--- /dev/null
+ KERMIT-12 Release Disk Information File a/o 28-Oct-1991.
+
+ Description of files on RT-11 format double-density (RX02) diskettes.
+
+Diskette #1 Source Files
+
+ Name Size Block Date
+K12MIT.PAL 453 14 6-Sep-90
+K12PCH.PAL 50 467 6-Sep-90
+K12ENC.PAL 59 517 30-Aug-90
+K12DEC.PAL 60 576 30-Aug-90
+K12PRM.PAL 3 636 6-Sep-90
+K12CLR.PAL 2 639 30-Aug-90
+K12ENB.PAL 47 641 1-Oct-91
+K12DEB.PAL 45 688 22-Oct-91
+K12IPL.PAL 19 733 6-Oct-91
+K12IPG.PAL 23 752 8-Oct-91
+<Unused> 213 775
+
+ 10 files in 761 blocks, 213 free blocks.
+
+Diskette #2 Documentation and Support Files
+
+ Name Size Block Date
+K12MIT.ANN 41 14 21-Oct-91
+K12MIT.UPD 23 55 21-Oct-91
+K12MIT.DOC 135 78 6-Sep-90
+K12MIT.NOT 33 213 18-Oct-91
+K12MIT.ENC 24 246 6-Sep-90
+K12PL8.ENC 24 270 30-Aug-90
+K12CRF.ENC 17 294 30-Aug-90
+K12GLB.ENC 6 311 5-Sep-90
+K12MIT.LST 30 317 6-Sep-90
+K12MIT.DSK 52 347 28-Oct-91
+K12ENC.DOC 24 399 31-Aug-90
+K12MIT.BWR 69 423 28-Oct-91
+K12MIT.BOO 18 492 1-Oct-91
+K12PL8.BOO 18 510 1-Oct-91
+K12CRF.BOO 12 528 1-Oct-91
+K12GLB.BOO 4 540 1-Oct-91
+K12IPL.DOC 9 544 6-Oct-91
+K12FL0.IPL 18 553 8-Oct-91
+K12FL1.IPL 18 571 8-Oct-91
+K12IP0.ODT 4 589 6-Oct-91
+K12IP1.ODT 4 593 6-Oct-91
+<Unused> 391 597
+
+ 21 files in 583 blocks, 391 free blocks.
+
+ Description of individual files.
+
+ K12MIT.PAL
+
+ This is the current release of KERMIT-12 in source form. The
+ beginning of this file contains much information about setting up
+ various hardware (KL-8, etc.) and software settings for KERMIT-12
+ internal operation; the first 30-35 pages of the listing file created
+ by PAL8 are available as a stopgap user guide in the form of
+ K12MIT.DOC. It is extremely important to read the section on assembly
+ instructions for K12MIT, as non-default switches must be set for
+ proper assembly.
+
+ Due to the sorry state of the predecessor source (K08MIT) this
+ file is based on, it has taken an extreme amount of effort to overcome
+ many former limitations on many levels; there are still many problems
+ which only development time (when available) will overcome. There is
+ also a lot of inconsistency of implementation, i.e., some features are
+ totally finalized (or are so written in such a way that only a
+ non-existent section of code could "wake up" the feature), while
+ others are bound to be "bodily replaced" (such as the low-level
+ protocol implementation which can "blow up" when dealing with certain
+ atypical (though perfectly reasonable) KERMIT implementations which
+ pass data such as lower-case file name characters, etc.) when time is
+ available.
+
+ Approx. 2/3 of the source code and 80% of the current file
+ contents have been written by Charles Lasner taking advantage of over
+ 20 years of PDP-8 hacking and "cook-book" methods, etc., including
+ some never-before-seen techniques "borrowed" from P?S/8 (P?S/8 is an
+ alternate PDP-8 operating system and is copyright CLA Systems). Every
+ new piece of code added to KERMIT-12 usually represents an exemplary
+ method for handling a given task, often producing "quantum leap"
+ improvements over the former code; see the built-in edit history for
+ details.
+
+ It should be noted that KERMIT-12 runs on the minimum OS/8 family
+ configuration of 8K 12-bit words total main memory (including the
+ operating system; this could change in future versions!) and is
+ probably the smallest known (in terms of total executable binary code)
+ KERMIT implementation. (If a P?S/8 KERMIT is written, it will run on
+ a smaller machine, only 4K 12-bit words!)
+
+ A rough table of improvements (wish list?) includes:
+
+ a) 100% rewrite of the command parser to conform to accepted
+ guidelines of most KERMITs.
