HyperTerminal Private Edition

~buzz Mon, Aug 25, 1997 (01:08) seed

HyperTerminal Private Edition (HTPE) upgrades the standard HyperTerminal program that is included in every copy of Windows 95 and NT 4.0. While differences between the two clients' interfaces are virtually indistinguishable, the Private Edition does offer powerful features that you won't find in the standard program. Support for standard Internet-based telnet sessions, automatic redial after busy signals, Zmodem crash recovery for resuming interrupted file transfers, simple answer mode, TAPI (Telephony API) and Unimodem universal modem support, a backscroll buffer for viewing the text of previous screens, and support for foreign characters are among the best of HTPE's features that you won't find in the standard edition. Perhaps its most important feature is the Zmodem crash recovery capabilities -- partial files are always saved so that an aborted transfer can be recovered using Zmodem crash recovery. And with HTPE crash recovery occurs regardless of the file transfer protocol that was initially used to save the file. Another benefit from using the Private Edition is it's support for Hilgraeve's CommSense which automatically identifies and sets the correct parameters for connection settings like parity, stop bits, and data bits when accessing new online systems. The Private Edition also offers numerous bug fixes and general feature enhancements over the standard HyperTerminal client. Best of all, Hilgraeve has released the Private Edition as freeware in the hopes that power users will later want to upgrade to the commercial HyperACCESS client after using HTPE. HyperTerminal Private Edition's freeware status makes it a must-have update for any Windows 95/NT user that regularly works with the standard HyperTerminal client. Still, HTPE does lack some of the more powerful features that are standard in its commercial sibling as well as in most standalone terminal emulation clients. The Private Edition also suffers from the absence of an integrated and easily customizable phonebook. For advanced users looking for more power and convenience than both the standard and Private Editions of HyperTerminal offer, Hilgraeve has released the commercial HyperACCESS for Windows 95/NT client. HyperACCESS offers all the same great features as HyperTerminal and adds a multitude of its own essential features, including on-the-fly HyperGuard virus detection for downloaded files, automatic unzipping of compressed files on download, advanced scripting capabilities using languages like Visual Basic and Java, customizable toolbar and keyboard configuration capabilities, support for additional terminal emulators and file transfer protocols, the ability to place and/or answer calls and exchange files with other users, a detailed calling log, an Explorer-like phonebook, and time synchronization capabilities. A 'Test Drive' evaluation release of the $69 HyperACCESS client has also been made available on the 'net. The Test Drive release includes the same set of features as the commercial release but is limited in two areas -- setup information is discarded after each session, and sessions are limited to three calls or one hour. Overall, if you're a regular user of HyperTerminal you'll definitely want to check out the must-have Private Edition update, and if you're an expert user HyperACCESS will likely play into your cards as well. Pros: Freeware upgrade for the standard Windows 95/NT HyperTerminal client, adds features and bug fixes Cons: Lacks an integrated phonebook and some of the more advanced features of commercial clients For the latest information on HTPE, check out: http://cws.internet.com/32term.html#hypert

~terry Mon, Aug 25, 1997 (01:45) #1

Will someone explain TAPI please?

~Baldguy Sun, Aug 31, 1997 (00:33) #2

TAPI: Microsoft Windows Telephony API Description: TAPI allows applications to support telephone communication. TAPI facilitates include: Connecting directly to a telephone network. Automatic phone dialing. Transmission of data (files, faxes, electronic mail). Access to data (news, information services). Conference calling. Voice mail. Caller identification. Control of a remote computer. Collaborative computing over telephone lines. Windows 95 comes with a telephony application, DIALER.EXE, that can dial voice calls, act as a proxy for applications making simple telephony requests, and maintain a call log. More information: The Win32 Software Development Kit (SDK) contains documentation, tools, and sample code for TAPI including the Microsoft Telephony Programmer's Reference and the Microsoft Telephony Service Provider Interface (TSPI) for Telephony.

~mhrosen Tue, Nov 25, 1997 (08:47) #3

No scripting ability cripples HyperTem PE.

~terry Tue, Nov 25, 1997 (10:34) #4

CRT has limited scripting ability, but you only do about 8 commands or so.