Celview for Macintosh
Current Version: 3.0.4 (February 12, 2004)
Cel Corporation produces Celview for Macintosh (formerly Celview: the new Mac RUMBA), which is a series of products that provides 3270 and 5250 display, print and file transfer capabilities via SNA, TCP/IP, and AppleTalk.
Pricing starts at $199 for a single user license, and quickly scales down from there; see the pricing page for more information.
Please note that you will need to obtain a product name and key code to ensure full functionality of the demo; see below for links.
User Reviews
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to request the "AS/400" (tn5250) demonstration version (Mac OS 8.1 - X [Carbon]).
to request the "Mainframe" (tn3270) demonstration version (Mac OS 8.1 - X [Carbon]).
the "Classic" Mac OS AS/400 (tn5250) updater.
the "Classic" Mac OS "Mainframe" (tn3270) updater.
the Mac OS X (Carbon) AS/400 (tn5250) updater.
the Mac OS X (Carbon) "Mainframe" (tn3270) updater.
dataComet
Current Version: 4.6.6 / 10.0.6 (April 1, 2008)
dataComet is, without a doubt, the single most sophisticated terminal emulation client for the Mac. Quite a bit more mature than its predecessor Comet, above, it supports full emulation of PC-ANSI, VT-52, VT-100, VT-102, VT-220, IBM 3278 and IBM 3279 terminals, in glorious full color. It's extremely fast and feature-filled, supporting such unusual features as scrollback in 327x modes, X-Window-like window iconization, very sophisticated font handling (including leading control!), file transfers, very extensive preferences, superb printing controls, support for 5250 menus and function keys in 327x emulation modes, AppleScript support, and much, much more. Version 4.6.6 - the latest release for "Classic" Mac OS - adds/changes the following:
- Adds support for IND$FILE transfers with IBM mainframes, improved support for SCO-ANSI emulation, support for entering a telephone number for automatic modem dialing in the "New..."/"Reconfigure Session..." dialog, and several other features and bug fixes.
Version 10.0.6 - the latest release for Mac OS X - adds/changes the following:
- Fixed a VT100 bug which sometimes manifested itself in the OpenVMS EVE editor, occasionally causing "Command" to appear in a text area when the DO key was pressed and the SPLIT WINDOW command was in effect.
- Fixed VT100 stream printing so Tabs are expanded.
- Fixed cursor selection in emulator windows so selections are offset properly; 10.0.5 introduced a bug which shifted the start of the selection range.
dataComet is a $20 for the "Classic" version and $60 for the Mac OS X version.
User Reviews
"I am using dataComet and, from what I can see, it is a great telnet program. It seems to be more stable than NCSA 2.7b4."
—Mike Prindle
"Where do I buy the fan club t-shirt? It works; it has great features, and the users control the funding, rather than the University of Illinois. While I liked NCSA Telnet and Brown TN3270, and don't mean to imply that they did not work or were not also excellent, I like having one application do both."
—Andrew Starr
"I need to hook up to IBM mainframes; dataComet is the best tool for me. Features I like: 3279 and VT100 support, scroll-back buffers, macros, and fonts. tn3270 hasn't changed since 1996. dataComet is constantly improving."
—John Holland
[10.0.2] "This program had so many options, it was hard to figure out what was going on. It has really amazing font customizability. You can even use a different font for bold text in the terminal. Unfortunately, it doesn't have tabbed terminals. I have no idea why it opens up a second window when I start a new terminal. It ran quickly on my powerbook G4 867MHz, unlike iTerm."
—Edwin
[10.0.2] "I'm using this for 3270 emulation, on a Mac Pro running 10.4.7. The UI is a little clunky compared to tn3270x (took me a couple minutes to figure out how to open a remote session versus a local terminal), and in ISPF it incorrectly renders certain common 3270 graphical elements (e.g. box borders, or the border below the top ISPF menu). However, it does support destructive backspace by default, which it something I have been unable to get tn3270x to do for me. In general, it's keyboard mapping flexibility appears superior to that of tn3270x, and it also supports a wider variety of automatic codepage translations for input (1047 versus 37, for example, and many others)."
—Jared Hunter, September 22, 2006
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dataComet-Secure
Current Version: 5.0.5 / 10.1.0 (April 29, 2008)
Take dataComent, above, and add support for SSH1, SSH2, Kerberos 5, and SCP file transfers, and you've got dataComet-Secure. It's a stupendously good package with no real competition. The download below allows you to try the software out for 30 days; dataComet-Secure is priced at $70 per copy ($35 academic; volume discounts are available). Federal regulations mandated the switch to this pricing scheme for this version.
