Kermit Software Source Code Archive - Web Access
Frank da Cruz
Most recent update:
Sun Aug 14 18:50:05 2011
THIS PAGE IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Welcome to what might be the biggest collection on earth of software source
code for implementations of the same program on different computers and
operating systems. This new page provides, for the first time, convenient
Web (HTTP) access to all the programs in the Kermit software archive. Each
program can be downloaded as either a “tarball” (gzip'd tar
archive for Unix) or a Zip archive (for Windows, VMS, and other platforms
that have Unzip), and if FTP is not blocked at your site, you can look at or
download individual files by clicking on "file list". In many cases
manuals are also available, sometimes as PDF, others as plain text.
The once-common '.doc' and '.hlp' plain-text-file extensions have been
converted (foo.doc → foodoc.txt;
foo.hlp → foohlp.txt) to avoid unwanted invocations of
Microsoft Word or Help programs; others have been left as they were. Here
are some common ones:
| .txt
| Text
| Plain text
|
| .ann
| Announcement
| Plain text
|
| .msg
| Message
| E-Mail message, plain text
|
| .hex
| Hexadecimal
| Plain-text encoding of a binary file
|
| .boo
| Bootstrap
| A somewhat more compact plain-text encoding of a binary file
(see below)
|
| .mss
| Manuscript
| Scribe markup language source for documentation, plain text
|
| .ps
| PostScript
| Document for printing on a PostScript printer
|
| .pdf
| PDF
| Document for viewing with PDF reader or for printing
|
Many more extensions can be found, for example for source code (.c, .h,
.pas, .pl1, .for, .lsp, etc), but all files (with very few exceptions, such
as PDF and PostScript) are plain text, unless they are in the
archives or bin directories. More about the Kermit archive
after the big table. If your browser refuses to show
you a file because it can't find a "helper" for it, it needs a new button:
"just show it to me!"
The Kermit Software Archive: 1981-2011
| Name
| Version
| Date
| Language
| Platform
| Tar.gz
| Zip
| FTP
|
| C-Kermit:
| Kermit in C for many operating systems |
[Website]
[Manual]
|
|
|
Unix is an operating system family that comprises Linux, FreeBSD,
NetBSD, Mac OS X, HP-UX, AIX, Solaris, SCO, and many others both
open and proprietary; C-Kermit is available for all of them:
see complete list.
|
|
VMS, also known as OpenVMS, is a proprietary operating system
developed at Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), which passed to Compaq and
then to Hewlett-Packard (HP). C-Kermit is available for VMS versions old
and new on VAX, Alpha, and IA64.
|
|
Tar and Zip archive legend: cku = for Unix; ckv = for VMS; cko = for
OS/2; ck9 = for OS9; ckl = for Stratus VOS; ckc = for all
|
| C-Kermit
| 9.0.301
| 2011/07/11
| C
| Unix, VMS
| cku301.tar.gz
| cku301.zip
ckv301.zip | file list
|
| C-Kermit
| 8.0.211
| 2004/04/10
| C
| Unix, VMS
| cku211.tar.gz
| cku211.zip
ckv211.zip
| file list
|
| C-Kermit
| 8.0.206
| 2002/10/24
| C
| Unix, VMS
| cku206.tar.gz
| cku206.zip
ckv206.zip
| file list
|
| C-Kermit
| 8.0.201
| 2002/02/08
| C
| Unix, VMS
| cku201.tar.gz
| cku201.zip
ckv201.zip
| file list
|
| C-Kermit
| 8.0.200
| 2001/12/12
| C
| Unix, VMS
| cku200.tar.gz
| cku200.zip
ckv200.zip
| file list
|
| C-Kermit
| 7.0.197
| 2000/02/08
| C
| Unix, VMS, Data General AOS/VS, Stratus VOS, Plan 9 from Bell Labs,
Microware OS9, Commodore Amiga
| cku197.tar.gz
| cku197.zip
ckv197.zip
| file list
|
| C-Kermit
| 6.0.192
| 1996/09/06
| C
| Unix, VMS, AOS/VS, VOS, Plan 9, OS9, Amiga, IBM OS/2
| cku192.tar.gz
ck9192.tar.gz
| ckc192.zip
ck9192.zip
ckv192.zip
| file list
|
| C-Kermit
| 5A(190)
| 1994/10/04
| C
| Unix, VMS, AOS/VS, Plan9, OS9, Amiga, Apple Macintosh,
Apollo Aegis, Atari ST
| cku190.tar.gz
| ckc190.zip
cko190.zip
| file list
|
| C-Kermit
| 4F(095)
| 1989/08/31
| C
| Unix, VMS, OS/2, OS9, Amiga, Apollo, Macintosh
| ckc095.tar.gz
| ckc095.zip
| file list
|
| C-Kermit
| 4E(072)
| 1989/01/24
| C
| Unix, VMS, OS9, Amiga, Apollo, Macintosh
| ckc072.tar.gz
| ckc072.zip
| file list
|
| Kermit
| 3.0(0)
| 1984/08/01
| C
| 4.1-4.3BSD Unix only (single source file)
| n/a
| n/a
| kermit.c
|
| Kermit
| 3.0
| 1984/11/05
| C
| 4.1-4.3BSD Unix, Amdahl UTS, VMS (modular)
| uxk300.tar.gz
| uxk300.zip
| file list
|
| E-Kermit:
| Kermit Protocol for Embedding
| [Website]
|
|
| E-Kermit
| 1.17
| 2011/06/06
| C
| Any
| ek17.tar.gz
| ek17.zip
| file list
|
| EKSW
| 0.94
| 2011/06/06
| C
| Linux
| eksw094.tar.gz
| eksw094.zip
| file list
|
|
|
| G-Kermit
| 1.00
| 1999/12/25
| C
| Unix
| gku100.tar.gz
| gku100.zip
| file list
|
| Kermit 95:
| Kermit software for 32- and 64-bit Microsoft Windows and
for IBM OS/2
|
[Website]
[Manual]
|
|
| Kermit 95
| 2.1.3
| 2003/01/01
| C
| Microsoft Windows 95 and later, IBM OS/2 Warp
| k95source.tar.gz
| k95source.zip
| file list
|
|
|
| MS-DOS Kermit
| 3.14 - 3.16
| 1995-1999
| MASM, C
| MS-DOS computers (see list just below)
| n/a
| msk316src.zip
| file list
|
| MS-DOS Kermit runs on the IBM PC and compatibles with MS-DOS,
PC-DOS, or DR-DOS, or under Microsoft Windows 3.11 or earlier. Separate
versions were created for the following non-IBM compatible PCs:
ACT Apricot, DEC Rainbow, DECmate-II and -III, GRiD Compass II,
Heath/Zenith-100, HP Portable Plus, HP-110, HP-150, Intel 300 Series with
iRMX-86 or iRMX-286, Macintosh with AST286 board, NEC APC, NEC APC III, NEC
PC9801, Olivetti M24 PC, Sanyo 550 MBC, Seequa Chameleon, TI Professional,
Victor/Sirius 1, and the Wang PC/APC.
|
| Kermit 86
| 1.20
| 1982-83
| MASM
| DOS on the IBM PC and the H/Z-100
| n/a
| pckermit.zip
| file list
pckermit.exe
|
| Bootstrap:
| Receive-only Kermit
from the Kermit book to type in and run to
download a real Kermit program
|
|
| Kermit
|
| 1986
| MS BASIC
| MS-DOS (when all PCs had BASIC)
| n/a
| n/a
| kermit.bas
note
|
|
The versions above are the big ones in terms of popularity, coverage, scope,
or longevity. From here down we go in approximately alphabetical order.
