Status of Mac KA9Q Bits

[Dewayne Hendricks WA8DZP <75210.10@CompuServe.COM>]

     I thought that it was time to update all interested parties in the status
of the Apple Macintosh version of the KA9Q Internet Protocol Package and
upcoming developments which relate to it.

     The current release, version 2.0 was released last year at the Dayton
Hamvention. It has been widely distributed and is available from many sources.
This version is based upon the last public release of NET although it does have
some NOS features.  The function and features of this release are documented in
an article which appeared in the October, 1989 issue of "73 Magazine" and the
proceedings of the 8th ARRL Computer Networking Conference (CNC).
     This version is available for ftp from apple.com in the pub/ham-radio
directory.  The file names you should pick up are:

BM-Mac2.sit.hqx    -    Object of the BM Mailer
BM-Mac2.src.sit.hqx -   THINK C source code for BM
Net-Mac2.sit.hqx   -    Object of NET
Net-Mac2.src.sit.hqx -  THINK C source code for NET

The files are binhex'ed and packed with StuffIt Deluxe.  If you don't have that
commercial product, be sure to pick up the public domain UnStuffIt Deluxe in
the same folder, under the name UnstufitDlx.hqx.

     Are current plans are to due one more release of the NET based version.
This release will fix all bugs that we are aware of and had a number of
features which have been requested by our users.  An article which describes
this release appears in the proceedings of the 9th ARRL CNC.  The current plan
is to have this version ready to go in time for the next Dayton Hamvention in
'91.  However, in order to get as much feedback on this release as possible
from our users, we have posted and will continue to post on apple.com the
latest development versions so that anyone interested can give them a try and
inform us of any problems.  The current development versions are named as
follows:

BM-Mac2.1D1.sit.hqx    -    Object of development version of BM Mailer
Net-Mac2.1D1.sit.hqx   -    Object of development version of NET/Mac

We do not plan to post the source code until the time of final release.
However, if anyone really wants it, all they have to do is ask.  As we post new
versions, I will post a note announcing this to the tcp-group.  If you
encounter any problems with a development release, please contact me at the
email addresses below or use my smail address.  The files described above are
also available from the Digikron landline BBS at (408) 253-1309 for those of
you without Internet ftp capability.

     As I said above, this will be the last release for the Macintosh done by
us based upon NET.  Further, we do not plan to offer a port NOS to the
Macintosh.  Instead, we are in the process of developing a new ground up
package that will conform to the requirement of the upcoming System 7 operating
system and the Communications ToolBox (CTB).  This new support will consist of
a CTB tool that will implement the function required to extend AppleTalk over a
packet radio network and allow Macintosh applications to function as they would
over an AppleTalk network (ie LocalTalk, EtherTalk, etc.).  This new tool in
addition will be able to interoperate with any NOS implementation.
     This code is now under development and test here in Northern California.
We plan to make it available whenever Apple decides to ship System 7 to the
world at large.  The last we heard was that this is expected to happen
"sometime in the first half of '91".  We will be reporting more on this work as
it becomes available.  We will be writing a paper on the work for the 10th ARRL
CNC this fall.

     If anyone out there is interested in developing a version of NOS for the
Macintosh, I would be happy to help out in any way I can.  I did a port last
year for my own purposes, so I am quite familiar with the issues and problems
involved in such an effort.

     My thanks to all of you out there who have supported this effort over the
last several years.  Your encourgment and feedback have been most appreciated.

73's
-- Dewayne Hendricks WA8DZP
Internet: 75210.10@@compuserve.com
AppleLink: D6547
Smail: 43730 Vista Del Mar
       Fremont, CA 94539-6250