Minicom

Minicom is a totally free and open-source command-line software. It's made in C and was created to be similar to the classic Telix application that used to run on Microsoft Windows (MS-DOS). Pretty cool, right?

What is Minicom?

So, what’s the deal with Minicom? Well, it’s a serial communication software that comes packed with features like ANSI color support, dial-a-list, a scripting language, auto Zmodem download, and even a dialing directory! Plus, it can act like both VT102 and ANSI terminals.

User-Friendly Interface

The best part? Minicom has an easy-to-use interface that's text-based and built using ncurses. This means you can run it on any GNU/Linux or UNIX-like operating system. Whether you’re using Debian, Ubuntu, Arch Linux, openSUSE, or Red Hat Enterprise Linux, you’re covered!

Installing Minicom

If you're ready to install and use Minicom on your GNU/Linux system, here’s how to do it. First off, you’ll need to download the latest release from Softpedia. Save that archive somewhere in your Home directory.

Next up, you’ll want to open a Terminal app. Navigate to where you extracted that archive file (like cd /home/softpedia/minicom-2.7) and type this command: ‘./configure && make’. This will configure and compile the program for you. After that’s done, just run ‘sudo make install’ to get it set up.

Using Minicom

Once everything's installed, give ‘minicom --help’ a shot in the Terminal app. This will show you all the cool options available! You can customize things like baud rate values or device names, enter setup mode easily, or even use alternate keys for commands.

More Features

You can also run the software in 7bit mode if needed or format your status line. Want to dial from your directory? No problem! Plus there are options for enabling/disabling ANSI color styles and capturing output into custom files.