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QTerminal Turbo Vision example (Screenshots here, here, and here.)

Introduction

Qodem is an open-source re-implementation of the once-popular Qmodem™ shareware communications package. Qodem (pronounced 'kodem', rhymes with 'modem') is now in beta. Its main features are:

Unicode display: translation of CP437 (PC VGA), VT100 DEC Special Graphics characters, VT220 National Replacement Character sets, etc., to Unicode
Terminal interface: scrollback buffer, capture file, screen dump
Convenience: dialing directory, command-line invocation
Connection methods: serial, local shell, telnet, ssh, rlogin, rsh
Emulations: ANSI (including "ANSI music"), Avatar, VT52, VT100/102, VT220, Linux, and XTerm
Transfer protocols: Xmodem, Ymodem, Zmodem, and Kermit
Programmability: keyboard macros, full scripting

The latest (alpha) version is 0.1.3. This version includes all of the features listed above except scripting. Kermit support is currently the robust "basic" Kermit; the next release will include long packets and other features to better match modern Kermit performance.

Qodem seeks to fill a niche that the Internet era has left woefully vacant. Though all of the features listed above are present in many other programs (such as X11 terminals, MUDs, and IRC clients) none of them are easy to access on a mouse-less console. Qodem will allow the user to create a list of the host machines they access frequently along with their username and password, and -- regardless of the connection method required -- provide the same status bar and macros.

Please note that Qodem is NOT Qmodem™. Qmodem™ is a trademarked commercial program, last released by Mustang Software, Inc., a quality program that can handle all kinds of serial communications needs. Newer versions of QmodemPro™ for Windows (above 2.0) can connect to hosts via telnet. Qodem has many important behavior deviations from Qmodem™, please see the README file for greater details.

The Qodem Project is hosted on SourceForge.net here.

Why a Console-based Terminal Emulator?

"Why not?" :-)

More seriously, Qodem has several advantages over the native console or the typical (except for Xterm) "local shell" X-based emulator.

Qodem strives to understand the emulation of its supported terminals as well as possible within the text character-cell metaphor, so Qodem can understand and respond to remote applications that the local console/emulator might not handle. For instance, Qodem can pass 'vttest's VT52 sub-mode test, whereas the raw Linux 2.6.26 console cannot. Qodem also understands Avatar, ANSI.SYS, and can even play "ANSI Music" on the raw Linux console.
Qodem provides a lot of X-based emulator-isms to the text console: scrollback, screen dump, capture, etc. These functions are very handy when you work professionally at the console.
Qodem provides access to X/Y/Zmodem and Kermit upload and download protocols over almost any interactive network link (via local shell if nothing else). This is extremely useful for quick-and-dirty file transfers when firewalls are blocking the standard protocols.
Qodem hopes to bundle all of this function inside a pleasant environment with some eye appeal.

HS/Link

The Qodem Project is planning to port the public release code of the HS/Link bi-directional file transfer protocol to POSIX environments. No timetable is set, but the files themselves are available here. We are working under the assumption that the original author did in fact release the code as "public domain" with his statement here (originally here).

Last updated: November 24, 2009
Please feel free to email your comments. PGP keys are available here.

This software is licensed under the CC-GNU GPL.