Version 5.0.5 improves performance when running in the OS X Classic environment and includes several minor bug fixes.
"dataComet-Secure X" is a release of dataComet-Secure built for OS X (Carbon), which adds support for local shell sessions (Terminal sessions), OS X serial devices, and drag and drop in addition to support for Telnet/TN3270, SSH1, SSH2, Kerberos 5, and SCP file transfers.
Version 10.1.0 - the latest release for Mac OS X - adds/changes the following:
- Adds support for secure SSL/TLS Telnet & TN3270 sessions.
GLterm
Current Version: 1.2
GLterm is a replacement for the Terminal application which ships with Mac OS X. It's made to be faster, and to support more common terminal features. It supports full ANSI colors, all vt102 protocols, all DEC function keys, and a selection of useful xterm sequences. The "Big Thing" is that GLterm uses X11 .bdf fonts and renders them using OpenGL, so it's very fast . . . as long as you have a working 3D accelerator. It should work as intended on B&W G3s and up (for desktops) and on white iBooks and up (for laptops) - that is, any a machine whose 3D accelerator is handled properly in OS X.
User Reviews
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iTerm
Current Version: 0.9.5 (February 2, 2007)
iTerm is a full featured terminal emulation program written for OS X using Cocoa. It supports language encodings, VT100/ANSI/XTERM emulation and many convenient GUI features. iTerm is merged from CTerminal and TerminalX. The program is based on the code of JTerminal, and a large part of the original code is rewritten to implement more features and to run more efficiently. The current version is still in a beta stage. Features include:
- Native Cocoa application that supports Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger.
- Supports all language encodings that are available with OS X.
- Complete VT100 emulation, with additional support for most common xterm and ANSI escape sequences.
- Xterm compatibility
- Address book
- Anti-idle function that avoids disconnection because of no activity
- Transparent windows
- Multi-Tab within one window
Version 0.9.5 adds/changes the following:
- Full screen mode.
- xterm 256 color support.
- Much better wrapping behavior.
- Support for unlimited scrollback size
- Option to hide scrollbar.
- Press TAB key to open a new session with a command from the Execute field.
- Added support for opening .command, .tool, .sh, .zsh, .csh, .pl files as shell scripts.
- Greatly enhanced stability.
- Lots of other bug fixes and GUI tweaks as usual.
User Reviews
[0.8.2] "I really liked the tabbed terminal, which is similar to Konsole in KDE, but it lagged when I was typing since my powerbook is only 867MHz. GLTerm was much faster on my powerbook, but GLTerm doesn't do tabs. :-("
—Edwin
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MacTelnet
Current Version: 3.0b1 / X Preview 7
Similar in scope to BetterTelnet, above, MacTelnet is a re-working of the public NCSA Telnet code that was abandoned by NCSA some time ago. It's very much modernized, and it is fully scriptable, includes support for Mac OS X, and more; however, this software has had a history of being fairly buggy - something that presents a real issue in a work that should be transparent and reliable as a daily work tool. The features page details the many ways in which MacTelnet differs from the original NCSA version. Version 3.0b1 includes many new features and a several bug fixes; specifically, 3.0b1 changes the following:
- Bug Fix: miscellaneous issues during font list rebuilding.
- Feature: macro sets may now contain up to 12 macros each (previously, only 10 were allowed); mapping from F1-F12 or command-0 through command-=.
- Feature: macros now support the "\e" sequence for Escape, just like the Mac OS X version.
- Feature: floating keypad windows no longer have an Aqua appearance; instead, they look like real keyboard keys!.
- Feature: Bigger Text and Smaller Text commands are now available.
- Feature: Show FTP Log command is once again available; this displays server activity.
- User Interface: now Classic MacTelnet uses the new Terminal Favorite Editor first introduced with the Mac OS X version; this new editor is less cramped and lets you configure default Bold text colors.
- Cool Stuff: the About box now has background music.
The Mac OS X (Carbon) version is also available in "preview" form, meaning that, while functional, it is not intended for "extended use." The latest release (Preview 7) runs on OS X 10.2, and makes the following changes:
- Now stabilized - crashes and memory leaks in previous release are fixed, and errors preventing new telnet sessions are gone.