+
+ b) 100% rewrite of the protocol-related features to allow for a
+ robust (though minimal) KERMIT implementation that should work
+ in all cases.
+
+ c) Adding in local feature improvements (Connect mode parity
+ support, VT-100 terminal support, command files, etc.) which
+ depend on the better command processor to implement
+ efficiently.
+
+ d) Adding in protocol improvements such as negotiated parameters
+ (eight-bit, repeat-count compression, file attributes, server
+ mode, etc.) and session statistics (internally and visually
+ on-line).
+
+ e) Additional "frills" such as scripting language, macros, etc.,
+ as well as anything else someone can add to this list.
+
+ K12PCH.PAL
+
+ This is the official "patch" file for K12MIT.PAL. All relevant
+ customizing can be accomplished within K12PCH.PAL, as all conditional
+ parameters and their consequences have been copied to K12PCH.PAL,
+ leaving only the "pure" code behind in K12MIT.PAL.
+
+ A standard assembly of K12MIT.PAL producing K12MIT.BN (or
+ K12MIT.SV via ABSLDR.SV) can be overlaid by K12PCH.BN to accomplish
+ any relevant changes to configure a custom version. If any parameter
+ causes this convention to be violated, please notify Charles Lasner,
+ as this specification must be met to support the ability for a minimal
+ system to configure KERMIT-12 from K12MIT.SV and K12PCH.BN on modest
+ hardware (such as one pair of RX01 only).
+
+ Use of K12PCH.PAL mandates a local banner message for the running
+ KERMIT.SV which should be locally modified as necessary. The default
+ message is "Insert Local User Message Here" to encourage
+ customization.
+
+ K12ENC.PAL
+
+ This is an encoding program (aka ENCODE) to convert OS/8 files in
+ any format to a "printable" ASCII format suitable for transmission
+ through any medium which doesn't "mangle" the printing ASCII
+ characters from 0 through 9, and A through V (or a through v).
+ Several binary files are distributed in ENCODE format (see elsewhere).
+
+ All characters outside of the printing ASCII character set are
+ ignored except for the necessity for "white-space" to exist between
+ the two fields of the optional (FILE XXXXXX.XX) command, which
+ specifies the name of the original (un-encoded) file. Several other
+ optional commands are supported; see K12MIT.ENC as an example of all
+ of them. When properly decoded (see K12DEC.PAL description below),
+ the original file is totally restored except for additional
+ information words from the directory (not really in the file itself!),
+ thus only the creation date (if the directory is setup to support it)
+ is lost. Users of ENCODE are encouraged to use the (REMARK .....)
+ command to help in the restoration of the file. Assembly instructions
+ as well as usage examples are provided in the source file. NOTE:
+ output files created by this program can overwrite existing files with
+ identical names; use this utility carefully!
+
+ The format used by ENCODE (and DECODE) was designed by Charles
+ Lasner and Frank da Cruz to allow seven-bit ASCII transmission of
+ arbitrary binary files (any file where the eight-bit representation
+ must be maintained, such as OS/8 files unpacked/packed as strings of
+ eight-bit bytes) through "hostile environments," such as seven-bit
+ ASCII-only KERMIT (alas, the current sorry state of KERMIT-12), or
+ various network E-mailers. An optional checksum feature (supported on
+ the PDP-8 version) will ensure against data corruption. The format is
+ robust enough to allow extraneous "white-space" (<space> <HT> <VT>
+ <FF>, <CR>/<LF>, etc.) to be introduced by various intermediate
+ "editors" with no loss.
+
+ It is hoped that this format is adopted on many systems, as it was
+ designed to overcome some of the limitations of the former (albeit
+ extremely popular) UUENCODE and .BOO formats used elsewhere.
+
+ K12DEC.PAL
+
+ This is an auxiliary utility (aka DECODE) to decode the encoded
+ binary files created by ENCODE into their original form. (See
+ description of K12ENC.PAL.) The files can be recreated with any
+ arbitrary file name including the original file name if embedded
+ within the encoded file (embedded file name commands are optional to
+ the encoded file format.), and can be directed to any OS/8
+ file-structured device.
+
+ Since this utility is potentially to be used on systems with
+ "ancient" assemblers, the source file has been restricted in the use
+ of "frill" features, so it can be assembled by virtually any known
+ standard released version of PAL8 associated with any release of PS/8,
+ PS/12, OS/8, OS/12, OS/78, OS/278, etc., and should be used to decode
+ K12PL8.ENC and K12CRF.ENC into PAL8.SV AND CREF.SV respectively, which
+ will then allow further assemblies with the latest PAL8 and CREF
+ (Version B0). Assembly instructions as well as usage examples are
+ contained within the source file. NOTE: output files created by this
+ program can overwrite existing files with identical names; use this
+ utility carefully!
