Added June 2010
The A-Shell Terminal Emulator, ATE, provides client (PC) side software for applications that have been developed using the A-Shell User Interface (AUI). AUI allows AlphaBASIC applications to present the user with a graphical user interface. This works, in simplest terms, by the AlphaBASIC program (running on a Linux/UNIX host) sending commands to the terminal PC like "create a dialog box here." ATE, running on the terminal PC, is required to interpret and execute the actual drawing of the specified dialog box. AUI provides the programmer with programmatic access to most of the graphical functions of Windows, and ATE is responsible for executing those functions on the target PC. ATE also provides basic terminal emulation services for non-graphical programs.
Why Use ATE?
The following is an answer to a question about the benefits of ATE when compared to ZTERM and AlphaLAN,* and which is best to use in an A-Shell environment.
Terminal emulation and emulators are, on the one hand, pretty simple topics. On the other hand, they're quite complex.
For example: Are your only objectives to be able to (a) have ASCII characters displayed on a single-colored screen, and (b) type letters and numbers and have them be received by the host computer?
Well, things are easy! The simplest and most feature-deprived terminal emulator will accomplish these two things. ATE, ZTERM, AlphaLAN,* Terminal (Mac), Hyperterm (Windows), Putty (Linux) and many others will do the job. Managing ASCII characters on a mono-spaced grid of 24 by 80 is "job1" of any terminal emulator, and they all do a fine job of that.
However, terminals can provide many services and functions beyond simple screen display of ASCII characters and keyboard input. Therefore the subject of terminal emulation and which emulator to use is a little complicated. Basically, if you are connecting to A-Shell, there are three good choices: ZTERM, AlphaLAN*, and ATE (A-Shell Terminal Emulator). Without going into an extended treatise on the benefits and disadvantages of each, and assuming that you're willing to take our unsupported word for the truth of the matter, here's the summary:
| • | If you have no emulator, buy ATE. It costs no more than ZTERM or AlphaLAN,* perhaps less, and is the best possible choice for using in an A-Shell environment. |
| • | If you have ZTERM, use ZTERM. It's not as capable in the A-Shell environment as ATE, but it will get the job done. There are hundreds or perhaps thousands of PCs connected to A-Shell Linux computers using ZTERM, and A-Shell supports ZTERM's file transfer protocol. Note that ZTERM is a fine product and works well with A-Shell, but development ended long ago. |
| • | If you have AlphaLAN, use AlphaLAN. It's not as capable in the A-Shell environment as ATE, but it will get the job done. There are a few people and sites using AlphaLAN with A-Shell. For strict terminal emulation, AlphaLAN should be fine. For peripherial services such as file transfer, printing, function key operations and screen displays of reports, to name a few, AlphaLAN may not provide compatible service or service-as-expected. Note that the developer of AlphaLAN, UA Systems, went out of business in June, 2020. Consequently there is no support for AlphaLAN and you cannot buy the product. |
| • | If you have the choice and/or are not trying to save money and/or believe in "spend the money and do things right," buy ATE. It is essentially "A-Shell on a PC," and it provides the most and the best services possible between client and host. Plus—perhaps it's biggest single advantage over the other programs—it is being actively developed. AlphaLAN and ZTERM have had no changes, fixes or improvements for many years, whereas ATE is updated regularly. |
Summary: buying ATE is your best option, but continuing to use what you already have, AlphaLAN or ZTERM, is possible and will probably be fine.
More summary: ATE is something of a cross between a full instance of A-Shell and a terminal emulator. There are two main advantages:
| • | The ability for A-Shell the terminal emulator to communicate with A-Shell the host environment (i.e., the server) for all sorts of reasons beyond mere terminal emulation. The combination of A-Shell and ATE supports about a hundred special commands for operations such as licensing, file transfer, screen configuration (geometry, status lines, menu bar options), image display, scanning, client-side program execution, a full set of GUI capabilities, etc. |
| • | It is being actively developed and maintained. |
* The company that developed and sold AlphaLAN, UA Systems, closed its doors for good in the early 2020s. AlphaLAN is no longer available, and this documentaoin is left in place only for the benefit of readers who may already have it.
