The control panel for my web site hosting is not working right, so I can't make it available yet. FTP probably still works, but I really don't feel updating things until the control panel is working. I want to add some redirects and stuff.

Well, I don't really have anything to do right now (except sleep), so perhaps it would be fun to take a look at user requests for Taco HTML Edit. Line numbers seems be a popular one. I've taken the easy route and added a "Go to Line Number" menu item in a previous release, but people want to see line numbers along-side the document. There's also spelling. For that to work, I think I'd have to find words myself and then run them through the spellchecker. By default, the spellchecker doesn't play nice with HTML (by ignoring it). It looks like someone would like to see a few more choices in the "Format Tags" menu. You know, when I removed what is now the "Format Tags" menu, and replaced it with what is now the "Quick Insert" menu, I thought that I was doing a great thing. It turns out that many people had become dependent on the "Format Tags" menu and its minimal functionality, so I put it back. I'm still surprised at the amount of feedback I got about that. Let's see ... people also want better CSS support, localization, ftp integration, better XHTML support, and better file handling in projects.

All of the aforementioned requests are pretty reasonable. The most common request for something that ain't happenin' is for Taco to be a WYSIWYG editor. It would take a team of full-time developers to do this. For those who don't know, the current live preview functionality is just borrowed from Safari.

So, what does the future of Taco HTML Edit look like? Well, uncertain at best, although I have said that before. The HTML editor market is a pretty boring one to be in because all HTML editors either do or strive to do the exact same things. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm going to be learning about network programming, so we'll see how that goes. The main purpose of the Taco HTML Edit project was for me to learn, and I've accomplished that; its getting to the point where most of the things I do with THE seem more tedious.

Now, I imagine that some of you are wondering, "Why don't you make THE open source?" That is a question I've heard quite a few times over the past couple years (yes, Taco HTML Edit is almost 2 years old). I would consider doing it if I knew that I no longer wanted to develop THE. However, I remain in a constant state of indecision, and the fact of the matter is that if I am going to develop THE, I want to be the exclusive developer and have the ability to charge for the product. Yes, just the ability to charge. Alright, forget the last two sentences: I'm stubborn.

Perhaps, the most interesting thing for me has been the market that Taco HTML Edit has seemingly had the most success. Now, I am aware that some power-users like THE, but THE has been especially popular with beginners with little HTML experience. I initially thought of the THE wizards (in the "Insert" menu) as being a sort-of convenience factor, perhaps revealing a few HTML features to users. Judging by all of the emails I have received from newcomers to HTML, it seems that these wizards and other THE features actually served as an important teaching device for some people.

Hopefully, I will be able to release Taco HTML Edit 1.6.0 within the next 24 hours. Thank you for your time, and a special thank you for everyone who has sent feedback in the beta testing process.