+
+ K12PRM.PAL
+
+ This is an example of a custom parameter file ("PARAM" in the
+ documentation) for use with either K12MIT.PAL or K12PCH.PAL. It sets
+ most of the common parameters to their likely (possibly default)
+ values. VT-78-specific parameters are given for SLU2 support; a
+ VT-78-specific banner message is created as an example of a
+ user-defined banner message.
+
+ K12CLR.PAL
+
+ This file is a simple memory-clearing file. All KERMIT-12 loading
+ memory is pre-cleared by loading K12MIT.BN over the binary file
+ K12CLR.BN derived from this file. This yields "cleaner" core-image
+ files which will compress better when encoded with ENCODE (K12ENC) or
+ ENBOO (K12ENB).
+
+ K12ENB.PAL
+
+ This file is a utility program to encode any OS/8 file into .BOO
+ format for distribution via any "ASCII" path much the same as the
+ ENCODE utility. While not as robust as ENCODE format, .BOO files are
+ generally smaller, which may be desirable. This implementation uses
+ length correction bytes at the end of any file requiring it. The
+ ultimate decoding program must support this aspect of the format to
+ ensure reliable file recreation.
+
+ This utility, as well as the companion K12DEB (see below) use the
+ standard OS/8 unpacking scheme internally to ensure proper file
+ representation on other systems. This allows ASCII (albeit
+ "delicate") files to be encoded/decoded between systems. This allows
+ exchange of such files as TECO macros without loss.
+
+ K12DEB.PAL
+
+ This file is a utility program to decode .BOO format files back
+ into their original (binary) form. Length correction bytes are
+ supported to ensure proper file decoding. Any file encoded with ENBOO
+ (aka K12ENB) will decode perfectly back into the original form as long
+ as the file's contents are intact other than white-space and other
+ insignificent "cosmetic" considerations.
+
+ Files not originating from OS/8 (not an exact multiple of 384
+ bytes) will be padded with null bytes to fill the rest of an entire
+ OS/8 record. Files stored this way and then encoded again will
+ reflect these extra null bytes. This implementation doesn't check for
+ line terminations, so files delivered without proper <CR>/<LF> line
+ termination are acceptable.
+
+ K12IPL.PAL
+
+ This file is a utility program to load portions of KERMIT-12
+ directly into memory without any error checking or recovery method.
+ It is used to create K12MIT.SV "from the ground up." Once K12MIT.SV
+ has been created, this utility should be abandoned in favor of
+ K12MIT.SV to acquire all further files. Use this utility only if no
+ other method is available, as it is inherently unreliable. The safest
+ way to use it is with a local dedicated connection to another machine
+ via null modem.
+
+ K12MIT.SV is available split into single-field encoded files to be
+ loaded by this program. Documentation on the entire loading process
+ is contained within the source file. The binary version(s) of this
+ program can be directly keyed into ODT if desired as the shortest way
+ to load K12MIT.SV if desired. (See K12IP0.ODT and K12IP1.ODT
+ description below.)
+
+ K12IPG.PAL
+
+ This file is a utility program to generate the .IPL format files
+ (K12FL0.IPL and K12FL1.IPL from K12MIT.SV) meant to be loaded with
+ IPL0.SV and IPL1.SV as created by the user from K12IPL.PAL. It is
+ primarily a development tool and must be modified if K12MIT.SV is
+ enlarged to occupy an additional memory field.
+
+ K12MIT.ANN
+
+ This is the release announcement file for KERMIT-12.
+
+ K12MIT.UPD
+
+ This is the release update file for KERMIT-12.
+
+ K12MIT.DOC
+
+ This is a collection of hints and kinks, etc. regarding
+ KERMIT-12, including hardware-specific recommendations for customizing
+ and assembling KERMIT-12 for a variety of configurations. The edit
+ history of KERMIT-12 is also included. (This file is the beginning of
+ the file K12MIT.PAL. It is intended for those who do not obtain
+ K12MIT.PAL, the main source code, which is much longer and beyond the
+ filing capabilities of some of the smaller (though supported) systems.
+ By using the information in K12MIT.DOC, KERMIT-12 can be created by
+ merely obtaining all of the files except K12MIT.PAL.)
+
+ K12MIT.NOT
+
+ This is a collection of release notes for the latest version. New
+ issues raised or solved by this release will be collected here. Old,
+ but open issues may be retained in this file also.
