🚀 go-pugleaf

perez@andromeda.rutgers.edu.rutgers.edu (Willie Perez) writes:

>I have a suggestion!

>I've been waiting for my MacTerminal upgrade for ages.
>Seems nowadays that some shareware programs are almost just
>as good as the products we pay good money for.  Why doesn't
>Claris take MacTerminal (since it has all the other originally
>Apple programs) and add Zmodem and scripting.  This, I know,
>will directly compete with WhiteKnight(RedRyder) and Microphone II.
>But I'm kind of upset that I paid good money for MacTerminal
>which only supports Xmodem (no scripting) and shareware programs
>ZTerm for example, already support Zmodem!

Normally, I would just respond to this by mail, but it has been asked before
and so the information should probably be more widely shared.  When Apple
spun Claris off, it gave Claris application programs and kept "System
Software" in-house.  Apple considers MacTerminal to be "System Software"
just as they consider HyperCard to be System Software.  Claris can't 
"take" MacTerminal, Apple has to "give" it and there is no way that they
are going to do so, especially with their classification of connectivity
(including telecommunications) software as "System Software".

Lest you think I don't understand your frustration, I also
paid good money (in the form of upgrading a 128K Mac to a 512K back in 1984)
for MacTerminal (and MacProject).  A few months later, I sent a shareware
payment to Scott Watson for Red Ryder 4.0 and used various versions of Red
for all my telecomm needs except AppleLink until I bought CompuServe
Navigator.  I still use RR (and am awaiting my upgrade to WK).  I've tried
each release of ZTerm since .75, but keep going back to RR.  Getting any
support out of Apple or their dealer base for MacTerminal was quickly
discovered to be an exercise in futility.