- Major terminal compatibility improvements, including support for VT52 mode, double-width and double-height text, many XTerm sequences, and much more.
- TEK vector graphics are once again supported.
- Many minor bug fixes - scroll bars, text selection, VT graphics, LEDs, you name it.
- Terminal toolbars can now be customized.
- Plenty of polish - many, many small features tweaked to ensure a more enjoyable user experience; much that was unfinished is now finished, etc.
User Reviews
"Very simple: too many type 1, 2, 3 and crash-indusing error to be relied upon. Look at, try, but don't use."
—SSgt. Daniel Howell
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to the MacTelnet download page to read and download (Carbon).
Version 3.1 daily builds are now available for Mac OS X 10.3.9 and later, making a positively huge number of changes.
MacWise
Current Version: 4.42 (February 28, 2004) / 11.25 (May 7, 2008)
Carnation Software, Inc. produces an entire line of Macintosh terminal emulation software, including MacWise, which emulates ADDS Viewpoint, Wyse 50, Wyse 60, Wyse 370, Televideo TV 925, DEC VT100 and Prism terminals, among others. Esprit III color is also supported in Wyse 370 mode. MacWise allows a Macintosh to be used as a terminal -- connected to a host computer directly, by modem, or over the Internet. The emulators support video attributes such as dim, reverse, underline, 132-column modes, and graphic characters sent from the host computer, as well as enhanced Viewpoint mode. Features include phone list and dialer for Hayes-compatible modems, on-screen programmable function keys and more.
Version 11.0 - the latest version for Mac OS X - adds/changes the following:
- SPEED! Runs natively on Intel and PPC Macs. No more Rosetta. This was accomplished by converting the entire MacWise project from Basic to C.
- Added an option to enable or disable raw Unix mode for telnet, secure shell and the Mac Unix shell. This provides more compatibility options for connecting to host computers via the Mac Unix shell. This was always enabled for previous versions of MacWise. Turning off this option may let you log into hosts that would not respond to keystrokes.
- Added a "?" icon to several dialog boxes, which links to a "Help" pop-up, and added "Help" to many dialog box items, which appears when you hover the mouse over the text.
- Cleaned up the MacWise 11 folder by creating more folders and moving all help files inside.
- Connection Scripts... is located under the Connection Menu now instead of the File Menu.
- The standard Apple installer is now used.
- Fix - None of the document icons were working in Leopard.
- Fix - Now, the Phone icon, QuickDial icon, Fkey icon and Settings icons work.
- Fix - Print scroll back buffer was printing blank pages if you tried printing selected pages 2 to 5 or 2 to 2, etc. Same problem existed for normal printing also. If you started printing from page one you were OK, but could not start printing from any other page number.
- Fix - Mouse Click Delimiter window was returning back to emulation window when closed. Now returns back to preferences window, as it should.
Version 11.25 makes the following additional changes:
- Feature / Fix - Sped up event timing to make keystrokes faster. Auto key repeat is now faster.
- Fix - When the host switched to 132 column mode, it was possible that text would not appear on the screen to the right of the 80th column in some rare cases.
- Fix - When you switch to 24 point window, the 132 column font will now change to 12 automatically, Also when you switch to 16 point window, it will change 132 column font to 9 automatically.
- Fix - Now supports Origin Mode for VT100 / VT220
- Fix - Allow Control O to be used with telnet when the "Use TC Shell" option is disabled.
- Fix - Possible array bounds error if textwrap was turned off.
User Reviews
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Mocha Mac TN5250
Current Version: 4.3 / 1.9 (November 19, 2007)
A remarkably simple alternative to its higher-priced counterparts (such as NLynx's Mac Midrange products), this provides very nice 5250 emulation via TCP/IP, and it's only a 125K download.
While the "Classic" Mac OS version is now free, the Mac OS X version is priced at $25 for a single user ($250 for a site license), Mocha Mac TN5250 is a real bargain, too. The freely-downloadable version available below is fully functional, and should be used for evaluation purposes only.
While no information is available regarding what's new in version 4.3 (the latest "Classic" Mac OS version), version 4.2 added/changed the following:
- Hidden text was displayed on print.
- German EBCDIC character "@" was not correct.
