What's New Since PROCOMM PLUS 1.1B?
If you're currently using PROCOMM PLUS 1.1B or an earlier version, you'll find
much to be excited about! Although the user interface, commands and
documentation for the new PROCOMM PLUS retain their familiar format, we've
added enhancements that move PROCOMM PLUS to a new level of power and
flexibility.
Full 132-column support (both hardware and software) has been added, and
EGA/VGA systems can display extra lines in Terminal mode. PROCOMM PLUS now
allows you to take advantage of the high-resolution VGA hardware available for
PCs - you can even toggle between several different video modes within the
program, switching resolutions with a single Terminal mode command. If your
PC doesn't have EGA or VGA, don't despair; PROCOMM PLUS also supports
"scrolling" 132-column emulation, where your 80-column display becomes a
"window" on the larger world.
The ASPECT script language has received nearly 100 new commands - and ASPECT
scripts are now compiled for faster execution, greater security and smaller
size. You'll find powerful new enhancements in every function of ASPECT; many
of the new commands are similar to commands in the popular "C" programming
language. ASPECT has grown so powerful, it has its own manual.
PROCOMM PLUS now fully supports a Microsoft-compatible mouse; you can use your
mouse throughout PROCOMM PLUS (including the Pull-down menus, the Redisplay
buffer and the Help facility).
You'll find additional protocols within PROCOMM PLUS, including the popular
ZMODEM. PROCOMM PLUS allows you to control ZMODEM time/date stamping, CRC
error detection, windowed or streaming transmission and crash recovery - all
from within the familiar Setup facility. Along with ZMODEM, we've added RAW
ASCII (for transparent ASCII transfers) and greatly improved external protocol
functionality. Note that 1.1B's YMODEM BATCH/YMODEM-G BATCH have been renamed
to YMODEM/YMODEM G, and that 1.1B's YMODEM/YMODEM-G have been renamed to
1K-XMODEM/1K-XMODEM-G. The CompuServe-B protocol (actually Quick-B) has been
upgraded to CompuServe-B+, which adds crash-recovery capability and filesize
information on downloads.
The exclusive File Name Clipboard can "cut" filenames directly from a BBS
listing or directory and then "paste" the filenames to the remote computer for
downloading. You can send an entire list of names, "tag" selected filenames
or edit the Clipboard as you wish. No more tedious copying of filenames onto
scratch paper - let the File Name Clipboard do the job for you automatically.
New terminal emulations have been added to the already-extensive list offered
by PROCOMM PLUS. 33 emulations are now available, including:
TTY AT&T 605 IBM 3101
DEC VT 52 AT&T 4410 IBM 3161
DEC VT 100 Televideo 910 IBM 3270 (Asynch)
DEC VT 102 Televideo 912 Data General D100
DEC VT 220 Televideo 920 Data General D200
DEC VT 320 Televideo 922 Data General D210
ANSI X3.64 Televideo 925 ADDS Viewpoint 60
IBM PC Televideo 950 ADDS Viewpoint 90
Wyse 50 Televideo 955 ADM 3A
Wyse 75 Heath/Zenith 19 ADM 5
Wyse 100 Esprit 3 ADM 31
The Dialing Directory now supports all baud rates up to 115,200 baud.
PROCOMM PLUS Host mode has been greatly enhanced. You can now add your own
custom screens, menus and file listings. A sysop-defined Inactivity Timeout
prevents a user from tying up your Host system, and your PC can be
automatically rebooted if carrier is lost while a user has Shelled to DOS.
Host even allows you to add your own custom-written external "doors" or
maintenance programs. Host mode now supports three security access levels:
Limited, Normal, and Privileged.
The keyboard macros used in version 1.1B have been replaced with Meta keys.
Meta keys not only send text strings, they can run external programs and
ASPECT scripts-all with a single keystroke. Meta keys bring a whole new level
of power to PROCOMM PLUS Terminal mode.
You can now write your own external programs that "hook" directly into PROCOMM
PLUS - these programs can read the current PROCOMM PLUS Setup values and
session parameters, allowing a seamless connection to PROCOMM PLUS.
The Dialing Directory now offers three new commands: you can directly Add a
new entry, Sort your Directory entries (in any one of five differrent ways) or
Jot notes about an entry in a text file created for your text editor. The
Dialing Directory can now display 25 entries per screen page (if you're using
an EGA or VGA system). Due to popular demand, you can also specify a COM
port, direct/modem connection, keyboard map and Meta key file for each entry,
and PROCOMM PLUS displays all entry information in three different information
windows.
Terminal mode also has new commands: you can perform a terminal reset, toggle
the Status line on and off, initialize your modem, toggle your current video
mode or place PROCOMM PLUS into Monitor mode (where data received from the
other computer is directly displayed on your screen without translation or
filtering).
The Redisplay Terminal mode command can now write a block of text that you
mark (or the entire buffer) to disk, and you can use the File Name Clipboard
from within Redisplay. If you've always wanted extra room within the
Redisplay buffer, the Setup facility now allows you to allocate up to 63K
worth of space to the buffer.
The PROCOMM PLUS Help facility now supports searching for a particular text
string, and you can display a Topic list to speed your selection of Help text.
Of course, you can also use your mouse to effortlessly scroll throughout the
comprehensive Help facility.
The PROCOMM PLUS text editor has been improved. PCEDIT now supports
justification and wordwrap, and you can customize the display colors.
Additionally, PCEDIT can now be toggled between ASPECT and word processing
modes.
The PROCOMM PLUS manual set has been extensively rewritten and
updated, with a completely new ASPECT SCRIPT LANGUAGE REFERENCE MANUAL
provided especially for ASPECT programmers.
PROCOMM PLUS now detects and automatically supports the advanced features of
the 16550 UART, which buffers data, facilitating high speed data transfers.
Finally, the DATASTORM support forum on CompuServe has been revised and
expanded to address the needs of PROCOMM PLUS 2.0 users. A new message area
has been added for PROCOMM PLUS 2.0 related discussions and questions, and a
new library has been added that contains files for use with the new version.
Support for earlier versions continues in seperate message and file library
areas. As always, you can access this support forum by typing GO DATASTORM or
GO DSTORM at any forum prompt.
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