VT 100 Terminal Emulator Cartridge for ST

[Rick Dangerous]

What is the purpose of this? What would you do with it?

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/140956604795?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

Thanks!

[+bcombee]

The VT-100 terminal was a common serial-connected display/keyboard that you'd use to connect to a minicomputer or mainframe, either directly or through modem. Because they were so common, lots of software was written for their control sequences, so emulators would let your computer act like that terminal. On Unix-based systems, we still refer to the text-mode displays as terminals. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VT100for more info.

[Rick Dangerous]

So why are so many watching this item now, people don't likely use it much for that purpose anymore do they?

[+Ripdubski]

I've been watching it for like a year. I won't buy it at $15. Mainly using the watch as an item locater. I was going to use to transfer programs to an ST that only has a SS drive and no software. But thinking the SATAN route is better anyway.

[David Baldwin]

here is my atari 520 ste useing vt100 terminal and on the internet

i have flash terminal on a floppy disk.

[Greenious]

Honestly, just about any terminal program for the ST is better than the VT-100 Atari cartridge. Ie, it only got some historical value.

 

The cartridge hardware/case itself is a standard Atari manufactured one. With a proper sticker you can pass it off as anything.

 

But since it has standard socketed eproms inside you can also use it for other cartridges with more use, such as diagnostic cartridge for the (Mega)ST/STE/MegaSTE/TT/F030.

 

No collectors value in this, except perhaps if you find a proper boxed version with manual.

[Fletch]

I recently purchased one of these from B&C. It has a awkward setup interface and I cannot get it work reliably above 4800 baud. Interesting as a collectable maybe, but as other have mentioned, there are better terminal emulators available.

[Greenious]

I recently purchased one of these from B&C. It has a awkward setup interface and I cannot get it work reliably above 4800 baud. Interesting as a collectable maybe, but as other have mentioned, there are better terminal emulators available.

 

I don't think that is specific to the VT-100 per se, back in those days noone really had faster modems than 1200 or maybe 2400... (don't remember when 9600 showed up)

 

So when faster modems eventually did show up, everybody got problems until it was discovered that the built in serial port drivers in TOS was crap. Atari never fixed this.

So it probably just need the proper serial port drivers. HSMODEM or RS-Turbo I believe was two replacements serial port drivers.

[MrMaddog]

Honestly, I think Atari (under Tramiels) made that cart so they can replace their old VAX terminals with ST's...which makes me wonder why they couldn't use built-in VT-100 display codes instead of the already obsolete VT-52 ones.

 

Believe me I spent the early 90's trying to find the right terminal software that worked with non-Atari BBS's that used ANSI/VT-100 text codes, especially the new Internet access services.

[Lynxpro]

Honestly, I think Atari (under Tramiels) made that cart so they can replace their old VAX terminals with ST's...which makes me wonder why they couldn't use built-in VT-100 display codes instead of the already obsolete VT-52 ones.

 

Believe me I spent the early 90's trying to find the right terminal software that worked with non-Atari BBS's that used ANSI/VT-100 text codes, especially the new Internet access services.

 

Hey, they didn't add ATASCII to the TOS ROMs either. Now I can understand that being the case with the early versions of TOS since they ran out of ROM space but the later versions were larger. Little touches like that could've improved how A8 fans felt concerning the ST platform and Atari Corp itself... ATASCII in here, an SIO port over there, and Bob's your uncle...

Edited May 24, 2017 by Lynxpro