[HECnet] Worth getting a "VMS" keyboard?

[Kari Uusim ki]

Anyone tested the PowerTerm (which used to be included with the [later] Pathworks kits)? It's called PowerTerm Interconnect nowadays.
Does it work correctly in all emulation cases? I haven't found bugs in VT emulation, but rather in HP 700 emulation, which was fixed very quickly after reporting it.
I've found the support to be very responsive and to fix rapidly encountered and reported errors.


Kari



On 17.9.2013 19:20, Brian Schenkenberger, VAXman- wrote:
Mark Wickens <mark at wickensonline.co.uk> writes:

On 17/09/2013 17:04, Brian Schenkenberger, VAXman- wrote:
Mark Wickens <mark at wickensonline.co.uk> writes:

I'd also like to point out that the LK450 (which is the keyboard
following on from the LK250 and was designed for connection to a PC
running terminal emulation software) is a good alternative.
Right.   HOwever, I know people who purchased the USB LK keyboards for use
with terminal emulation (Reflection specifically) and there are keys, when
used in that scenario, that can not be mapped because the WEENDOZE driver
simply doesn't recognize them.

Absolutely - you can't use the LK450 with a PS/2 -> USB adapter and
expect VMS-specific keys to be recognised fully.
I have found that the only combination that works for me when using
Windows is with the keyboard plugged directly into the PS/2 port and
Exceed. This may also involve using the Reflection LK450 keyboard driver
but I'm not sure about that without removing it. Bizarrely enough even
with the driver Reflection doesn't do the right think.

25 years ago (a bit more|less) when DEXPO was still in full swing alongside
DECUS, I dropped by the WRQ booth and asked to be introduced to any of the
support/development staff that might be there.   One such was right there in
their booth, and I explained and demonstrated an improper handling of a some-
what uncommon VT escape sequence.   This was VT200/VT300 series at that time.
That problem still has not been fixed.   I don't use WEENDOZE or Reflection;
however, I was on-site at one of the pharmaceuticals here in the proNJ about
5-6 years ago and they used Reflection.   In fact, the reason I was there was
because the problem they were experiencing with some software turned out to
be not in the software on their VMS systems but in the software performing
terminal emulation.   Wanna wager a guess as to which product??? ;)