XViewdata (1.0.x)

XViewdata is an Open Source Viewdata client written by Peter Corlett for Linux and other Unix and Unix-like systems using the X Window System. It provides full emulation of a typical Viewdata terminal (bugs excepted) and has support for connecting to systems over the Internet via TCP/IP as well as some support for dialup services.

Logging in to Heaven.

History of XViewdata

In mid-1997, several Viewdata bulletin boards started up on the Internet. There were plenty of clients for Windows and Acorn machines but nothing for Unix. This meant I couldn't use the services from Linux. Additionally, I felt that the Windows and DOS software was of limited use since it was either poor quality or crippled shareware. Scratching an itch, I decided to write my own free Viewdata client that would do what I wanted.

A month's hacking later an alpha release based on svgalib was born and nicknamed "VDT". The buggy svgalib support was subsequently torn out and replaced with X support and the project renamed XViewdata, much to the annoyance of George Hills who prefers the old name.

Available Viewdata Services

There are several Viewdata BBSs that are accessible via the Internet however they are in various stages of dilapidation, so visit them while you still can! At the time of writing (June 2001) I am aware of only one free system that is still in operation, Gareth Babb's CCl4. Apparently still operational is the commercial Silicon Village, although I'm not inspired by their web site having apparently not been updated for years.

Currently down and probably so for an indefinite period are Heaven run by James Coates and Haven run by Joel Rowbottom. Both sites have had their respective Acorn servers fail without replacement. As Haven's web site was hosted on the same box as the BBS, that is also unavailable.

XViewdata Downloads

A word of warning: This code has not been touched since Spring 1998. In particular it doesn't work at all on Linux 2.2 or newer kernels, and it uses C++ libraries that predate STL and are no longer commonly available. Even on suitable legacy Linux systems, some people have noted problems with installation. For all intents and purposes, the files below are primarily of historical interest.

This software is Copyright 1997,1998 Peter Corlett - All Rights Reserved.
It is released under the GNU General Public License version 2. For other license arrangements, contact the author.

You can obtain copies of this software from the download directory.