Because it has been several months since anyone has reported any kind of bug
with QCTerm and because one larger organization on this list has said that
they could not distribute "pre-release" software, we're now designating
QCTerm as acceptable to be widely released within an organization.

The version number remains at 0.90r. Only the web page has been changed. In
that regard, we've scrubbed the page of all "pre-release" notations. The
version number remains at 0.90 because QCTerm has approx. 90% of the features
that we wrote on the blackboard now implemented and working well in the
emulator.

The primary feature yet to be put into QCTerm is a very intelligent FTP-based
file transfer program, but we're working on that now. Also yet to come are:
(i) transparent (passthrough) printing in RECORD mode, (ii) destructive
backspace, and (iii) the van Gogh forms mode.

In Reflection, transparent printing and destructive backspace are options.
Transparent printing is necessary for PostScript and PCL command printing to
the PC's printer. Destructive backspace (where a backed-over character
disappears) is simply something most people seem to find pleasant.

We can see no reason to make either of these qualities optional. Transparent
printing was the way that all real terminals initially operated;
non-transparent printing was simply a later "feature" of the way PCs spool
their output. Similarly, but conversely, non-destructive backspace is a
feature left over from the days of teletypes, when character erasure off of
the paper was obviously impossible (or at least difficult). Today, virtually
everyone who uses a terminal emulator has grown up with PCs, where
destructive backspace is the norm. Moreover, these same people have likely
never even heard of a teletype machine and would never believe that they used
to be the state-of-the-art computer interface.

In general, I'm a little antipathetic towards configurable items. Every
configuration box represents one more possibility for a service call.
Simpilicity is never to be undersold. Simplicity not only increases
reliability, it also greatly decreases costs of operation. Nonetheless, if
you have any objection to either of these decisions, please let us know as
soon as possible or forever hold your peace.

Finally, on the topic of support, if you do distribute QCTerm to five or ten
thousand people in your organization, please designate only one or two people
in your organization to call us. Quite likely, we wouldn't be able to answer
your users' questions anyway, which have tended primarily to be, "How do I
sign on to my machine?"

Otherwise, QCTerm should be a very low support item. We simply haven't been
receiving any bug reports for several months now. But that shouldn't be meant
to be taken that we aren't still very interested in hearing of anything that
isn't working well.

Wirt Atmar

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