Many of these are adaptations of early versions of the Kermit programs listed
above to specific platforms.
|
| Name
| Version
| Date
| Language
| Platform
| Tar.gz
| Zip
| FTP
|
| Acorn:
| Kermit for Acorn computers
|
|
|
| C-Kermit
| 4C(057)
| 1985/07/26
| C
| Acorn Cambridge Workstation with PANOS
| acorn.tar.gz
| acorn.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Arthur-Kermit
| 1.3 from C-Kermit 4C(052)
| 1987/10/07
| C
| Acorn Archimides with RISC OS (followon to Arthur)
| archimedes.tar.gz
| archimedes.zip
| file list
|
| BBC Kermit
| 1.45
| 1987/05/19
| 6502 Assembler
| Acorn BBC Micro
models B, B+, B+128, and Master 128
| bbcmicro.tar.gz
| bbcmicro.zip
| file list
manual
|
|
|
|
The Alpha Micro version of Kermit was featured in the book
680x0
programming by example by Stan Kelly-Bootle (1988).
|
| Alpha-Kermit
| 2.0
| 1994/03/18
| m68k assembler
| Alpha Micro mc68000 with AMOS/L and AMOS/32
| alphamicro.tar.gz
| alphamicro.zip
| file list
|
| Apollo:
| Kermit for Apollo Workstations (also see C-Kermit for Apollo)
|
[Announcement]
|
|
| Kermit
| 2.9
| 1989/05/07
| Pascal
| Apollo Aegis
| apollo.tar.gz
| apollo.zip
| file list
|
|
|
| Kermit 65
| 3.87
| 1990/12/05
| CROSS
| Apple II DOS, ProDOS
| n/a
| appleii.zip
| file list
|
|
|
| Mac Kermit
| 0.993
| 1996/06/03
| MPW C
| Apple Macintosh
Mac OS ≤ 9
| ckc190.tar.gz
| ckc190.zip
| file list
other files
|
| Atari:
| Kermit for the Atari ST (also see C-Kermit for Atari ST)
|
|
| Kermit
| 1.02
| 1986/07/03
| C
| Atari ST GEMDOS
| atarist.tar.gz
| atarist.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Kermit
| 1.1
| 1984/01/09
| Action
| Atari Home Computer DOS
| atarihc.tar.gz
| atarihc.zip
| file list
help
|
| Burroughs:
| Kermit for Burroughs Mainframes
|
|
| Kermit
|
| 1985/06/03
| Algol
| Burroughs B6800 CANDE
| burroughs6800.tar.gz
| burroughs6800.zip
| file list
|
| Kermit-7800
| 1.019
| 1986/09/11
| Algol
| Burroughs 6700, 7800,... and A Series
| burroughs7800.tar.gz
| burroughs7800.zip
| file list
|
| Kermit-Bur
| 5.2
| 1985/11/27
| Algol
| Burroughs B7900
| burroughs7900.tar.gz
| burroughs7900.zip
| file list
|
|
|
| CC-Kermit
| 2.32A
| 1991/09/09
| MASM
| Chinese PCs with CCDOS
| ccdos.tar.gz
| ccdos.zip
| file list
|
| CDC:
| Kermit for the Control Data Corporation Cyber Supercomputer
|
|
| Kermit
| 2.2
| 1984/09/07
| Fortran-77
| CDC Cyber 170 with NOS and NOS/BE
| cdccyber.tar.gz
| cdccyber.zip
| file list
[cdc*.*]
|
| Kermit
| 3.4
| 1988/05/10
| Fortran V
| CDC Cyber with NOS
| cdccyber.tar.gz
| cdccyber.zip
| file list
[cd3*.*]
|
| Cyber Kermit
| 1.0
| 1987/03/04
| COMPASS
| CDC Cyber with NOS 2.2
| cdccompass.tar.gz
| cdccompass.zip
| file list
|
| CIE Systems:
| Kermit for CIE 620
|
[Manual]
|
|
| Kerm
|
| 1987/01/26
| C
| CIE 620/xx with Regulus
| cieregulus.tar.gz
| cieregulus.zip
| file list
|
| Commodore:
| Kermit for Commodore Computers
|
|
| Kermit C-64
| 1.5
| 1985/02/08
| FORTH
| Commodore 64
| c64forth.tar.gz
| c64forth.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Kermit-65
| 2.27
| 1992/09/30
| CROSS
| Commodore 64 and 128
| c64cross.tar.gz
| c64cross.zip
| file list
manual
|
| C-Kermit
| 7.0.197
| 2000/02/08
| C
| AmigaOS
| ckc197.tar.gz
| n/a
| file list
binary
|
| Computervision:
| Kermit for Computervision
|
[Manual]
|
|
| Kermit-CV
| 1.21
| 1987/03/04
| Fortran S
| Computervision minicomputer GCOS
| computervision.tar.gz
| computervision.zip
| file list
|
| Convergent:
| Kermit for Convergent Technologies CTOS
|
[Manual]
|
|
| CTOS-Kermit
| 2.00
| 1993/01/20
| C
| Convergent CTOS, Burroughs BTOS, Bull STARSYS
| convergent.tar.gz
| convergent.zip
| file list
|
| CP/M-80:
| Kermit 80 for CP/M-80 and CP/M-85
|
[Manual]
|
|
| Kermit 80
| 4.11
| 1991/04/23
| 8080 assembler
| CP/M-80 2.2, CP/M-80 3.0, CP/M-85
| cpm80.tar.gz
| cpm80.zip
| file list
|
|
This was one of the original Kermit programs, written originally for the Intertec
Superbrain and later made portable to many other CP/M systems, all
mutually incompatible:
Access Matrix;
Acorn BBC computer with Z80;
Action Computer Enterprises Discovery;
Ampro Little Board (terminal required);
Amstrad CPC 664 and 6128;
Amstrad PCW 8256/8512;
Apple II with Z80 Softcard;
BigBoard II;
British Telecom Merlin/Rair Black Box;
CPT-85xx;
Cifer 1886;
Comart Communicator;
Compupro;
Cromemco;
DEC VT180;
DECmate II with CP/M option;
Digicomp Delphi 100;
Epson PX-8;
Generic CP/M 3.0;
Generic: CPM 2.2;
Heath-8;
Heath/Zenith H89;
Hewlett-Packard HP-125;
Ithaca Intersystems;
Kaypro-II 4;
Lobo Max-80;
Microbee;
Micromint SB-180;
MikroMikko;
Morrow Decision I;
Morrow Micro Decision I;
NCR Decision Mate V;
Northstar Advantage;
Northstar Horizon;
Northstar Horizon;
Northstar Horizon;
Ohio Scientific;
Osborne 1;
PMC 101 Micromate;
Research Machines 380Z;
Sanyo MBC-1100;
Screentyper;
TELCON Zorba portable;
TRS-80 model II;
TRS-80 model IV;
Teletek Systemaster
Torch computers BBC-B;
US Microsales S100-8;
Vector Graphics;
Video Genie;
Xerox 820;
Z-100 under CP/M-85;
Z80MU development system on PC.
