I haven't had any 'big news' on the console front for a couple months now. I have been missing my BlueConsole adapters (which I've blogged about before), and SSH access from my iPhone, BUT that has changed!
New in the Apple Apps Store are four SSH applications (use the search dialogue, look for "ssh"...). I've already bought two to try, and one has already met my most common needs. In a nutshell, here are the four I found, with URLs to the maker's websites, in case you want to do your own homework on the topic.
TouchTerm http://www.jbrink.net/touchterm/index.html $2.99 This one looks pretty good, from the online docs. There is only basic information on the maker's home page, BUT, check the SUPPORT page! Key Exchange, font colors, different input modes (immediate, batch, command history). The developer offers an email address for comments and suggestions. This looks like a good pick!
pTerm http://www.instantcocoa.com/products/pTerm/ $4.99 This maker also lists an email address, as well as a Google discussion group. The web page posts a short-term development schedule. They also boast that this app is based on PuTTY, and I'm a big PuTTY fan (but I understand that this app is only scratching the surface on features). I've sent email to the developer with my wants, and I already received a positive reply. He is also willing to work on the bluetooth-serial-devices interfacing as well.
iSSH http://www.zinger-soft.com/iSSH_features.html $4.99 This one also looks good. The main web page is odd... there are small, light-grey arrows under a few of the descriptions...they indicate that there are additional items at this menu level of the web page. Clicking on them will show you the other topics. This one also supports shared keys, but doesn't seem as flexible (to me, yet), as TouchTerm.
SSH http://www.throughput.biz/ $3.99 This looks simple, and it word-wraps the screen. There is little information on the maker's homepage. I'm currently not inclined to try it.
So, with this in mind, I have bought the first two (TouchTerm and pTerm), and I'm spending my efforts to put TouchTerm through it's paces first, because pTerm doesn't have RSA/DSA keys yet (though keys are on the short-range list for new features, so I'll be giving them both a good workout in September). I was able to set up a basic profile, with screen and font colors, RSA-2048 key, emailed the key to another host, so I could place the key, and use the session. It will take a bit of getting used to, since I'll need to leave the fonts a bit larger, and pan around the screen (using mutt was kinda awkward, but that won't be my primary use of SSH). I like it so far, and I hope to be able to put my BlueConsole adapters back into service sometime in the near future.
I hope you had a chance to enjoy some vacation this summer as well.
-Z-
Showing posts with label BlueConsole. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BlueConsole. Show all posts
20080605
Zonker needs a Bluetooth terminal emulator App for iPhone
The longer I go without this capability, the stronger my desire for an application for the iPhone to fill my needs. But, I don't want to hack my phone...I want a real iPhone App, and now it's worth money to me. I can't find a 'Wish List' page that hasn't been taken over by spammers. So, I'll try the Open Letter approach.
I have two needs, with a common root...both need a basic vt-100 terminal emulator underneath. ANSI color would be a nice touch, but isn't necessary. I don't need Wyse, or full-blown TN-3270 emulation...keep it simple. Some scrollback buffer would be useful (say ~2600 lines), and the ability to capture to a log file (and email the log later?) would be very handy. So, what else?
The primary need is to have an SSH v2 client, so I can SSH directly to my machines using the Edge or wifi connections. This also probably means solving the pre-shared keys issue...how do I get the keys onto the iPhone? I still can't sync a simple file to my phone. Maybe I need a key-generator on the phone, but I still need to get the public key to the hosts.
The secondary need is to communicate with a Bluetooth serial device. Specifically, a BlueConsole dongle, although there are other devices with which you should be able to interoperate. (I used to use the Tri-connect package (from Tridone) on my Treo 650. It wasn't great, but it was a good option, which let me do a lot of quick, little jobs without lugging a computer around.) I'm sorely tempted to carry the Treo around in my tool bag, for those occasions when I'd really like to use these serial devices...if I could find a good way to keep the Treo battery charged while it's in the tool bag, I'd do it. But, I'd much rather use the iPhone for this task.
