Kermit
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This article is about the utility for transferring computer files; Kermit is also the name of a Muppet in whose honor the utility was named, and also a city in Texas
Kermit is a computer file transfer/management protocol and a set of communications software tools; it provides a consistent approach to file transfer, terminal emulation, script programming, and character set conversion across many different computer hardware and OS platforms.
Kermit was developed at Columbia University in 1981 to allow students to use removable media on microcomputers (initially Intertec Superbrains running CP/M) to hold files from IBM mainframes and DEC PDP-10 machines running the TOPS-20 operating system. Over the years, Kermit was ported to a wide variety of different computer systems (some even say that C-Kermit is the second most portable program in the world, after hello world programs); most versions had a user interface based on the TOPS-20 Kermit. The DOS version of Kermit was developed the 1983. Versions that are presently being developed include C-Kermit (for Unix and VMS) and Kermit 95 (for Microsoft Windows), but other versions remain available as well. Over the more than 20 years since its inception, the Kermit protocol has evolved into a worldwide de facto data communications standard, and the software has been used for tasks ranging from simple student assignments to solving compatibility problems aboard the International Space Station.
Kermit was named for the Kermit the Frog from the Muppets. The program's icon in the Apple Macintosh version was a depiction of Kermit the Frog.
A popular packet-oriented protocol from Columbia University for transferring text files and binary files on both full-duplex and half-duplex 8 bit and 7-bit serial connections in a system- and medium-independent fashion, and implemented on hundreds of different computer and operating system platforms. On full-duplex connections a sliding window protocol with selective retransmission provides excellent performance and error recovery characteristics. On 7-bit connections, locking shifts provide efficient transfer of 8-bit data.
When properly implemented, as in the Columbia University Kermit Software collection, performance is equal to or better than other protocols such as ZMODEM, YMODEM, and XMODEM, especially on poor connections.
Kermit is an open protocol - anybody can base their own program on it, but some Kermit software and source code is copyright by Columbia University.
External links
- Kermit project at Columbia University (http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/)
- The DECSYSTEM-20 at Columbia University: Kermit (http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/dec20.html#kermit)
- International Space Station Incorporates Kermit (http://www.spacedaily.com/news/iss-03zq.html) (December 2003)
- C-Kermit may be the second most portable program in the world (http://www.info-zip.org/pub/infozip/UnZip.html#Footnote)
- This article was originally based on material from the Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, which is licensed under the GFDL.