+
+ K12MIT.ENC
+
+ This is the standard assembly of the distributed K12MIT.PAL (using
+ PAL8 Version B0) into K12MIT.BN which is then loaded (using ABSLDR.SV)
+ over K12CLR.BN to produce K12MIT.SV which is then converted to ENCODE
+ format (using ENCODE.SV (aka K12ENC.SV) as described above). All
+ parameters are set to their normal defaults including those parameters
+ which cause the local banner message to be generated as a valid null
+ message (in case K12PCH.BN is not loaded over K12MIT.SV). This file
+ should first be decoded with DECODE.SV (aka K12DEC.SV) into K12MIT.SV
+ and then overlaid by K12PCH.BN to create a customized local version.
+ The resultant customized version should be named KERMIT.SV (or any
+ other appropriate file name), and not be named K12MIT.SV, to avoid
+ confusion with the standard release file of KERMIT-12; it is likely
+ all future releases will use this naming convention.
+
+ K12PL8.ENC
+
+ This is PAL8 Version B0 from the "official" release of OS/278
+ Version 2, i.e., the version available as DECUS DM-101, in ENCODE
+ format. It has no actual dependencies on any cpu hardware extensions
+ beyond the classic PDP-8 (as was originally intended). PAL8 Version
+ B0 and its companion CREF Version B0 (see below) will run on any OS/8
+ family member system.
+
+ There is a minor quirk of PAL8 Version B0 documented in K12MIT.PAL
+ regarding interaction with the TTY: handler of operating systems
+ prior to OS/278, but in all other respects this should be treated as a
+ replacement for all prior PAL8 releases. This version supports 128k
+ assembly as do several prior versions; the listing format will
+ truncate one column earlier on wide source file input lines.
+ K12MIT.PAL requires the use of PAL8 Version B0 (or essentially any
+ 2-digit release just prior to Version B0; in any case no versions
+ prior to Version 10A) for proper assembly. PAL8 Version B0 is
+ distributed as a convenience to KERMIT-12 users.
+
+ K12CRF.ENC
+
+ This is CREF Version B0 from the "official" release of OS/278
+ Version 2, i.e., the version available as DECUS DM-101, in ENCODE
+ format. It has no actual dependencies on any hardware extensions
+ beyond the classic PDP-8 (as was originally intended). Besides fixing
+ several long-standing bugs of CREF, this version is the required
+ companion to PAL8 Version B0. This is the only known CREF version
+ that will format 128k-capable assembly output correctly, which was a
+ major sore point for three prior releases, preventing their proper
+ use; many users have had to stick with PAL8 V10A and CREF V3 until
+ this release. CREF Version B0 is distributed as a convenience to
+ KERMIT-12 users.
+
+ K12GLB.ENC
+
+ This is a TECO macro K12GLB.TEC (aka GLOBAL.TEC) which maintains
+ the concordance between K12MIT.PAL and K12PCH.PAL. It is distributed
+ in ENCODE format to protect the rigid format requirements of a TECO
+ macro. All global symbols required by K12PCH.PAL are equated within
+ K12MIT.PAL in a special format required by GLOBAL.TEC. The OS/8 MUNG
+ command is used to update K12PCH.PAL whenever KERMIT-12 development
+ (within K12MIT.PAL) dictates. KERMIT-12 developers must fully
+ understand how to use this utility.
+
+ K12MIT.LST
+
+ This file is a symbol-table listing of K12MIT.PAL minus the code
+ listing. It is needed by K12GLB.TEC for the maintenance of
+ K12PCH.PAL. K12MIT.LST can be created from K12MIT.PAL merely by
+ assembling K12MIT.PAL as documented within K12GLB.TEC; it is provided
+ in the distribution for those unable to obtain the main source
+ (K12MIT.PAL) due to its size.
+
+
+ K12MIT.DSK
+
+ This file, which explains the KERMIT-12 distribution files as they
+ appear on the RT-11-format RX02 release diskettes.
+
+ K12ENC.DOC
+
+ This is a description of the encoding format used for the ENCODed
+ binary files (.ENC) in the KERMIT-12 release. Related issues and file
+ considerations are also discussed to foster future encoding formats,
+ since the format is subject to possible change.
+
+ K12MIT.BWR
+
+ This file documents known problems with the current release of
+ KERMIT-12 and related utilities. Possible workarounds are also
+ discussed.
+
+ K12MIT.BOO
+
+ This is the standard assembly of the distributed K12MIT.PAL (using
+ PAL8 Version B0) into K12MIT.BN which is then loaded (using ABSLDR.SV)
+ over K12CLR.BN to produce K12MIT.SV which is then converted to .BOO
+ format (using ENBOO.SV (aka K12ENB.SV) as described above). All
+ parameters are set to their normal defaults including those parameters
+ which cause the local banner message to be generated as a valid null
+ message (in case K12PCH.BN is not loaded over K12MIT.SV). This file
+ should first be decoded with DEBOO.SV (aka K12DEB.SV) into K12MIT.SV
+ and then overlaid by K12PCH.BN to create a customized local version.
