Software >

www.terminate.com

A modem/BBS terminal program.

One of the top contenders. It is truly frightening, and still very useful today. However, they missed out on some basic functionality and got too complex. Telix and Telemate are two other contenders. Telix, well I don't know why.. I still use Telemate to this day.. it kicks the pants out of terminate for most of the major simplicity and functionality. Too bad none of them are in development anymore. Hrmph.

• Competed with Telemate as a category-killer.

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• (date not recorded) - (version not recorded) on DOS (version not recorded, likely 6.22) and 4DOS (version not recorded)

  • And I think Windows 3.11 / Windows "3.12"
• (date not recorded) - v4.00 on DOS (version not recorded, likely 6.22) and 4DOS (version not recorded)

• (date not recorded) - (version not recorded) on DOS (version not recorded, likely 6.22) and 4DOS (version not recorded)

(date not recorded) - (version not recorded) ∞

• Be able to specify which protocals (internal and external) are available for which BBS'
• The backscroll should not wrap around with up/down or pageup/pagedown.
• If the backscroll is sent to disk and not to memory, be sure to wipe it and not delete it.
• When terminate is run from windows, it goes into the file manager.
• Default UI dir should be user defined.

• Uploading won't work under win3.11

  • Needs to be reproduced.

• The %age thing for speed when downloading should be based on the modem.

  • Needs to be reproduced.

• The PATH command when downloading doesn't actually work! I change to "wildcards" then edit one to C:\ then change to C:\

  • Needs to be reproduced.

(date not recorded) - v4.00 ∞

Because of the size of this text, it has been strictly formatted according to the section it is reporting on.

Tag advance fails in emulation setup, yes that function was turned on.

• The typematic rate continuously messes up (gets reset to default). I softwired mine (with mode.com) to be more reactive.

  • TODO - It is perhaps the online help?

• Cannot echo text through the keyboard buffer, into terminate.

  • TODO - which functions?
  • Neither can Telemate, but at least it works in all functions save for the terminal mode.

• When first editing a field, the first character should not delete the entire line, but append text. pressing delete as the first character should clear the line instead.

  • Telemate has a global insert/replace mode, like a text editor

Phone book ∞

• control-left/control-right should go to the first/last comment

• Private dialing should remove those columns from the list (phone number, etc...) or at least blank them out.

  • Don't show dots, people can figure things like area code out. (eg: if there is one)
• What about password protecting certain phone books before letting them be opened, and not just a global password for the phone book functions.

• The find function is pathetic, it should be literal.

  • eg: if I type "a", it goes to the first entry starting with a. If I type "ab", it goes to the first entry starting with ab, not the first entry with the occurrence of ab anywhere inside it. In the quick search, have a command which turns on/off the option to have the quick search look anywhere for that string (including date/time and notes), not just in the names.

• Should replace the phone book commands (copy, edit etc..) with alt commands, that way you free up the keyboard commands for a quick search.

  • "a" goes to the first entry with a etc.. or even have that being the quick search function?? Type "a", and the quick search pops up, and looks for "a" as the fisrt character.

• Don't have the left/right wrap around.

  • When I press and hold left, it should not cycle through the comments, dates, times etc..

• Be able to have one BBS "entry" own multiple numbers, and axe the function to clear entries with the same 5 first digits.

  • When dialing, have it automatically switch through the various numbers. Have it maintain separate statistics for each number in that entry, and also maintain an average, and a total for things like # of connects, kB download, etc..

• Moving a phone book entry doesn't properly work

  • Sometimes it moves it above/below where it was intended to be.

• Have a global password for all editing functions of the phone book, and once that is entered - have it last for a 10 minute timeout or until turned off manually.

  • It is extremely annoying to have to re enter the password multiple times.

• Have the function which encrypts the cfg/fon also encrypt the log.

  • Axe the log encryption crap from where it is in the security menu. Just have that choice be the entry for its password.
  • Have a separate function to prompt for that pass, then bring it up into a smart note, so that normal editing functions can be used.
  • Be aware that the encrypted log should never be decompressed to disk, only to memory. Otherwise the decrypted log could be unerased and viewed.
• Keep track of the dates/times of the last 2 calls, not just the last call.

• The log encryption function seems to crash.

  • TODO - When?
• Don't worry about prompting about a password for the password configuration menu, unless a password within it has been changed.

• It disables my sound so that I cannot shell out from a sound player into it, and keep the music going.

  • Could this be due to some sort of sound card init?

• Should not record the ul/dl size of ul/dling a message packet.

Cd Player ∞

• Add a shuffle play mode.
• You list Milliseconds?!

• Eject/close should be the same command

Autodialer ∞

• List more of the "next system" names

• Have escape/enter (abort) prompt a y/n

  • Cannot dynamically tag/untag during the dialing process. Perhaps the dial screen should be axed in preference for a Telemate style one? Have that as a user option?
• Aborting a dial untags it
• When carrier is high, and a dial is attempted anyway, the # shows through, even with private dialing enabled!
• Does not save the dial list.
• It does not continue to dial the dial list after it has disconnected from a successful connect.
• During autodial, it doesn't hang up the phone properly.

• It updates the date/time when aborting a dial.

File Transfers ∞

• For a single file download, print the same info as when doing a multi dl/ul, in the top right corner.

  • Even if it is duplication, it is nice to be able to look in the same plave for that info.
• It initially overestimates the cps rate. Have the cps rate start counting after a few seconds to fix that?
• Add an "abort transfer after this file is complete".
• Make skip/abort prompt a y/n. It is easy to bump the keyboard and mess up everything.
• Have the skip file command automatically delete, or prompt the deletion of that file. Or you could even have it queue the deletion of that file upon completion of the transfer/exit of Terminate.
• Download time left - calculate hours

• Show all the incoming/outgoing bytes when dl/ul ing?

  • Its surprising how time will fly when you're being entertained like that. =)
• "Received Block" should change colour or something, it doesn't look like it's changing at all.
• Synchronize the times
• The estimated time bounces annoyingly!
• Rename "Total Errors" to "Total Retries". After all, this is what it is describing.

• Redo the screen: Bytes: 10,000/500,000/(400,000)

  • (done in current file/total in current file/left in batch)
  • The same thing goes for the files: 2/21/(19) (done, total, left)
• Put comma's everywhere.
• Cannot skip an upload? The "S" in skip is not highlighted?

• Have an alarm after transfer, just like there is a hangup after transfer.

  • Have it disregard all of the sound settings. Give it three settings: Brief, continuous and off.
• Be able to hangup after an external transfer.
• Don't prompt when shelling to dos. Just have that stuff noted in the text file.
• The "path" function, when used, and switched to "wildcards", should expand to show which dir the file is being sent to.

• Bug: Sometimes the program does not want to upload!

  • TODO - To reproduce -- While in Windows?
• When downloading, it doesn't auto-skip existing & complete files! It makes the *.??1 file instead!
• Skipping (alt-s) a file, doesn't delete it!
• With a small text file transfer, the %age complete bar goes weird.

• It should list the date of the file being transferred.

Screen Saver ∞

• Doesn't kick in during an upload/download.
• Flashes the screen in the most evil way, after it is turned off.
• Doesn't "blank" the border.

• Have it turn off all of the caps/num/scroll keys?

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• Add a function so that the backscroll is auto cleared (unprompted) at each new connect
• Hotkeys which are assigned to protocols not used should be available for other protocols that ARE used.
• alt-o,c,default: More of the init string can be shown here.

• Why is a message for alt-n or alt-s in terminal mode shown, if I have it down to 0/10ths of a second?

  • Several messages are displayed like that! I can deal with the minor flash, if it cannot be totally turned off, but make it consistent.
• Include description (and anti-vir.dat?) files with the terminate archive.
• Typo: In alt-o, "modem & dialling"

• I see that the term display is buffered for speed. Have a toggle for this. When off, it will display the text less choppy.

Backscroll ∞

• Backscroll should go to disk and not memory.
• Make the backscroll longer

• The scrollback buffer auto-resizes itself if there isn't much memory, then saves it so that the next time terminate is loaded, it uses that altered size of backscroll! It should not autosave if it autoresizes.

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• Importing from the Telemate phonebook sucks.

  • It should also import the rest of the info, and info from the tm.mem (notes) file.
• When in 132 columns, the phone book should display more of itself (left and right).

• The large cursor is for overstrike, not insert.

  • Have a toggle for it to be a block or an underline.
• Be able to say which day(s) of the week a board is closed.

• For registered users, why let them "turn down" the reg. info, just have it turn off.

  • After all, it *is* personal info.
• The descript.ion is not imported into the log, as it said it would.

• In alt-a, don't colourise the line that the cursor is on!

  • Or have a toggle.
• If I use alt-1 or alt-2. Have it save that option, if autosave is on. That option must be manually toggled at each session.
• That incoming call message is pathetically mistimed and should appear from anywhere in the program, if at all.
• Redo the command keys! alt-c = copy, alt-p or alt-v = paste.. use some standards.

