Copyright: Talkback from Full Circle Software. Version 1.0.


Introducing the Netscape Quality Feedback Agent

The Netscape Quality Feedback Agent is a feature that allows you to send information about a problem you are having back to the Netscape developers that will help them to improve their products. The Agent uses Talkback™ technology from Full Circle Software.

Communicator activates the Agent to gather information that will help solve a problem or improve the product. When the Agent is activated, it collects useful technical data and automatically presents an information window where you can enter your comments. All you have to do is click the Send button, and the Agent sends the information to Netscape over the Internet, using encryption and a secure connection to ensure privacy. Netscape uses the kind of information collected by the Agent to debug, upgrade, and improve their products. You can see everything the Agent sends before it is sent.

See Also:

Using the Agent

Frequently Asked Questions

The Agent Information Window


Using the Agent

Using the Agent is easy. Communicator activates the Agent whenever there is important information that should be sent to Netscape. This may happen when Communicator encounters a bug, such as crash, or when Communicator has determined that the Agent can provide information to Netscape that would be useful for improving the product.

Using the Agent involves these steps:

•	Use the Agent Wizard the first time the Agent is activated. Nothing is sent until you have been notified.

•	When the Agent Information window appears, enter your email address (optional) and comments (optional). This is where you describe what happened before, during and after the event.

•	Click the Send button to send your comments and information. You can preview all of the information before it is sent.

  See Also


The Agent Wizard

The Agent wizard appears the first time that The Agent is activated, briefly explaining the Agent feature and allowing you to turn off the Agent if you prefer.

To set up the Agent the first time:

•	Click Next on the first Agent wizard screen. If you do not want to run the Agent, click Cancel. You can run the Agent wizard by clicking on the Agent icon in the Netscape Utilities directory.

•	After reading the Netscape Customer Privacy policy, click Next on the second Agent wizard screen.

•	The Agent is configured with Turn On selected as the default. To disable the Agent feature, click the Turn Off radio button on the third Agent wizard screen. If you turn off the Agent feature, no information will be gathered or sent. You may turn the Agent on or off at any time by using the menu command in the Agent Monitor window. For more information, see How do I turn the Agent on and off?

•	Click Finish to complete the Agent set up. The Agent wizard will not appear again. Any subsequent time that the Agent is activated, the Agent Information window automatically appears. See Using the Agent Information Window..

  See Also


Using the Agent Information Window

After the first time the Agent is invoked and you have followed the steps in the Agent wizard to allow it, the Agent Information window automatically appears each time the Agent is activated. This window lets you know that the Agent has been activated. It also gives you a way to include any additional information you want Netscape to receive and to see the information the Agent will send back. You may choose to not allow the Agent to send the information it has collected.

After the Agent is invoked, follow these steps to use the Agent Information window:

•	Enter your comments into the Comments text area. (optional) If Netscape Communicator has encountered a bug or crash, comments about what you were doing when the bug occurred could be helpful to Netscape. You might also describe anything unusual about your computer system. If you are making a suggestion about Communicator, this is the place to put your comments.

•	Enter your email address in the email area. (optional) You may leave the email area blank if you prefer to remain anonymous. The Agent has been configured by Netscape to automatically recognize specific bugs and problems. Your email address provides a way for Netscape to notify you of ways to fix or work around the problem, or send you notices of new versions of Communicator. Before you authorize the Agent to send the information to Netscape, you may want to see what is being sent. See Show Details Button.

•	Click the Send button. The Agent will save the information and send it the next time there is an available network connection. See How does the Agent send information to Netscape?

  See Also


The Agent Monitor Window

The Agent Monitor window appears when there is information waiting to be sent and you click on the Agent icon on the taskbar status area. You can also display it by double clicking on the Agent icon in the Netscape Utilities folder.

The Agent Monitor window contains a list of incidents that have been collected by the Agent and are ready to be forwarded to Netscape. This information is listed according to when it was captured, along with the application name and monitor status.

NOTE:	If you have disabled the Agent by clicking the Turn Agent Off radio button in the Agent Monitor window, the Agent Monitor window will not appear. You must click the Turn Agent On radio button to be able to display the Agent Monitor window.

The Agent Monitor window contains three menus:

File Menu

Exit—When selected, exits the Agent Monitor window.

Settings Menu

Automatically Send Incident Reports—Displays the Monitor window before sending the information. When selected, a check mark appears to the left of the setting.

