Jump to content

Communications Research Group

From Alfawiki
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Communications Research Group, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 8 August 202515 sources
Communications Research Group
IndustryData communications software
Founded1980s
FateAcquired by U.S. Robotics in 1990
Headquarters
Baton Rouge
,
United States
Key people
Paul Charbonnet (Sales Director), G. W. Smith (Vice President of Research and Development)
ProductsBLAST protocol, BLAST-II file transfer software

BLAST (an acronym for Blocked Asynchronous Transmission) is a communications protocol created in the 1980s for transferring files via asynchronous ports and dial-up modem connections, similar to XMODEM and Kermit. During that decade, it became widely adopted.[1][2][3][4][5]Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name[6][7] As a widely accepted standard for such file transfers, BLAST along with XMODEM was briefly evaluated by the ANSI in the mid-1980s as part of an initiative to create a unified de jure standard; however, these efforts did not come to fruition.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad nameCite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name

Overview

The BLAST protocol was initially designed to transmit air pollution telemetry data over dial-up lines across petroleum-producing areas in southern Louisiana and Texas, successfully handling noisy telephone circuits and satellite links to remote locations. It stood out in the 1980s as the sole asynchronous protocol integrating:

  • Bit-oriented encoding of data
  • CRC (cyclic redundancy check) for error detection
  • Sliding window technique for block transmission
  • Selective retransmission targeting only corrupted blocks
  • Concurrent bi-directional data exchange

Due to this combination, BLAST became recognized for offering an outstanding balance of speed and reliability within its category.[1][2][5][8][9][10][11]

History

Paul Charbonnet, Jr., formerly a Data General sales representative, originated the concept of BLAST. The first implementation was created by G. W. Smith, who had previously worked at BorgWarner Research Center, specifically for Data General Nova minicomputers. Smith evolved his earlier "ack-nak" telemetry system into what became BLAST, incorporating its key features and coining the acronym.[12][13]

BLAST was developed under contract from AMP Incorporated located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and subsequently commercialized by Communications Research Group (CRG), also based in Baton Rouge. At CRG, Charbonnet served as Sales Director while Smith held the position of Vice President of Research and Development.[12][14]

Despite its strengths, BLAST was criticized by Chuck Forsberg, the creator of ZMODEM, due to its proprietary nature which made its success heavily dependent on the vendor’s market position.[15]

Communications Research Group

Communications Research Group (CRG), headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, emerged as a prominent international supplier of data communications software throughout the 1980s. Its primary product line revolved around the BLAST protocol.

Among CRG’s key products was the BLAST-II file transfer software, which supported multiple protocols including BLAST itself, XMODEM, and ASCII. This software also featured encryption through Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and was compatible with approximately one hundred microcomputers, minicomputers, and mainframe systems. Similar to Columbia University’s Kermit, BLAST-II incorporated a scripting language to facilitate automation and customization.

Before its acquisition by modem manufacturer U.S. Robotics in 1990, CRG ranked within the top 100 U.S. microcomputer software firms. Post-acquisition, U.S. Robotics continued advancing and marketing the BLAST product suite by building on CRG’s established communications technology.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named crabb
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named cid
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named held1
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named magidson
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named pcweek
  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named honig
  7. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named held2
  8. ↑ Computerworld, 1985
  9. ↑ UNIX WORLD, 1990
  10. ↑ Computerworld, 1984
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named smith2
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named smith1
  13. ↑ Times-Picayune, 1989
  14. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named estill
  15. ↑ XMODEM/YMODEM Protocol Reference, 1988

Related profiles

CControl Data CorporationPPenrilDData GeneralOOCR Systems
Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=Communications_Research_Group&oldid=23569"