|
| CP/M-86:
|
Kermit 86 for CP/M-86 and Concurrent CP/M-86
|
[Manual]
[README]
|
|
| Kermit 86
| 2.9
| 1984-1986
| ASM86
| CP/M-86 on the DEC Rainbow, Fujitsu Micro16s, Future FX20/FX30, NEC APC,
Tektronix 4170, and Victor/Sirius 9000
| n/a
| cpm86.zip
| file list
|
| Kermit 86
| 2.9
| 1985/06/05
| ASM86
| Concurrent CP/M-86 on the Argos Pro PC, Daisy PCi, Fallon 2000, FTS PCi,
ICL PC2, ICL PC Quattro, Orion PCi
| n/a
| ccpm86.zip
| file list
|
| Data General:
| Kermit for Data General RDOS
|
|
| Kermit
|
| 1984/09/14
| Fortran-5
| DG Nova/4 RDOS
| rdos1.tar.gz
| rdos1.zip
| file list
|
| Kermit
|
| 1987/03/25
| BASIC
| DG 800 RDOS
| rdos2.tar.gz
| rdos2.zip
| file list
|
| Data General:
| Kermit for Data General AOS and AOS/VS
|
|
| Kermit
|
| 1985/02/08
| SP/Pascal
| AOS, AOS/VS
| aospascal.tar.gz
| aospascal.zip
| file list
|
| Kermit-AOS
| 1.0
| 1984/07/05
| Ratfor
| AOS 5.0
| aosfortran.tar.gz
| aosfortran.zip
| file list
|
| Kermit
|
| 1985/07/xx
| C
| Data General MV Series with MV/UX under AOS/VS
| dgmvux.tar.gz
| dgmvux.zip
| file list
|
| C-Kermit
| 7.0.197
| 2000/02/08
| C
| AOS/VS and AOS/VS-II
| ckc197.tar.gz
| ckc197.zip
| file list
|
|
|
| Kermit 20
| 5.1(186)
| 2006/01/06
| Macro-20
| TOPS-20
| dec20.tar.gz
| dec20.zip
| file list
|
| DEC:
| DECsystem-10 Kermit for the PDP-10 [SIT]
| [Website]
|
|
The three [SIT] programs (from Stevens Institute of Technology) are an
exercise in cross-platform development using a shared code base in DEC
Common Bliss; Bliss-36 for the PDP-10, Bliss-32 for the VAX, and Bliss-16
for the Pro, which is a 16-bit PDP-11.
| Kermit 10
| 3.134
| 1989/09/08
| Bliss-36, Macro-10
| TOPS-10
| pdp10.tar.gz
| pdp10.zip
| file list
|
| DEC:
| VAX/VMS Kermit [SIT]
(Also see C-Kermit)
|
[Manual]
[Binary]
|
|
| Kermit 32
| 3.3.128
| 1991/01/04
| Bliss-32, Macro-32
| DEC VAX/VMS
| vmskermit32.tar.gz
| vmskermit32.zip
| file list
|
| DEC:
| VAX/VMS Kermit in Pascal (Also see C-Kermit)
|
|
| Kermit-VMS
| 1.1E
| 1984/08/22
| Pascal
| DEC VAX/VMS
| vmspascal.tar.gz
| vmspascal.zip
| file list
README
|
| DEC:
| Kermit for the DEC Professional 300 Series Workstation
[SIT]
|
[Manual]
|
|
| Pro/Kermit
| 1.0.10
| 1984/04/16
| Bliss-16, Macro-11
| P/OS on the DEC Pro-350 and Pro-380
| decpro300.tar.gz
| decpro300.zip
| file list
|
| DEC:
| Kermit for the 16-bit PDP-11 minicomputer
(Also see C-Kermit)
| [Website]
|
|
| Kermit 11
| 3.60
| 1989/06/13
| Macro-11
| DEC RSX-11M, RSX-11M+, RT-11, RSTS/E, IAS, TSX+, P/OS
| kermit11.tar.gz
| kermit11.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Kermit 11
| 3.63
| 1997/09/27
| Macro-11
| DEC RT-11, Pro/RT
| krt11.tar.gz
| krt11.zip
| file list
|
| UTCS RT-11 Kermit
| 2.2C
| 1984/05/11
| OMSI Pascal
| DEC RT-11
| rt11pascal.tar.gz
| rt11pascal.zip
| file list
help
|
| Kermit-M
| 1.0
| 1984/04/11
| 1982 ANSI Standard MUMPS
| DEC PDP-11 with InterSystems M/11 V5
(see note)
| mumps.tar.gz
| mumps.zip
| file list
Manual
|
|
|
| Kermit 12
| 10g
| 1990/09/13
| PAL
| PDP-8 and PDP-12
12-bit micro and lab computers
| k12.tar.gz
| k12.zip
| file list
|
| DTSS:
| Kermit for the Dartmouth Timesharing System
|
|
| Kermit
|
| 1986/05/29
| VPL/1
| GE-200 Series DTSS
| dtss.tar.gz
| dtss.zip
| file list
|
| EMACS:
| Kermit file transfer into and out of an EMACS buffer
|
|
| Kermit
| 1.4
| 1994/06/02
| EMACS LISP
| GNU EMACS
| emacslisp.tar.gz
| emacslisp.zip
| file list
|
| GEC:
| Kermit for GEC 4000
|
[Manual]
|
|
| Kermit-40
| 3.9
| 1989/05/07
| MUM/SERC
| GEC 4000 with OS4000
| gec4000.tar.gz
| gec4000.zip
| file list
|
| Gould:
| Kermit for Gould/SEL MPX
|
|
| Kermit
| 2.3
| 1986/12/10
| Fortran 77+,
assembler
| Gould Concept and Series computers with MPX 2.x or 3.x.
