Denial

As you may know, Craig Bruce's Mighty Term is a popular and well featured terminal emulator for the VIC-20 but it was never fully completed. (It has an incomplete config menu that gives an error and leaves the program if you try to go to the 2nd page. It also lacks file transfer capability, the ability to save profiles, any support for color graphics sent by a remote host, etc.)

Recently I wrote to Creig Bruce about allowing others to further develope it. I say "others" because 1; I lack the skills, and 2; I hope there may be someone here who would be willing to do it. Also, I think it would be a great complement to the *possible* new BBS software cart for the VIC being descussed here:

http://sleepingelephant.com/ipw-web/bul ... highlight=

Here's what Craig said:

Me:
> Just wondering, is the source code for Mighty Term available to others
> > for further development?

There's no source code per se. I wrote it using a machine-language monitor
(Mighty Mon). However, I kept track of subroutines and variables using a
memory map. I've put some quick photographs of my memory-map documents at:

http://csbruce.com/~csbruce/cbm/mighty_term/

I am really tempted to give it a try, if nobody else wants to take it over. I just moved into a new house and my Vic-20s still live in boxes, so it may take a while until I'll be able to start.
I also want to finish another little project first. Shouldn't take too long though.

Kananga wrote:I am really tempted to give it a try, if nobody else wants to take it over.

Kananga wrote:I am really tempted to give it a try, if nobody else wants to take it over.

Cool! If you do, it would be great.

Dr. Bruce's terminal emulator is the best I've seen for the VIC and deserves to be completed. The earlier VIC-20 terminal emulators were limited by their times, when most VIC owners had little or no ram expansion, 300 baud or less modems available, no disk drives, etc.

Mighty Term of course, being written in the late '80s and non commercial, didn't have to worry about meeting the lowest common denominator regarding VIC-20 owners hardware like the commercial apps did when the VIC was new.


BTW, congrats on the new house, Kananga!

rwv01 wrote:BTW, congrats on the new house, Kananga!

Thanks!
Still much work left and until I finish fixing basic stuff (lamps, curtains, etc. ), I have no time to setup my all-new wonderful big retro office.

I hate to be the one to point this out. But who still uses a terminal program in 2010, and on a VIC-20 for that matter?

I still log into Commodore BBS's! There are a couple in the USA that I know of.

Retro stuff is fun and a good way to relive old memories.

Also a good challenge hunting down all the old bits and software to relive that long lost experience.

More fun then a Nintendo Wii any day!

.-.-.

adric22 wrote:But who still uses a terminal program in 2010...

I do.

...and on a VIC-20 for that matter?

Not regularly, because I prefer to do it on the C128DCR with Desterm 2.01.

Still in Aberdeen, Scotland,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
July 24-25 Commodore Vegas Expo 2010 - http://www.portcommodore.com/commvex

I still use a terminal program too, and have been meaning for the longest time to download Mighty Term and get it working. I don't just use a terminal program, I have a real VT100 I use off and on too With internet use accounting for 99% of my computer usage, a terminal program on the VIC doesn't seem that far fetched at all. I would love to see someone finish the program, I wish I could but unfortunatly I just don't have the skill required to do so. One thing I would like to add to my "wish list" for Mighty Term is the ability to use the standard Kernal routens for video output instead of software 40 column mode. The reason being, I would love to have Mighty Term working on a Data20 clone (I guy can dream, right?)

Here's some screenshots of Mighty Term in action!

Those screenshots look fun and make me want to use my VIC-20 to connect to some of the remaining BBS's.

Not trying to divert the thread, but are there any wireless versions of ethernet modems that work with the VIC-20? Like this but wireless (my VIC-20 is in another room nowhere near my internet modem/routher).

http://commodoreserver.com/ProductView. ... C08BA34803

And, once you have one, can you use it with MightyTerm just as if it were a regular (old) user port modem and get onto internet BBS's? That would be cool and an incentive for me to use my VIC-20 even more!

ral-clan wrote:Those screenshots look fun and make me want to use my VIC-20 to connect to some of the remaining BBS's.

Not trying to divert the thread, but are there any wireless versions of ethernet modems that work with the VIC-20? Like this but wireless (my VIC-20 is in another room nowhere near my internet modem/routher).

http://commodoreserver.com/ProductView. ... C08BA34803

And, once you have one, can you use it with MightyTerm just as if it were a regular (old) user port modem and get onto internet BBS's? That would be cool and an incentive for me to use my VIC-20 even more!

Interesting idea! I haven't given it much thought but eventually all the old modems are going to run out of phone lines. I don't know of anyone using fixed phones here in Norway.. everyone uses mobile phones.

Edit: Maybe a Skype phone or other VOIP can handle 300 baud? I have to test that at some point..

ral-clan wrote:Not trying to divert the thread, but are there any wireless versions of ethernet modems that work with the VIC-20? Like this but wireless (my VIC-20 is in another room nowhere near my internet modem/routher).
And, once you have one, can you use it with MightyTerm just as if it were a regular (old) user port modem and get onto internet BBS's? That would be cool and an incentive for me to use my VIC-20 even more!

Yep - mine works fine with the VIC. It's just a user port device.

http://jammingsignal.com/commodore-wi-fi-modem/

Old-school screenshot: