Tracy writes:

> For a common example use an NMMGR screen with more
>  that 2 fields.
>
>  Use your arrow key and position your cursor above
>  two fields that will follow in succession.
>
>  Hit tab.
>
>  a)  On a dumb terminal such as a HP700/92 the cursor will
>  stop at the first field.
>
>  b)  In QCTerm you will probably notice that your cursor
>  'skipped' the first field you'd expect it to stop
>  at, and stop at the second field.
>
>  Note this does not happen when first entering a freshly
>  painted block mode screen.  One must move the cursor with
>  the arrow key to somewhere else on the screen and then
>  hit Tab.
>
>  It's also something that can be lived with, one can either
>  position the cursor two fields back and hit tab to get
>  where you want the cursor to be, use arrow keys, or use
>  the mouse to force position the cursor.

We'd have to consider this a very minor problem, more of a pecadillo than
even a feature, and certainly not a bug.

John Pitman sent us some BASIC/V code yesterday -- which I haven't had time
to play with yet -- which he promises will expose an error in QCTerm's behavior
in Page/Line mode. I consider John's problem far more serious and one which
we will correct (if we can see it).

However, it's worth knowing that HP Block Mode is at least as endangered a
species as is the HP3000. HP killed the use of block mode on HP-UX boxes a year
or so ago, thus the HP3000 is the only computer still in existence that uses
it -- and that obviously won't be much longer.

Correcting such a minor pecadillo as the one that Tracy mentioned is not
doing much more than throwing good money after bad, especially given that it's not
really a problem to begin with. Further, any "correction" to the software
offers the opportunity to introduce new errors into QCTerm's current behavior,
which as I said a day or so ago seems to be generally flawless.

<plug>

Rather than continue with block mode, what we've been working on for some
time now is a completely new forms mechanism for QCTerm, one that is wholly
agnostic as to the operating system, that is capable of putting together forms that
are really quite pretty, and one which is enormously easier to program up
against than forms mode has traditionally been on the HP3000. This new forms
method also incorporates all of the ideas and advantages attendent to "advanced
telnet."

The reason for the <plug> tag is that this new forms mode will not be free --
although everyone will get it in all future versions of QCTerm. Rather, the
use of QCForms will cost $50/seat. It's important to understand that the cost
doesn't apply to QCTerm. QCTerm will always be free. It's just the new forms
mode that will ride with QCTerm will engender a cost, if you choose to use it.

Several people now have preliminary copies of the new version of QCTerm that
has QCForms in it at the moment. We've labeled that version QCTerm V1.5. When
we release the new version, sometime in the Fall, that version will be V2.0.

The cost to developers to create their software using QCForms will carry
absolutely no cost. And support will be unlimited. It's only when their products
get into the hands of their customers will we be part of the revenue stream.

QCForms will be so much easier and nicer than block mode that I don't believe
that there will be much comparison. But perhaps even more importantly, its
development will be so easy and so decoupled from the host operating system that
whatever software that is developed will be capable of being moved from
machine to machine while retaining exactly the same look and feel. I personally
consider this attribute exceptionally important, particularly so in this era when
I don't trust any server vendor to long honor their commitments or even
persist in the marketplace.

</pug>

But as to block mode itself, we will continue to insure that QCTerm operates
perfectly well in that environment. Perfection is all we want, and that part
will always be free.

Wirt Atmar

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