| gould2.tar.gz
| gould2.zip
| file list
Manual
|
| Kermit
| 2.3
| 1990/11/12
| Fortran 77+
| Gould/SEL 32/77 with MPX 1.5E
| gould3.tar.gz
| gould3.zip
| file list
|
| Harris:
| Kermit for Harris Minicomputers
|
|
| Krmsrv
| 1.06
| 1988/03/17
| Fortran 77+
| Harris H100 VOS 4.1.1
| harris100.tar.gz
| harris100.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Kermit
|
| 1985/02/11
| Pascal, assembler
| Harris H800 VOS
| harris800.tar.gz
| harris800.zip
| file list
|
| Hewlett-Packard:
| Kermit for the HP-1000 Minicomputer
|
[Manual]
|
|
| Kermit
| 1.99D
| 1990/01/08
| Fortran
| HP-1000 with RTE-6, RTE-A
| hp1000.tar.gz
| hp1000.zip
| file list
|
| Hewlett-Packard:
|
Kermit for the HP2640 Series "Rover" Programmable Graphics Terminal
|
[Manual]
|
|
| Rover Kermit
| 1.2
| 1986/02/26
| 8080 assembler
| HP-2640 Series
| hp2647.tar.gz
| hp2647.zip
| file list
|
| Hewlett-Packard:
| Kermit for the HP-3000 Minicomputer
|
|
| Kermit
| 1n
| 1984/02/16
| Ratfor
| HP-3000 MPE
| hp3000st.tar.gz
| hp3000st.zip
| file list
help
|
| Kermit
| 2.0
| 1994/09/03
| SPL
| HP-3000 with MPE, MPE XL
| hp3000.tar.gz
| hp3000.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Kermit
| 2.0
| 1994/09/03
| C
| HP-3000 with MPE, MPE XL
| This is a translation of the SPL version to C
| hp3000.c
|
| Hewlett-Packard:
| Kermit for the HP86 and HP87 Microcomputer
|
[Manual]
|
|
| Kermit
| 1.01
| 1988/01/28
| BASIC
| H86, HP87
| hp86.tar.gz
| hp86.zip
| file list
|
| Hewlett-Packard:
| Kermit for the HP 9800-series workstations with UCSD Pascal
|
|
| HP-Kermit
| 1.0
| 1984/01/20
| Pascal
| HP 9826, 9836
| hp9826.tar.gz
| hp9826.zip
| file list
|
| Hewlett-Packard:
| Kermit for the HP9845 BASIC workstation
|
|
| Kermit
| 1.00
| 1986/03/14
| BASIC
| HP 9845
| hp9845.tar.gz
| hp9845.zip
| file list
|
| Hewlett-Packard:
| Kermit for the HP9000 BASIC workstation
|
[README]
[Manual]
|
|
| Kermit-RMB
| 1.0
| 1989/06/21
| BASIC
| HP 9000/200, /300
| hp9000basic.tar.gz
| hp9000basic.zip
| file list
|
| Hewlett-Packard:
| Kermit for the HP9000 with HP-UX
|
[Website]
[Manual]
|
|
| C-Kermit
| 9.0.301
| 2011/07/11
| C
| HP-UX 5.21 through 11.x on FOCUS, mc680x0, PA-RISC, and IA64
| cku301.tar.gz
| cku301.zip
| file list
|
| Honeywell:
| Kermit for Honeywell MULTICS on DPS/LEVEL 68 and DPS 8M
|
|
| Kermit-Multics
| 2.0h
| 1984/09/
| PL/I
| Honeywell MULTICS
| multics.tar.gz
| multics.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Honeywell:
| Kermit for the Honeywell 6000 Series with CP-6
|
|
| Kermit
| 1.00
| 1988/01/28
| PL/6
| Honeywell DPS8, DPS90
| honeywellcp6a.tar.gz
| honeywellcp6a.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Kermit
|
| 1985/04/04
| Pascal
| Honeywell DPS8, DPS90
| honeywellcp6b.tar.gz
| honeywellcp6b.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Honeywell:
| Kermit for the Honeywell 6000 and Level 6 Series with GCOS
|
|
| Kermit
| 2.01
| 1991/06/03
| C
| Honeywell AP6, DPS6 with GCOS6
| honeywellgcosa.tar.gz
| honeywellgcosa.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Kermit
| 1.1
| 1985/03/21
| B
| Honeywell DPS8 with GCOS/TSS
| honeywellgcosb.tar.gz
| honeywellgcosb.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Kermit
| 3.0
| 1984/10/05
| C
| Honeywell DPS8,DPS66 with GCOS3, GCOS8
| honeywellgcosc.tar.gz
| honeywellgcosc.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Honeywell:
| Kermit for the Honeywell L6/10 PC
|
|
| Kermit
| 1.20/a
| 1984/10/05
| MASM
| Honeywell Microsystem L6/10 MS-DOS 2.11
| honeywellmicro.tar.gz
| honeywellmicro.zip
| file list
|
|
|
| Kermit 370
| 4.3.2
| 1997/12/16
| Assembler
| MVS/TSO, VM/CMS, CICS, ROSCOE, MUSIC
[overview]
| ibm370.tar.gz
| ibm370.zip
| file list
|
| Kermit-CMS
| 2.01
| 1985/04/xx
| assembler
| IBM 370 VM/CMS
| cmsoriginal.tar.gz
| cmsoriginal.zip
| file list
manual
|
|
|
| Courier-CICS
| 2.20
| 1988
| assembler
| EC 2157 CICS
| cicsussr.tar.gz
| cicsussr.zip
| file list
|
| IBM:
| Kermit in Pascal for VM/CMS
|
|
| Kermit-CMS
|
| 1988/05/20
| Pascal/VS,
assembler
| IBM 370 VM/CMS
| cmsqueens.tar.gz
| cmsqueens.zip
| file list
|
| IBM:
| Kermit programs for IBM 370-series mainframes with MVS/TSO
|
|
| Kermit
|
| 1984/07/18
| assembler
| IBM 370
MVS/TSO
| ibmtsochicago.tar.gz
| ibmtsochicago.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Kermit
| 1.0
| 1986/05/xx
| ALP
| IBM 370
MVS/TSO
| ibmtsonih.tar.gz
| ibmtsonih.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Kermit
| 2.3
| 1987/10/01
| Pascal/VS
| IBM 370
MVS/TSO
| ibmtsoqueens.tar.gz
| ibmtsoqueens.zip
| file list
manual
|
| IBM:
| Kermit for the IBM 370 with the Michigan Terminal System (MTS)
|
|
| Kermit
|
| 1983
| assembler
| IBM 370 with MTS
note
| mtsasm.tar.gz
| mtsasm.zip
| file list
|
| Kermit
| 1.0
| 1984/01/06
| Pascal/VS
| IBM 370 with MTS
| mtspascal.tar.gz
| mtspascal.zip
| file list
manual
|
| UBC Kermit
| 1.00
| 1984/09/10
| PLUS
| IBM 370 with MTS
note
| mtsplus.tar.gz
| mtsplus.zip
| file list
manual
|
| IBM:
| Kermit for the MUSIC operating system
|
[Manual]
|
|
| Kermit-MUSIC
| 1.2
| 1985/12/11
| Assembler
| IBM 370 MUSIC
under VM/SP
| music.tar.gz
| music.zip
| file list
|
| IBM:
| Kermit for the Gothenburg University Timesharing System (GUTS)
|
[Manual]
|
|
| Kermit/GUTS
| 1.0
| 1985/04/05
| Assembler
| IBM 370 MVS/GUTS
| guts.tar.gz
| guts.zip
| file list
|
| IBM:
| Kermit for the IBM CS/9000 Instrument Workstation
|
[Manual]
|
|
| Kermit
|
| 1992/09/10
| Pascal
| IBM CS/9000 CSOS
| ibmcs9000.tar.gz
| ibmcs9000.zip
| file list
|
|
|
| C-Kermit
| 9.0.301
| 2011/07/11
| C
| AIX/370 and AIX/ESA on 370;
AIX 1.x on PS/2; AIX 2.x on RT PC; AIX 4 on RS/6000 and PowerPC
| cku301.tar.gz
| cku301.zip
ckv301.zip | file list
|
|
|
| Kermit 95
| 2.1.3
| 2003/01/01
| C
| IBM OS/2 Warp
| k95source.tar.gz
| k95source.zip
| file list
|
| ICL:
| Kermit for ICL Computers
|
|
| Kermit
| 1.01
| 1986/10/16
| S3, MTUP
| ICL 2900 VME
| iclvme2900.tar.gz
| iclvme2900.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Intel:
| Kermit for the Intel 8051 Microcontroller
|
[Description]
|
|
| Kermit
|
| 1996/06/27
| assembler
| Intel 8051 Microcontroller
| intel8051.tar.gz
| intel8051.zip
| file list
|
| Intel:
| Kermit for the Intel System 86/830
|
|
| iRMX-86 Kermit
| 2.3
| 1985/06/06
| P/LM-86
| Intel System 86/380
| intel86.tar.gz
| intel86.zip
| file list
|
| iRMX-86 Kermit
| 2.41
| 1985/08/22
| P/LM-86
| Intel System 86/380
| intel86b.tar.gz
| intel86b.zip
| file list
|
| RMX-86 Kermit
| 1.0
| 1985/10/28
| P/LM-86
| Intel iRMX-86
| intelrmx86.tar.gz
| intelrmx86.zip
| file list
|
| Intel:
| Kermit for the Intel Microcomputer Development System
|
|
| ISIS Kermit
|
| 1985/11/01
| P/LM
| Intel MDS 80
| intelmdsa.tar.gz
| intelmdsa.zip
| file list
|
| ISIS Kermit
| 3
| 1987/04/06
| P/LM-86
| Intel Series II, III, IV computers with ISIS
| intelmdsb.tar.gz
| intelmdsb.zip
| file list
Manual
|
| Lilith:
| Kermit for the ETH Lilith Workstation
|
[Manual]
|
|
| M2-Kermit
| 1.0
| 1986/03/01
| Modula-2
| Lilith Workstation with Medos
| lilith.tar.gz
| lilith.zip
| file list
|
| LISP Machines:
| Kermit for LISP machines
|
|
| Kermit
| 1.0
| 1985/09/12
| Zetalisp
| LMI and Symbolics LISP Machines
| lispmachine.tar.gz
| lispmachine.zip
| file list
description
|
| Explorer Kermit
| 1.0
| 1986/09/22
| Common LISP
| Texas Instruments Explorer
| tiexplorer.tar.gz
| tiexplorer.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Luxor:
| Kermit for Luxor ABC Microcomputers
|
|
| Luxker
| 1.0
| 1987/09/24
| assembler
| Luxor ABC-80
| luxorabc80.tar.gz
| luxorabc80.zip
| file list
Manual
|
| Kermit
| 4.11
| 1990/01/04
| BASIC, assembler
| Luxor ABC-800, 802, 806; Facit DTC, DTC2
| luxorabc800.tar.gz
| luxorabc800.zip
| file list
[Manual]
|
| MAI BASIC Four:
| Kermit for the MAI BASIC Four Business System
|
|
| Kermit
| 1.0
| 1988/04/07
| BOSS/VS Business Basic
| MBF Models 7000, 8000, 9000
| maibasicfour.tar.gz
| maibasicfour.zip
| file list
|
|
|
| C-Kermit
| 4D(071)
| 1986/09/08
| C
| MINIX 1.1
| minix1.tar.gz
| minix1.zip
| file list
[notes]
|
| C-Kermit
| 9.0.301
| 2011/07/11
| C
| MINIX 3
| cku301.tar.gz
| cku301.zip
ckv301.zip | file list
|
| Modcomp:
| Kermit for the MODCOMP Classic
|
[Manual]
|
|
| MAXIV Kermit
| A.0
| 1987/01/26
| Fortran,
assembler
| MODCOMP Classic with MAX IV
| modcomp.tar.gz
| modcomp.zip
| file list
|
| Microware:
| Kermit for the OS-9 Realtime Operating System
|
|
| Kermit
| 1.5
| 1985/07/02
| C
| Motorola 6809 with OS9 Level I
or II; OS9/68k
| os9.tar.gz
| os9.zip
| file list
[Manual]
|
| Kermit68K
| 1.0.00
| 1987/07/01
| mc68000 assembler
| Motorola 680x0 with OS-9/68k
| os968ka.tar.gz
| os968ka.zip
| file list
[Manual]
|
| C-Kermit
| 6.0.192
| 1996/09/06
| C
| OS9/68k
| ck9192.tar.gz
| ck9192.zip
| file list
|
| Motorola:
| Kermit for Flex-09
|
|
| Kermit
|
| 1986/04/17
| 6809 assembler
| Motorola 6809 and SWTP micros with Flex-09
| flex1.tar.gz
| flex1.zip
| file list
|
| Kermit-09
| 3.0
| 1987/03/04
| C and 6809 assembler
| Motorola 6809 and SWTP micros with Flex-09
| flex2.tar.gz
| flex2.zip
| file list
|
| MS-DOS:
| Various Kermit programs for MS-DOS on the IBM PC and
compatibles (also see MS-DOS Kermit)
|
|
|
| Kermit
| 1.1a
| 1988/04/15
| Turbo Pascal
| MS-DOS
| tpdoskermit.tar.gz
| tpdoskermit.zip
| file list
notes
|
| Queens Kermit
| 3.1
| 1988/12/14
| Turbo Pascal
| MS-DOS
| queenskermit.tar.gz
| queenskermit.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Kermit
| 1.0
| 1997/11/13
| Pygmy Forth
| MS-DOS with Pygmy Forth
| n/a
| pfkerm.zip
| file list
announce
|
| The following, together with PRIME Kermit, were the first to
have sliding windows packet transport, needed for long-distance file
transfers across TELENET. This is a prototype program; the algorithms
were refined later in C-Kermit and MS-DOS Kermit. This work was funded by
THE SOURCE, a TELENET-based online service provider using PRIME computers,
many of whose clients had PCs.