• Multithread/multitask a little more like Telemate.

  • Be able to go into the notewriter when downloading, make a "fake dos" to be able to copy/rename/delete/md/rd/type.
• Cannot shell from everywhere.. only from certain places.

• Bug: Somehow, when I was transferring, it said -45% complete, and started counting -44, -43 etc. (In the top right box). It was transferring without error, otherwise. The log looked ok.

  • TODO - I don't understand the circumstances.
• "Last called" should be last connect! Or perhaps do both?
• When I jump to dos, the directory I switch to doesn't stick.
• In the file manager, change the "favourite dirs" to list the last three used, and then the top 7 dirs used. Keep track of the number of times they're used. That function only list the last 10, and not truly the "favourite"!
• Bug: I deleted all of the paths for downloading. When I did a download, I may have changed it to use wildcards. When I exited and looked at the dir, many of the termin8 files were GONE! They got moved to the download directory!
• Bug: Carrier detect is high, while I'm in the dial list, I alt-x, and say "yes". It just goes into the terminal screen, it doesn't actually exit!

• Why do you prompt y/n TWICE for the clear note (alt-a, alt-c).

  • It should not be called a "buffer" either.

• I must use an external program to wipe the decrypt.log file. Your internal delete is unsafe.

  • * I must wipe the upload.lst and terminat.log files as well.
• It still makes the terminat.log, even if I want to encrypt it!
• When does Terminate do its backup? Every time there is a change, or each program startup?
• Make an undo for things which can be backed up (e.g., a smart note or the phone book)

• When I delete a smart note in alt-a (with alt-l,d) it does not delete the backup file.

  • Also, does it remove references to that note, in phone book entries?
• When I turn the status bar line off, it sometimes doesn't autowrap! (doesn't scroll)
• Download manager downloads *.mo# as *.mo?, and includes *.mod (*sound)

• Bug: After viewing the encrypted log, it asked me if I wanted to delete one of my downloaded file! Not the used logfile!

Smart Notes ∞

• Add a highlight and/or an underline function.
• When sending (alt-s), it doesn't send a carriage return. Also, there isn't a function to send (as in ASCII upload) the entire text (from the top).
• Alphabetize the list of smart notes!
• Perhaps the list of smart notes should be kept like the favourite path. The top three used, and then the rest in alphabetic order.
• How do I merge a line with another e.g.: one line below with the one above. Backspace, on the first column will not work!!

• If I edit a phone number (alt-d, e), and give it a smart note, and add a new smart note, it doesn't show in the list!

Questions/Research for Terminate ∞

^[ 1 ] The meaning of the left-hand x has been long-forgotten; this doesn't appear to be a note-taking method that I used elsewhere.

• See what screws up the typematic rate
• What functions cannot be pasted to/from Noteware?
• Check the specifics of how moving a phone entry fails.
• x Does it auto-continue to dial after disconnecting, when there are other BBS' tagged?
• when does the log encryption crash? (If those 2 values are the same?)
• x Better find function in the backscroll?
• x Research alt-k, how would I make it better?
• x Research dl screen - connect/status, should on be renamed to 'message'?
• x Does the internal screen saver kick in during autodial?
• x Does aborting a call untag all?
• x Does the tag list get autosaved with the phone book?
• x Does the term autostart dialing from first load?
• x Which messages are displayed too long?
• x When the status line is off, when does it mess up?
• x When i shell, where does my prompt get chopped - research other prompts
• x Research alt-a, can I import a text file??

• x When I turn info off during dl/ul, does it stay off?

  • (yes, but will it do it after end session?

• x Redo phone/global list?

• How do I redo the default smart note?

• What is RTS write? (dl screen)

(date not recorded) - (version not recorded) ∞

• Cannot assign an individual script for each phone number like telemate, I'm forced to have one in the scripts menu for each number!

• Put the autolearn function in the dial dialogue.

  • (or prompt for it)
• The HANGUP (alt-h) doesn't do anything!!!! it should use +++ (wait) ath\m

• Deleting a dial entry should delete it's companion .not/.bak files too.

  • (or prompt for it)
• A proper autowrap in the smart notes (alt-a) would be nice.
• Be able to define the 'warndays' separately for each entry.
• After a download, check for a files.bb? (or whatever), edit the descript.ion of the files which were downloaded.

• Typo: Without proper guidance

  • (which text file was this found in?)
    

    If you have never done any programming before it might be a little
    difficult to start out without prober guidance, however we have included
    various simple examples which will help you get started more easily.