I’d really rather be beaten than to boot in to windows.  Is there an alternative to hyperterminal for programming devices. Something linux based.

There are several.  Putty is a common GUI app.

First downloaded CuteCom, one of the better apps I found that was still under active development. Compilation and installation was a snap, and the GUI came right up. All the settings, such as the device selection and baud rate, are instantly available at the top of the menu. It does support software transfers, but it only connects via serial cable; it won’t dial remote consoles.

I managed to get minicom working as well.

I had a device connected and sent ‘at’, ‘ati’, & ‘at&v’ commands, I didn’t change anything. Now however the device doesn’t respond when connected via serial. Have I made a $150 paperweight?