|
| Wkermit
| 1.3
| 1985/11/11
| Lattice C
| MS-DOS
| wkermit.tar.gz
| wkermit.zip
| file list
|
| MS Windows:
| Kermit programs for 16-bit versions of Microsoft Windows
(Also see Kermit 95)
|
|
|
| Win100
| 2.4
| 1990/10/10
| C
| Windows 2.x
| win100.tar.gz
| win100.zip
| file list
notes
|
| Win100
|
| 1991/05/28
| C
| Windows 3.0
| win100b.tar.gz
| win100b.zip
| file list
notes
|
| NCR:
| Kermit for the NCR 9800
|
[Manual]
|
|
| V-Kermit
| 4E(072)
| 1990/06/22
| C
| NCR 9800-4 VE4.0 with IVS or MCS
| ncr9800.tar.gz
| ncr9800.zip
| file list
|
| Nicolet:
| Kermit for the Nicolet-80
|
[Manual]
|
|
| NIC-80 Kermit
| 1.76
| 1994/06/29
| Pascal, assembler
| Nicolet NIC-80 Series (LAB-80, MED-80, NMR-80, BNC-12, etc)
| nicolet80.tar.gz
| nicolet80.zip
| file list
|
| Norsk Data:
| Kermit for the Norsk Data Systems NORD Series
|
[Manual]
|
|
| Kermit-ND
| 3.1b
| 1985/04/22
| Pascal, assembler
| Norsk Data Systems NORD-10/100/500 Sintran III
| norskdata.tar.gz
| norskdata.zip
| file list
|
| Perkin Elmer:
| Kermit for Perkin-Elmer Minicomputers
|
|
| Kermit
| 1.1(0)
| 1986/12/05
| C
| Perkin-Elmer IDRIS 7000 Series
| perkinelmeridris.tar.gz
| perkinelmeridris.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Kermit
| 1.0
| 1987/03/04
| Fortran
| Perkin-Elmer 3200 with OS32MT72
| perkinelmeros32.tar.gz
| perkinelmeros32.zip
| file list
announce
help
|
| PERQ:
| Kermit for the Three Rivers / ICL PERQ Workstation
|
|
| Kermit
| 2.0
| 1984/12/04
| Pascal
| PERQ POS
| perqa.tar.gz
| perqa.zip
| file list
announce
|
| Kermit-Perq
|
| 1985/05/06
| Pascal
| PERQ POS
| perqb.tar.gz
| perqb.zip
| file list
description
|
|
|
| Kermit
| 0.3
| 1987/01/22
| Data/BASIC,
assembler
| Microdata Reality, VAX/Ultimate, or IBM PC with PICK
| pick.tar.gz
| pick.zip
| file list
announce
|
| PRIME:
| Kermit for PR1ME Computers
|
|
| Kermit
| 8.14
| 1992/02/14
| PL/P
| PRIME Computers with PRIMOS
| prime.tar.gz
| prime.zip
| file list
announce
|
| Radio Shack:
| Kermit for Tandy Radio Shack computers
|
|
| Kermit
|
| 1984/11/27
| BASIC
| Tandy 100 Palmtop
| tandy100.tar.gz
| tandy100.zip
| file list
|
| Kermit-CoCo
| 1.1
| 1985/03/21
| EDTASM
| TRS-80 Color Computer with Radio Shack DOS
| trs80coco.tar.gz
| trs80coco.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Kermit
| 3.5
| 1984/08/08
| MAC80
| TRS-80 Model I or III with TRSDOS, NEWDOS/80, LDOS, and VTOS
| trs80model1and3.tar.gz
| trs80model1and3.zip
| file list
notes
manual
|
| TRSKER
| 2.3
| 1987/03/26
| Microsoft assembler
| TRS-80 Model II
| trs80model2.tar.gz
| trs80model2.zip
| file list
|
| Kermit
| 5.2
| 1986/10/22
| Z80 assembler
| TRS-80 Model 4 with TRSDOS 6.1
| trs80model4.tar.gz
| trs80model4.zip
| file list
manual
|
| MS-DOS Kermit
| 3.14
| 1995/05/21
| C, 8080 assembler
| Tandy 1000
| n/a
| msk314.zip
| n/a
|
| Kermit-86
| 1.21
| 1984/02/16
| 8080 assembler
| Tandy 2000
| tandy2000.tar.gz
| tandy2000.zip
| file list
|
| C-Kermit
| 6.0.192
| 1996/09/06
| C
| Xenix 3.0
| ck9192.tar.gz
| ck9192.zip
| file list
binary
|
| RML:
| Kermit for Research Machines Limited Computers
|
|
| Kermit
| 1.22
| 1986/11/03
| Aztec C
| RML Nimbus and 480Z
| researchmachines.tar.gz
| researchmachines.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Sinclair:
| Kermit for the Sinclair QL
|
|
| QL-Kermit
| 1.10
| 1987/05/08
| C
| Sinclair QL QDOS
| sinclairqla.tar.gz
| sinclairqla.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Kermit
| 1
| 1987/05/29
| BCPL
| Sinclair QL QDOS
| sinclairqlb.tar.gz
| sinclairqlb.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Stratus:
| Kermit for Stratus fault-tolerant computers
|
|
| C-Kermit
| 7.0.197
| 2000/02/08
| C
| Stratus VOS
| n/a
| ckl197.zip
| file list
notes
|
| C-Kermit
| 9.0.301
| 2011/07/04
| C
| Stratus FTX
| cku301.tar.gz
| cku301.zip
| file list
|
| Sperry/Univac:
| Kermit for Sperry/Univac computers
|
|
| Kermit
|
| 1985/04/09
| assembler
| Sperry Univac 90/60 with VS/9
| sperryunivac9060.tar.gz
| sperryunivac9060.zip
| file list
|
| Kermit
| 2.5
| 1986/09/03
| assembler
| Sperry Univac 1100 EXEC
| sperryunivac1100a.tar.gz
| sperryunivac1100a.zip
| file list
|
| Kermit 1100
| 2.0
| 1984/10/04
| Pascal
| Sperry Univac 1100 EXEC
| sperryunivac1100p.tar.gz
| sperryunivac1100p.zip
| file list
|
|
|
| C-Kermit
| 9.0.301
| 2011/07/11
| C
| SunOS and Solaris, all versions, all platforms
| cku301.tar.gz
| cku301.zip
ckv301.zip | file list
|
| Tandem:
| Kermit for Tandem NonStop fault-tolerant computers
|
[overview]
|
|
| Kermit
| 2.0
| 1997/11/13
| TAL |
NonStop Guardian
| tandem.tar.gz
| tandem.zip
| file list
binary
|
| Texas Instruments:
| Kermit for Texas Instruments computers
(Also see: LISP Machines)
|
|
|
| Kermit
| 1.0
| 1987/07/10
| Pascal
| TI-990 DX10
| ti990.tar.gz
| ti990.zip
| file list
|
| TRIPOS:
| Kermit for Cambridge University TRIPOS (Trivial Portable Operating System)
|
|
| Kermit
| 1.5
| 1987/07/10
| BCPL
| various
| tripos.tar.gz
| tripos.zip
| file list
|
| U-Microcomputers:
| Kermit for U-Microcomputers U-Man Series
|
|
| Kermit
| 0.02
| 1985/12/25
| C
| U-Man 1000 with CP/M-68k
| uman1000.tar.gz
| uman1000.zip
| file list
notes
|
| UCSD:
| Kermit for the UCSD p-System
(Also see Hewlett-Packard)
|
|
| Kermit-UCSD
|
| 1984/01/11
| UCSD Pascal
| Terak 8510A UCSD p-System
| ucsdterak.tar.gz
| ucsdterak.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Kermit-UCSD4
| 0.1
| 1984/05/23
| UCSD Pascal
| IBM PC UCSD p-System IV
| ucsdibmpc.tar.gz
| ucsdibmpc.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Kermit UMICRO
| III.0
| 1984/12/03
| UCSD Pascal
| Western Digital Pascal Microengine
UCSD p-System
| ucsdwdme.tar.gz
| ucsdwdme.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Kermit-UCSD
| 1.0
| 1985/12/20
| UCSD Pascal
| Apple II
UCSD p-System
| ucsdappleii.tar.gz
| ucsdappleii.zip
| file list
manual
|
| M2 Kermit
|
| 1986/06/23
| UCSD Pascal
