To: All PRM 1.99 Beta Testers
Priority: Normal
X-Mailer: Post Road Mailer (Green Edition Ver 1.99e)
Date: Fri, 12 Jul 1996 11:23:39 EDT
From: Kari Jackson <prmbeta@ibm.net>
Reply-To: prmbeta@ibm.net
Subject: Welcome to PRM 2.0 Beta Cycle!

Hello, and welcome to the beta of Post Road Mailer 2.0!  I hope you'll   
like it as much as I do.  Please select Release Information from the   
Help menu to automatically download the RELEASE.TXT file, which is an
ASCII copy of my PRM bug/wish database.   
   
Let me give you an example of just how important it is for you to read   
that file:  There are three new buttons at the bottom right of the view   
window, which are so small they can't be labelled.  They have tiny   
pictures on them instead:  two arrows and an X.  Right now, the X is  
off center in its button, so that it's hard to tell it's supposed to be  
an X.  Even if you knew it was an X, you wouldn't necessarily know that   
its purpose is to delete the current note while advancing to the next   
one.  So you might push that button just to see what would happen, and   
your note would be gone.  If you had read the database, you would have   
known that, even without me using that example of why you need to read
it.  The online help has not been updated yet, since the 1.03a release
(except for a lot of grammar and punctuation corrections), so it will
not tell you about any new features.  The database will help in that
area.
   
The database gives you information on what bugs have been fixed, what   
wishes have been fulfilled, what new bugs we already know about, what
new features we're already planning to implement, and in many cases, an
idea of how soon we might do that.
   
Please report all bugs and wishes to me at prmbeta@ibm.net.  And when I
say all, I mean all.  If there's something you want to report, no matter
how trivial, report it.  No one will call you a nitpicker, and if they
do, I'll glare at them for you, ignore them, and add your nit to my
collection.  I won't be happy until every possible Post Road Mailer nit
has been fully picked and disposed of.

When you make reports to us here, please DO NOT also send copies to
innoval@ibm.net or postsvc@ibm.net.  All that does is slow us down,
since we have to meet among ourselves and figure out which notes have
already been handled by whom!  Also, if you make reports to the
Majordomo mailing list, do not also make the same report to prmbeta,
because I would get it twice in the same inbasket that way, as well.
Prmbeta is subscribed to that mailing list, you see.

Also, when making reports, please use our quick template.  In the text
input area of the Compose window, just click with your right mouse
button to get a list of the files in your QUICK directory.  One of those
files is named PRMBETA.RPT.  Click on that filename, and the contents of
the file will be imported into the Compose window.  That's our bug
report template.  Fill it out, and send it to prmbeta@ibm.net.

And just a little warning to anyone who hasn't done beta testing   
before:  Do not use this version of the product for mission-critical   
work.  A beta is a beta because it's not ready for release, not just   
because that's what we felt like calling it.  It's bound to have dozens   
more bugs than the ones listed in the database; that's the entire   
reason for us to be wanting help from you, our beta testers!  So backup   
your notes often, and don't be surprised if you lose some during the   
beta cycle.  If that thought makes your blood run cold, then perhaps   
you don't want to be a beta tester after all.  (But go ahead and check   
out the product for a few minutes anyway, just to see the exciting new   
features we've added to it!  The 2.0 GA release is still on schedule   
for the end of July.)   
   
And please understand one thing:  We already have over 750 registered
beta testers.  Can you imagine the number of emails I'm going to have   
to read from y'all each day?  Please do not get excited or insulted or   
think we're ignoring you, if you don't get a reply.  Isn't it a lot   
more important that I implement your ideas and fix your bugs, than that
I write back to say "Thanks for your idea" or "Thanks for your report?"
I won't have time for both, so I'll do the former at the expense of the   
latter.   
   
Have fun, and let us know what you think!

Kari Jackson  07/12/96  11:26pm
InnoVal Systems Solutions, Inc.
  
How much wood did Peter Piper pick....no, wait....