+ The resultant customized version should be named KERMIT.SV (or any
+ other appropriate file name), and not be named K12MIT.SV, to avoid
+ confusion with the standard release file of KERMIT-12; it is likely
+ all future releases will use this naming convention.
+
+ It is conceivable that distribution "paths" may be "hostile" to
+ .BOO format thus making K12MIT.SV (or other files) undeliverable when
+ encoded in .BOO format. For example, some users acquire KERMIT-12 via
+ a path including WPS and WPFLOP.SV. .BOO files cannot reliably pass
+ through this process. In this or any other "troublesome" case, the
+ ENCODE format equivalent file is recommended for distribution.
+
+ K12PL8.BOO
+
+ This is PAL8 Version B0 from the "official" release of OS/278
+ Version 2, i.e., the version available as DECUS DM-101, in .BOO
+ format. It has no actual dependencies on any cpu hardware extensions
+ beyond the classic PDP-8 (as was originally intended). PAL8 Version
+ B0 and its companion CREF Version B0 (see below) will run on any OS/8
+ family member system.
+
+ There is a minor quirk of PAL8 Version B0 documented in K12MIT.PAL
+ regarding interaction with the TTY: handler of operating systems
+ prior to OS/278, but in all other respects this should be treated as a
+ replacement for all prior PAL8 releases. This version supports 128k
+ assembly as do several prior versions; the listing format will
+ truncate one column earlier on wide source file input lines.
+ K12MIT.PAL requires the use of PAL8 Version B0 (or essentially any
+ 2-digit release just prior to Version B0; in any case no versions
+ prior to Version 10A) for proper assembly. PAL8 Version B0 is
+ distributed as a convenience to KERMIT-12 users.
+
+ K12CRF.BOO
+
+ This is CREF Version B0 from the "official" release of OS/278
+ Version 2, i.e., the version available as DECUS DM-101, in .BOO
+ format. It has no actual dependencies on any hardware extensions
+ beyond the classic PDP-8 (as was originally intended). Besides fixing
+ several long-standing bugs of CREF, this version is the required
+ companion to PAL8 Version B0. This is the only known CREF version
+ that will format 128k-capable assembly output correctly, which was a
+ major sore point for three prior releases, preventing their proper
+ use; many users have had to stick with PAL8 V10A and CREF V3 until
+ this release. CREF Version B0 is distributed as a convenience to
+ KERMIT-12 users.
+
+ K12GLB.BOO
+
+ This is a TECO macro K12GLB.TEC (aka GLOBAL.TEC) which maintains
+ the concordance between K12MIT.PAL and K12PCH.PAL. It is distributed
+ in .BOO format to protect the rigid format requirements of a TECO
+ macro. All global symbols required by K12PCH.PAL are equated within
+ K12MIT.PAL in a special format required by GLOBAL.TEC. The OS/8 MUNG
+ command is used to update K12PCH.PAL whenever KERMIT-12 development
+ (within K12MIT.PAL) dictates. KERMIT-12 developers must fully
+ understand how to use this utility.
+
+ K12IPL.DOC
+
+ This file is a description of the encoding format for .IPL files
+ as used in the direct loading method of acquiring K12MIT.SV.
+
+ K12FL0.IPL
+
+ This file is the field zero data of K12MIT.SV encoded into .IPL
+ format for use with IPL0.SV (from K12IPL.PAL).
+
+ K12FL1.IPL
+
+ This file is the field one data of K12MIT.SV encoded into .IPL
+ format for use with IPL1.SV (from K12IPL.PAL).
+
+ K12IP0.ODT
+
+ This file is a sample of an ODT session used to create IPL0.SV
+ using manual entry into ODT and a SAVE command only. Some values
+ shown are default and may need to be customized according to
+ parameters documented in K12IPL.PAL. Using IPL0.SV (and IPL1.SV from
+ K12IP1.ODT as described below) is the shortest way possible to obtain
+ K12MIT.SV when no other method is available.
+
+ K12IP1.ODT
+
+ This file is the field one companion to K12IP0.ODT used to create
+ IPL1.SV using similar means to those described for IPL0.SV. Both
+ IPL0.SV and IPL1.SV are required to directly obtain K12MIT.SV.
+
+[end of file]
projects / pdp8.git / blobdiff