| Joyce Loebl Magiscan 2
| ucsdmagiscan2.tar.gz
| ucsdmagiscan2.zip
| file list
manual
|
| Kermit-UCSD
| 1.1
| 1990/08/05
| UCSD Pascal
| Atari Mega ST
Pecan UCSD p-system IV.2.2/SFS
| ucsdpecan.tar.gz
| ucsdpecan.zip
| file list
manual
|
| UniFLEX:
| Kermit for the Technical Systems Consultants UniFLEX OS
|
|
| UF-Kermit
| 1.5
| 1993/08/23
| McCosh C
| Motorola 6809 computers with UniFLEX
| uniflex.tar.gz
| uniflex.zip
| file list
manual]
|
| UNISYS
Kermit for UNISYS computers
|
| AS-Kermit
| 1.041
| 1989/09/28
| Algol
| A-Series
| unisysaseries.tar.gz
| unisysaseries.zip
| file list
|
| Unix:
| Various Kermit programs for various Unix versions
(all superseded by C-Kermit)
|
|
| UCL Kermit
| 2.8
| 1985/08/27
| C
| 2.9BSD, 4.2 BSD, AT&T System V
| uclkermit.tar.gz
| uclkermit.zip
| file list
manual
|
| QNX Kermit
|
| 1985/09/23
| C
| QNX 1.0 or 2.0 on IBM PC or DEC Rainbow
| qnx1.tar.gz
| qnx1.zip
| file list
|
| Kermit
|
| 1995/04/28
| C
| QNX-2
| qnx2.tar.gz
| qnx2.zip
| file list
|
| Victor
| Kermit for the Victor Technologies 9000 PC
| |
|
|
| Kermit
| 1.0
| 1991/04/18
| C
| Victor 9000 MS-DOS
| victor9000.tar.gz
| victor9000.zip
| file list
help
|
| MS-DOS Kermit
| 3.13
| 1993/07/08
| MASM
| Victor 9000 MS-DOS
| msr313src.tar.gz
| msr313src.zip
| file list
binary
| |
More about the Kermit software archive
The uncompressed unarchived files are not available via HTTP because HTTP,
the protocol of the Web, doesn't have a way to refer to or deal with a group
of files, like FTP can do with its MGET command. Therefore we have to
bundle the files for each Kermit program into Zip or Tar archive so each
Kermit program can be fetched with a single click. The danger is that years
from now, Zip and Tar and Gzip will go out of style and nobody will be able
to decode these files any more. The FTP column is for FTP access to the
individual files in clear text. This is problematic also because
(a)
you have to download each one individually, and
(b) FTP access is
increasingly blocked by firewalls. Of course, if FTP is
not blocked,
you can always use it the
old-fashioned way
(with the advantages that
(a) you can use the MGET command with
wildcards to specify file groups; and
(b) you can specify whether
files are to be transferred in text mode or binary mode, a vital distinction
that browser-based FTP clients don't allow for. NOTE: The Kermit Project
FTP server is Unix-based; therefore text files are in Unix format (lines
terminated by linefeed only, not carriage return and linefeed [CRLF]). ZIP
archives have text files in CRLF format; tar.gz files have them in Unix
format.
I have not made any attempt to include offsite links to information
about the many platforms where Kermit programs run, because any links will
inevitably go stale and I might not be able to update them. If you want to
find out more about some platform, search for it in Google or Wikipedia, or
whatever has replaced them by the time you read this.
For the history of each Kermit program, there are several resources:
- The
Info-Kermit Digest, a public mailing list ran by the Kermit Project
from 1983 to 1995 over ARPANET, BITNET, CSNET, CCNET, Usenet, LISTSERV, etc,
and eventually the Internet. This is a 2MB plain-text searchable file.
- The Kermit Newsgroups, comp.protocols.kermit.misc
and comp.protocols.kermit.announce, which replaced the high-maintenance
labor-intensive mailing list in 1994-95, and was active until 2011, maybe
beyond. Newsgroup archives are available on the Kermit ftp site, and
(as of this writing) in Google Groups here
and here.
However, there is no filtering in the Google archive, the real messages are
mixed with a fair amount of spam).
- The program's source files and accompanying
documentation, available in the big table above.
Brief history of the Kermit Archive
In the early days of the Kermit Project, there was no network for
distributing Kermit programs; therefore we sent them out on
9-track
magnetic tape (at our own expense*). At 1600bpi, each 10-inch reel held
approximlately 50MB of data. Portable tape formats such as ANSI D and IBM
SL (as opposed to platform-specific ones like DUMPER and tar), had no
provision for binary files, so all files had to be text (when making IBM
tapes, we converted ASCII to EBCDIC).
Also there is no directory structure on these tapes; therefore files had
to be grouped by filename. All files for a particular Kermit program had to
be named with a unique 2- or 3-character prefix.
Furthermore, some of the most popular platforms in the early 80s, such as
TOPS-10 and RT-11, restricted filenames to 6.3 format — six or fewer
characters, a period, and then an "extension" of one to three characters.
Thus, even for platforms that had more liberal naming rules, we tried to
keep names within the 6.3 format so the files could be read, stored, and
re-distributed from platforms that tolerated only short names.
Initially all the Kermit programs fit on one tape. But soon with the great
flourishing of Kermit programs in the mid-1980s, the distribution grew to
four tapes. By this time we also had our primary development and
distribution machine, CU20B (Columbia University DECSYSTEM-20 B) on the
ARPANET. Thus the Kermit files were split up into four directories:
| A
| Popular microcomputers
|
| B
| Popular minis and mainframes
|
| C
| Less popular microcomputers
|
| D
| Less popular minis and mainframes
|
It was a neverending struggle to keep each directory within the capacity
of a tape reel. Every time a new version of some Kermit program was
released, a tape overflowed. Then we would have to look for ways to save
space. This was typically done by concatenating all the files for a
particular Kermit program into one big (plain-text) file, with markers
showing the divisions and filenames. This eliminated large numbers
of interfile gaps, each of which took up a disproportianate amount of tape.
