🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <0eVcDdq00WB3QB5U9W@andrew.cmu.edu> gr1c+@andrew.cmu.edu (Greg Howard Rhodes) writes:
>I just bought an AT&T 5620. It's worked just fine so far, but I'm
>wondering about it's other properties. 
>
>First thing--it has a mouse! What am I supposed to do with this. So
>far, the only time that it has been interesting is when I am looking
>through the setup menu screens (you can click on things instead of
>hitting function keys if you want).
>
>Does it do any graphics? If so, does anyone have any drivers for it
>(i.e. Gnuplot, etc). 

nope, it is absolutely useless.

if you give me $25, i'll come and haul it away.

8^)

actually the answer to the above is yes, yes, yes.

except that you need it connected to a host running "layers"

if you host is an AT&T 3B2, you should be in luck. i have heard of people
using layers on a SCO box as well.

layers allows you to use your 5620 with multiple windows on the screen.

i'm sure someone with more info will follow up, or send you mail.
-- 
[ Jim Mercer   Reptilian Research  merce@iguana.reptiles.org  +1 519 893-6085 ]
[   "Like a pump in a fish tank, we keep new things coming in so old things   ]
[    don't die." -- Archie McPhee Catalog                                     ]

In article <0eVcDdq00WB3QB5U9W@andrew.cmu.edu> gr1c+@andrew.cmu.edu (Greg Howard Rhodes) writes:
>First thing--it has a mouse! What am I supposed to do with this. So
>far, the only time that it has been interesting is when I am looking
>through the setup menu screens (you can click on things instead of
>hitting function keys if you want).
>Does it do any graphics? If so, does anyone have any drivers for it
>(i.e. Gnuplot, etc). 
>Is there anywhere I could get manuals, etc, etc...?
>Any information whatsoever would be appreciated. Thanks!

There is a separate newsgroup, comp.terminals.tty5620, specifically for
this terminal and its descendants (630, 730); you should post a query
there since it's likely to result in more information in response.

Basically, the 5620 DMD was the first commercial realization of the Bell
Labs "Blit" terminal; it has either 256KB or 1MB of RAM, a bunch of ROM,
a WE32010 processor, mouse, keyboard, and 800x1024 "portrait"-oriented
bitmap display.  A section of the RAM is directly mapped to the display,
and the ROM contains a normal X3.64 terminal emulator and (in revision
8;7;5) an operating system that supports multiple windows, or "layers".

Each layer can either use the resident terminal emulator or its own
downloaded code.  The ROM also contains numerous graphic support
functions.  Older models (revision 8;7;3) need to first have the layers
operating system ("layersys") downloaded, after which all models behave
similarly.  Communication between the host computer and the terminal must
be switched to a special packet protocol once the layers system is active;
each layer gets its own shell on the host UNIX system and has its own
communication channel between that shell process and the layer process.

Typical layer processes include troff postprocessors (hardcopy previewers),
utilities to print screen dumps on an attached serial printer, mouse-
driven text editors, interactive drawing programs, etc.  A Blit family
terminal in typical layers use looks very much like an X11 terminal,
although (with the exception of the 730X model) Blit terminals use their
own protocol that is not compatible with the (later developed) X11 system.

Although originally one had to license all the DMD (5620) host support
software, which for most platforms meant porting a huge amount of code,
the "bare bones" needed to enter layers mode of operation on BSD-based
systems was developed and and put into the public domain, and is now
being updated (see recent comp.terminals.tty5620 traffic for details).
Eventually the AT&T UNIX System ToolChest, which is a wonderful source of
valuable "research"-oriented UNIX software, may include enough 5620
support that you could avoid having to license the old DMD host software
packages.

There was also a fairly extensive list of 5620 documentation in recent
traffic in comp.terminals.tty5620.  Good luck!

Hi.  I am looking for a way to use X applications (X term especially) over
serial lines.  Slip  is not a possibility, since the SYSADMIN says its a 
security risk, and I intend to follow his advice of not using it.

I would be using it mostly to interface with the X-Windows program on my
PC, and using a modem to call the UNIX machine, and use X apps from there.

It would also be used for allowing me to have access to my PC from on
campus.

Any suggestions, please reply via net-mail.  Thanks.

--Jim

jdugger@a.cs.okstate.edu