Richard Rauch wrote:

> A small down side is that I assume that stunnel doesn't work 
 > for non-UNIX people.  (I haven't read the docs, though.)

 > I'd wish for a general solution, regardless of OS type

I think you want SSh version 1. It will work like telnet, but
is encrypted as SSh. Windoze folks can do SSh version 1 by
a program called TeraTerm with an add-on called ttssh.
Here is one link, there are others.

http://www.zip.com.au/~roca/ttssh.html

I used this once on Win98. You can connect over the net or
over the phone to a Unix box running mgetty+sendfax. OpenSSh
is available for Unix and Win32. Then on Win32 you install
TeraTerm and the ttssh add-on. Win32 may then call Unix via
the SSh version 1 protocol. It maybe works the other way too,
but I never tried.

Just search Google for TeraTerm and ttssh. As I recall it
was not too hard to set up.

Enjoy,

Gan

-- 

  Mistera Sturno - Rarest Extinct Bird

  <(+)__       Gan Uesli Starling
   ((__/)=-    Kalamazoo, MI, USA
    `||`
     ++        http://starling.us