It must be said that also we removed some Kermit programs from circulation
when they were "superseded" by a "better" version for the same platform.
We did this simply because we could not fit a lot of alternative versions
for the same platform on a tape.
By the mid-1990s, with the growth of the Internet, tape distribution had
diminished to a trickle so we did not have to be so careful about the size
of each directory. Meanwhile, the ever-increasing volume of Kermit Digest
issues, newsletters, newsgroup archives, version lists, and so on demanded a
"tape" of their own, E, while C-Kermit grew to such proportions that it
received its own directory too, F (now ckermit). Also, since Kermit
binaries and Zip and Tar archives could be distributed over the new networks
(Internet, for example, unlike, say BITNET), directories were created for
them too.
For the assembly of this new Internet archive, all of the superseded
programs have been made available again, and all of the text archives
have been unpacked into their original constituent files with their original
names (but made lowercase, if they were uppercase).
Another noteworthy even is that on August 16, 1988, we moved all the Kermit
files from CU20B to a Unix machines, just before CU20B was turned off for
the last time. Since neither Kermit nor FTP had a mechanism to preserve
file dates, a lot of the older files in the present archive have that date.
In putting this archive together, I was able to correct the file
modification dates, but not always.
__________________
| *
| In 1985 or thereabouts, we were spending so much
programmer time making and shipping tapes that we were told to start
charging for them. And thus the "Kermit business" was born, with a a
production staff and business manager.
|
Magnetic Tape Utilities
We produced literally thousands of magnetic tapes in ANSI, IBM OS SL,
DUMPER, Tar, CPIO, and other formats, and received quite a few tapes (not to
mention diskettes, cartridges, and other media) from other sites containing
their contributions. Since we only had one or two computers for making and
reading tapes, we had to do a lot of format conversion and wound up writing
several programs for reading and writing "alien" tape formats and for
copying tape-to-tape as fast as possible, since sometimes we had order
backlogs of hundreds of tapes, and if we cut them one at a time we'd still
be working on the backlog!
The Kermit Project Tape Utilities
BOO Files
In the early 1980s, to transfer binary files (e.g. over BITNET) or send them
by email, a plain-text encoding was usually needed. The most obvious
binary-to-text transformation is to represent every 8-bit byte by two
hexadecimal characters. But this makes the file twice as long, and in those
days typical communication speeds were 300 to 1200 bits per second. So we
came up with something called a BOO file, short for bootstrap*. The idea
being that if you could get this file onto your PC somehow, then you could
"type in" or download a simple program to turn the BOO file back into the
original binary file. The encoding is similar to Base64 or UUENCODE, but
also incorporates a rudimentary form of compression. A BOO file contains
only 7-bit ASCII printable characters (with lines separated by CR or CRLF,
depending on the platform). Here's the first bit of a typical BOO file:
KERMIT.EXE
CEX00<81~2801:2OooHT60~3402[=ah0~20@00~~~~~~~~~~~~~=n0l]7;4OhRe?=P\m0?@0
\NSA]L_XU[G;j9C5bnQa7\_XZ[G;j3TFbnRLXL]A7Xc1S]WX9J<OFL_XSa7;j0igbnR>4\_X
FQ;;j1H2bnPS0\_X@0;;1XcHS\2Jb`gh3`O3j=2IbnR;8L_XVQ7;j5ZRbhTVg@W61\h10:3J
9Z;K9X3l17D6VP46n0o3P?`1M@JJ007h3l>0o0Ee1YYa1?P?`h3l1WD6VT85n0o3]0VjM03=
8NX^7OP?RbKM2OW3RAK[2ERSk@V99_49D8c8Xnl9aPIc~2a`Ke2O85a`KS2@X2a`KU2@X2
<l261W<0QRI]050b`8H6C2m@3^Q`05R61T`_F:9c08PVK@295VT0F:=S08TVI`1@S<RSI@2h
The first line gives the name of the original binary file, and the remaining
lines are its encoded contents. Tildes (~) indicate places where
compression was done. The writing of BOO-file encoders and decoders became
quite the cottage industry. You can read the specification here, and you can
find an impressive collection of BOO-file makers and decoders here. In any case, with
this mechanism we were able to mix text and "binary" files in the same
directory and put them on tape. Although BOO files never caught on to any
great extent in the wider world, they did their job. In retrospect, a big
improvement would have been a mechanism for gathering multiple files into a
BOO file.
BOO-File Encoders and Decoders
____________________
| *
|
"Bootstrap" refers to lifting up oneself by one's
bootstraps (a parodox). In Kermit jargon, it refers to a way of getting
file-transfer program onto a computer that does not have one, which itself
is a paradox if you think about it. A textual encoding (BOO or Hex, for
example) would be displayed on the microcomputer's screen (conceptually)
with the display copied or "captured" to disk. Then the captured lines of
text would be decoded into the original executable program. But suppose the
microcomputer did not have even a terminal emulator? You can see the
lengths to which we would go in these days to "bootstrap" Kermit onto new
computers in the CP/M Kermit User
Guide, pp.20-23.
|
The KERMIT Acronym
In 1982 or 83, as we saw Kermit protocol and software leaking out of
Columbia University and spreading all over planet, Bill Catchings (one of
the original Kermit developers) became slightly concerned about trademark
infringement so one day he tried to put together a series of words that
KERMIT might stand for. It was really more of a joke than anything:
KL10 Error-free Reciprocal Micro-Interface Transfer
KL-10 was the processor of our DECSYSTEM-20. Of course the protocol was
designed to work on any computer but Bill couldn't find anything appropriate
that started with K. Anyway, this legend was put into one or two pieces of
source souce, which escaped from Columbia, and then found its way into other
pieces of source code that you will find in this archive, and still provokes
a great deal mirth. For our part, we removed it from our own code as soon
as had a letter of permission from Henson Associates to keep using the
name Kermit.
Patterns
Kermit programs fall into roughly two categories: one-shot minimalist
versions, and long-lived and continuously elaborated ones. You can tell the
difference pretty much by the version number and the latest release date.
Any version number greater than 3 is a Kermit program that received a lot of
attention. That's not to say that every 1.x version is crude; one
counterexample is
G-Kermit 1.00, which I wrote
with the specific intention of never having to touch it again.
As to languages, at first we had a great proliferation of them, including
many different assembly languages (PDP-10, IBM mainframe, 8080, 8086,
mc68000...) But by, say, the mid-90s, the only non-interpretive language
that mattered any more was C and its offshoots. Which is kind of a shame
because many of the older languages were more consistent, expressive,
powerful, stable, and robust. And better documented and less aggravating.
Kermit Project Software Archive / 1981-2011