If you're an iPhone developer, working on a terminal emulator that will use the Bluetooth port, let's talk! I'm willing to be a software tester, give feedback, and help with documentation. I've got good credentials in both the serial console and the communications software test realms. We may also be able to work out a loan of a BlueConsole device while you're developing.
If you're an iPhone developer, working on an SSH v2 client, I want to talk to you as well, and I'm willing to be a tester for this as well. (I'd love to know that someone is trying to fulfill this need.) My favorite SSH app is PuTTY (by Simon Tatham and others), if you want to set your sites high. If you are trying to determine what folks 'want', versus what the 'need' (and would be willing to pay for), I'd like to talk to you.
Since Father's Day is in June, I'm going to post information about some of my favorite new tools in my next posts, in case you are shopping for special gifts. (Yes, the iPhone is on the list.)
-Z-
I have two needs, with a common root...both need a basic vt-100 terminal emulator underneath. ANSI color would be a nice touch, but isn't necessary. I don't need Wyse, or full-blown TN-3270 emulation...keep it simple. Some scrollback buffer would be useful (say ~2600 lines), and the ability to capture to a log file (and email the log later?) would be very handy. So, what else?
The primary need is to have an SSH v2 client, so I can SSH directly to my machines using the Edge or wifi connections. This also probably means solving the pre-shared keys issue...how do I get the keys onto the iPhone? I still can't sync a simple file to my phone. Maybe I need a key-generator on the phone, but I still need to get the public key to the hosts.
The secondary need is to communicate with a Bluetooth serial device. Specifically, a BlueConsole dongle, although there are other devices with which you should be able to interoperate. (I used to use the Tri-connect package (from Tridone) on my Treo 650. It wasn't great, but it was a good option, which let me do a lot of quick, little jobs without lugging a computer around.) I'm sorely tempted to carry the Treo around in my tool bag, for those occasions when I'd really like to use these serial devices...if I could find a good way to keep the Treo battery charged while it's in the tool bag, I'd do it. But, I'd much rather use the iPhone for this task.
If you're an iPhone developer, working on a terminal emulator that will use the Bluetooth port, let's talk! I'm willing to be a software tester, give feedback, and help with documentation. I've got good credentials in both the serial console and the communications software test realms. We may also be able to work out a loan of a BlueConsole device while you're developing.
If you're an iPhone developer, working on an SSH v2 client, I want to talk to you as well, and I'm willing to be a tester for this as well. (I'd love to know that someone is trying to fulfill this need.) My favorite SSH app is PuTTY (by Simon Tatham and others), if you want to set your sites high. If you are trying to determine what folks 'want', versus what the 'need' (and would be willing to pay for), I'd like to talk to you.
Since Father's Day is in June, I'm going to post information about some of my favorite new tools in my next posts, in case you are shopping for special gifts. (Yes, the iPhone is on the list.)
-Z-
20080301
Tools and trade-offs...
Recent circumstances gave me the opportunity to switch my phone service from a Palm Treo 650 to an Apple iPhone. I want to ignore the OS/platform discussion, and the monthly service costs, at least for a moment, and look at the move from a functionality standpoint, because it's yet another example of the trade-offs that we need to make while working with the technologies of our choosing.
Before I used the Treo, I'd had a some type of Palm device for many years. It held simple notes in memo files, and larger, illustrated documents were composed and viewed with TealDoc and TealPaint (from TealPoint software). I could 'beam' (InfraRed data transfer) information to other nearby folks with Palm devices to share data, or send the files from a desktop computer by email, or post them to a website to share them with folks farther away (in time or space). But I was happy carrying a separate cell phone, because I hadn't seen a really GOOD marriage of the two technologies yet, and I didn't want over-using one device to drain a battery to disable BOTH functions (PDA and Phone).
I even received a Treo as a gift, but I gave it away. Then, the recipient found a good VPN client, and an SSH tool tat used the data service of the phone...THAT was a feature I would find VERY useful! Later, I found the BlueConsole devices, and the TriConnect software, making the tool even more valuable. I used the Treo for two years.
