any of these programs other than TIA and Eudora in CTB mode, or possibly MacSOUP. The others, although potentially useful if you can get them working fairly easily, simply aren't worth much effort. TIA is definitely the best choice, since once you've got it installed on your shell account and MacTCP and InterSLIP properly configured, you can skip right ahead and read about all the issues relating to MacTCP accounts and programs. Otherwise, you should delve a bit deeper into the other possibilities mentioned previously.
It's time to move on to another way you can connect to the Internet, the UUCP account. Although old and a bit clunky, UUCP connections to the Internet are still useful and extremely efficient ways to use email and Usenet news.