Version 1.9 - the latest version for Mac OS X - makes the following changes:
- Keys Esc, F1 - F19 would make a beep when pressed
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PowerTerm InterConnect
Current Version: 7.1.8 (January 3, 2006)
Ericom Software produces PowerTerm InterConnect, a terminal emulator for Mac OS X that supports IBM (3270 and 5250), Compaq, Digital, Unix, Tandem, Televideo, HP, SCO, and Data General access, among others. Features include customizable function keys, multiple concurrent sessions, menu bar, scalable and selectable fonts, intelligent copy and paste, scripting, printing and more.
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tn3270
Current Version: 2.5b5 (March 13, 1996) / 3.1.7 (May 2, 2006) / 3.2.4 (July 24, 2006)
The "old standard" freeware tn3270 tool for the Macintosh from Brown University. Although the advent of the web has made this tool less relevant to many people, it's still required equipment for serious researchers who access remotely-hosted IBM "big iron" services. It does a fine job, and is second in capability only to dataComet (above), which offers many more features as well as complete "standard" telnet services. That said, for basic access, tn3270 fits the bill nicely.
Note: Brown University distributes two VM/CMS commands for use with tn3270: RMAC and WMAC. These commands provide the ability to upload and download CMS files using the tn3270 session connection. Until recently, RMAC and WMAC were not year-2000 compliant. However, the versions made available as of 12/30/99 have been updated and are compliant.
The Mac OS X version was introduced in May 2003, and is still actively updated and maintained. Version 3.1.7 - the latest version for Mac OS X 10.1.5 - 10.2.7 - includes the following changes:
- Fixed a bug which caused tn3270 X to crash if a pending SSL connection is closed.
- Fixed a bug which caused tn3270 X to crash when opening an SSL connection on an Intel Mac (under Rosetta.)
- Added Courier 34 as a large font which is useful for vision problems. It allows a 24-by-80 window to fill a 20" display.
- Added support for the Bitstream Vera Sans Mono font, and included the font on the tn3270 disk image.
Version 3.2.4 - the latest version for Mac OS X 10.2.8 and higher - includes the following changes:
- Added support for Kerberos encryption
- Added support for Kerberos 4 and 5 authentication
- Added support for the Telnet Start TLS option
- Removed "glue" code for 10.1.5 compatibility (since Kerberos requires 10.2.8 in any case.)
The tn3270 for Mac OS listserv has an active discussion where you can interact with the author.
User Reviews
"The tn3270 emulation works very well. It has allowed me to keep a small Mac enclave alive in an otherwise very hostile Wintel environment. Even when running on a bunch of old LCII-IIIs, it is quick and faster than the dumb terminals being pushed at us by the IS support team. It is this kind of software which unfortunately doesn't get enough press and support."
—Julian Wan
[3.2.4] "I'm using this on a Mac Pro running 10.4.7, and it's very stable. Intuitive UI for connections, and I found it easy to make larger screen sizes work (36x80 versus 24x80, for example). I was also able to create a shortcut for the missing "Insert Key" on my Apple keyboard by creating an app-specific command in the standard keyboard prefpane. My one gripe is the lack of a robust keyboard mapping function, as I have yet to find a way to enable destructive backspace, but that will hopefully be solved by a system-level utility in the future."
—Jared Hunter, September 22, 2006
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UNIX Console
Current Version: 3.2 (December 3, 2004)
While not strictly a terminal emulation application at all, those of you who understand what it does will also understand why I have categorized it onto this page. UNIX console is basically a graphical front end to a telnet session with your Solaris box (yes, it's geared toward the results that Solaris produces, at least right now.) Currently, what that means is a nicely formatted visual display of:
- BSD printer spools
- Disk utilization
- Ethernet interfaces
- Load analysis
- RAM usage
- CPU historical analysis
- Process overview
- SAMBA and EtherShare client overview
Version 3.2 adds/changes the following:
- Maintenance release
- Faster graph display
- Under Win32 systems, graph node information tags now display like Windows HelpTags rather than a small floating window
- Resizeable console windows
- Printing implemented
UNIX Console is shareware, and the download below will allow you to try out the software for 30 days before requiring you to purchase.
User Reviews
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Also See . . .
Can't find what you're looking for? Try a search:
Also, if you have an older Mac, be sure to check out the "Classic" applications page for more options.
Finally, take a look at ALEMIA if you think you know that name of an application, but aren't quite sure.
Also Consider . . .
These are applications that are newer and of potential interest, but which I haven't yet selected for permanent inclusion. Have a look, and let me know if you think they deserve to be part of the permanent collection!