The iPhone doesn't have a good terminal emulator (so far) that will let me talk to the BlueConsole devices. I can't find a good SSH tool, either. So, you might ask, "why would you want to switch?"
Because, for over a decade, I've wanted a simple, fast way to check email, AND the web. Initially, I wanted this at home, since I usually had fast access at work. But there were sometimes moments when I was away from home when I'd remember I wanted to send email to someone, or I wanted to look up something on the web. When this happened, I wrote an appointment on my Palm, to remind me to send an email, or check something. I'd have to set the time for the next time I thought I'd be near an operating computer, which was sometimes a couple days.
In some of my earlier days, I'd used X-terminals, and other thin-client devices, which booted quickly. But I don't have any of that hardware in the lab. I'd thought about using a simple terminal, and a console server with an "auto-telnet" feature, but that would only give me a quick access to command-line email. All of the options were lacking.
So, the iPhone uses the phone (AT&T Edge network) and WiFi for data connections. It easily remembers WiFi connections where you need to authenticate, and uses the phone when WiFi isn't available. The Safari browser isn't "perfect", but it is so much better than the Treo had been. And the built-in email was now reasonable to us, because I had gigabytes of fast "in-phone" storage. (Many Palm apps didn't play well if you were running them from the SD card.)
So, I have retired the Treo to being a BlueConsole terminal and file repository, since it does those better than the iPhone. But I don't carry the Treo on my belt anymore.
Now that I've used the iPhone, I've decided it was the RIGHT answer for me. I'm REALLY glad the phone doesn't tell folks where I was when I've composed/sent my email. But reading my email has replaced reading my daily CBC/BBC world news (I used to get them via AvantGo, since browsing the web wasn't practical on the Treo.) And, because I'm reading my personal email during the day, it has given me back some time in the evenings. And, being able to send and respond to email more quickly has also sped up some communications exchanges.
The web browsing aspect has also worked out very well, because of that finger-pinching technology that allows you to shrink or expand your view. I need reading glasses now, and some web pages are really fond of the H5 and H6 'fine print' header styles! It's not a problem for me anymore.
I've also put some songs on it, and left my iPod at home. And I also put some pictures on it. Oh, and the built-in camera is pretty good, too. But these weren't really on my radar for making the decision to switch.
I miss having an SSH application in my pocket, and I hope I'll get a terminal emulator that speaks Bluetooth someday, but I've grown too attached to my email and browser to go back to the Treo. The chances are good that applications will come in the future.
We all have to make trade-offs. Here's hoping you are happy with the trade-offs that you need to make.
Before I used the Treo, I'd had a some type of Palm device for many years. It held simple notes in memo files, and larger, illustrated documents were composed and viewed with TealDoc and TealPaint (from TealPoint software). I could 'beam' (InfraRed data transfer) information to other nearby folks with Palm devices to share data, or send the files from a desktop computer by email, or post them to a website to share them with folks farther away (in time or space). But I was happy carrying a separate cell phone, because I hadn't seen a really GOOD marriage of the two technologies yet, and I didn't want over-using one device to drain a battery to disable BOTH functions (PDA and Phone).
I even received a Treo as a gift, but I gave it away. Then, the recipient found a good VPN client, and an SSH tool tat used the data service of the phone...THAT was a feature I would find VERY useful! Later, I found the BlueConsole devices, and the TriConnect software, making the tool even more valuable. I used the Treo for two years.
The iPhone doesn't have a good terminal emulator (so far) that will let me talk to the BlueConsole devices. I can't find a good SSH tool, either. So, you might ask, "why would you want to switch?"
Because, for over a decade, I've wanted a simple, fast way to check email, AND the web. Initially, I wanted this at home, since I usually had fast access at work. But there were sometimes moments when I was away from home when I'd remember I wanted to send email to someone, or I wanted to look up something on the web. When this happened, I wrote an appointment on my Palm, to remind me to send an email, or check something. I'd have to set the time for the next time I thought I'd be near an operating computer, which was sometimes a couple days.
In some of my earlier days, I'd used X-terminals, and other thin-client devices, which booted quickly. But I don't have any of that hardware in the lab. I'd thought about using a simple terminal, and a console server with an "auto-telnet" feature, but that would only give me a quick access to command-line email. All of the options were lacking.
So, the iPhone uses the phone (AT&T Edge network) and WiFi for data connections. It easily remembers WiFi connections where you need to authenticate, and uses the phone when WiFi isn't available. The Safari browser isn't "perfect", but it is so much better than the Treo had been. And the built-in email was now reasonable to us, because I had gigabytes of fast "in-phone" storage. (Many Palm apps didn't play well if you were running them from the SD card.)
So, I have retired the Treo to being a BlueConsole terminal and file repository, since it does those better than the iPhone. But I don't carry the Treo on my belt anymore.
Now that I've used the iPhone, I've decided it was the RIGHT answer for me. I'm REALLY glad the phone doesn't tell folks where I was when I've composed/sent my email. But reading my email has replaced reading my daily CBC/BBC world news (I used to get them via AvantGo, since browsing the web wasn't practical on the Treo.) And, because I'm reading my personal email during the day, it has given me back some time in the evenings. And, being able to send and respond to email more quickly has also sped up some communications exchanges.
The web browsing aspect has also worked out very well, because of that finger-pinching technology that allows you to shrink or expand your view. I need reading glasses now, and some web pages are really fond of the H5 and H6 'fine print' header styles! It's not a problem for me anymore.
I've also put some songs on it, and left my iPod at home. And I also put some pictures on it. Oh, and the built-in camera is pretty good, too. But these weren't really on my radar for making the decision to switch.
I miss having an SSH application in my pocket, and I hope I'll get a terminal emulator that speaks Bluetooth someday, but I've grown too attached to my email and browser to go back to the Treo. The chances are good that applications will come in the future.
We all have to make trade-offs. Here's hoping you are happy with the trade-offs that you need to make.
20080106
Bluetooth console adapters, short time only
I thought I had mentioned these before, but I can't find them by keywords, so here we go.
If you know about the BlueConsole2 bluetooth serial adapters, and you wanted to buy any, order them NOW, since the manufacturer is closing his doors this month (JAN 2008). The ordering page on his site is already closed, but he still has stock, and is trying to make deals to move the last few hundred.
I waited 6 months, trying to get someone else to buy them, so I could try them. OK, now I'm the guy that bought them. They are a bit pricey, but the are clearly the best implementation in this niche product space.
I'm using mine with the TriDone TriConnect software on my Palm Treo 650. The free version of the software throws an extra carriage return (so I'll probably upgrade to the Pro version), but it's a great console with scrollback for watching a device start up, and doing some CLI configuration.)
There are plenty of times where I don't have a laptop handy when I might want one. This tool is an investment in my time. When I need a terminal quickly, unplanned, I'll be able to use the Treo and the BlueConsole.
If you want to save your time, then don't waste any time. Get yours today, and save yourself the prie of trying to buy one on ebay later.
-Z-
If you know about the BlueConsole2 bluetooth serial adapters, and you wanted to buy any, order them NOW, since the manufacturer is closing his doors this month (JAN 2008). The ordering page on his site is already closed, but he still has stock, and is trying to make deals to move the last few hundred.
I waited 6 months, trying to get someone else to buy them, so I could try them. OK, now I'm the guy that bought them. They are a bit pricey, but the are clearly the best implementation in this niche product space.
I'm using mine with the TriDone TriConnect software on my Palm Treo 650. The free version of the software throws an extra carriage return (so I'll probably upgrade to the Pro version), but it's a great console with scrollback for watching a device start up, and doing some CLI configuration.)
There are plenty of times where I don't have a laptop handy when I might want one. This tool is an investment in my time. When I need a terminal quickly, unplanned, I'll be able to use the Treo and the BlueConsole.
If you want to save your time, then don't waste any time. Get yours today, and save yourself the prie of trying to buy one on ebay later.
-Z-
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