Turn Agent On—When selected, a check mark appears to the left of the setting.

Turn Agent Off—When selected, a check mark appears to the left of the setting.

Help Menu

Contents—Displays the Help Topics window, which contains a table of contents for all of the Agent help topics.

Agent Overview—Displays an overview in the Agent Help window.

Frequently Asked Questions—Displays a list of Frequently Asked Questions in the Agent Help window.

About Full Circle Talkback—Displays the About Full Circle Talkback dialog box.

  See Also


How the Agent Works

To help Netscape developers get the information they need to make their products better, the Agent feature handles four important tasks:

•	Activates when there are conditions or situations that require attention

•	Gathers all of the pertinent information

•	Gives you the opportunity to insert additional information

•	Sends the information to Netscape via the Internet.

Activating the Agent

Netscape has configured and included the Agent as part of Communicator. When you install Communicator, the Agent feature is installed as well. When you run Communicator, the Agent is initialized and then waits until there is a condition that causes it to be activated.

There are many conditions that can activate the Agent. Most bugs that can cause Communicator to crash will activate the Agent automatically. Netscape may also define additional conditions that will cause the Agent to activate, such as the occurrence of non-crashing bugs, or whenever Communicator has collected information that may be helpful to Netscape in improving their product. You can also activate the Agent from the Communicator menu if you want to report a problem or make a suggestion.

Gathering information

When a crash, bug, or other problem occurs, Netscape needs to know as much as possible about the state of the application at the time of the problem. The more relevant information Netscape has, the more likely that the cause of the problem can be determined and fixed.

Similarly, when you submit comments or a suggestion, or Communicator has collected data on how its features can be improved, specific information about your particular situation can be a great help to Netscape. The Agent is designed to get all of the technical information needed by Netscape.

When the Agent is activated, it gathers a set of information about the state of your computer and Communicator. See Information Gathered by the Agent to learn more about what data is collected. The Agent then presents the Agent Information window. This window allows you to view the collected data as well as add your own comments, suggestions, and email address. Your additions become part of the Agent’s collected information.

Sending the information

The Agent uses the Internet to send collected information back to Netscape. If your computer is not connected to the Internet all the time, the Agent will hold the information until a connection is made. The Agent manages this transmission automatically. You can monitor the progress using the Agent Monitor window.

In order to prevent unauthorized access to the information collected by the Agent, all of the information is encrypted before it is sent. Only Netscape will be able to view the information you send.

  See Also


Information Gathered by the Agent

The Agent gathers information that Netscape can use to improve Communicator. The most important information that the Agent collects after a crash or bug is the state of the software and the state of your computer. The Agent may also collect information about the stability and usage of Netscape.

There are three basic types of events that can invoke the Agent:

Crash—Communicator suddenly hangs or quits

Trigger—A Netscape-defined event that occurs during a user action, such as using a specific feature or reaching a pre-determined count.

Assert—A Netscape-defined event that can occur without any specific user action.

The Agent sends your information back to Netscape, where it is combined with information from other users. This allows Netscape to get an overview of how their applications are being used, how well they are performing, and what problems their users might be having. This overview lets the developers focus their attention on the features and problems that have the greatest impact on you, the user.

Although most of the information collected by the Agent is low-level, technical, and impersonal, some users may consider portions of the gathered information private. For your privacy and protection:

The Agent encrypts all data before it sends it to Netscape The Agent uses a secure transmission that makes sure only the software development team will receive the information the Agent has gathered. See Is the information gathered by the Agent secure?

You may view all of the information collected by the Agent before you authorized it to be sent. See How do I view the information the Agent will send?

Netscape can configure the Agent to collect information that is specific to their application. Application-specific data can be essential when tracking down a problem. The information that Netscape can specify for collection can include application state information, event histories, timing data, execution, and user-customizable settings.

Any data that the Agent collects on the Netscape’s behalf will be displayed along with the standard data when you view information from the Agent Information window.

  See Also


	Full Circle Talkback Copyright © 1997-1998 email: info@fullcirclesoftware.com web: www.fullcirclesoftware.com “Talkback” “Full Circle” “Full Circle Software” and the Full Circle Software logo are trademarks of Full Circle Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved.


Frequently Asked Questions

What causes the Agent to activate?

How do I turn the Agent on and off?

What information does the Agent gather?

How do I view the information the Agent will send?

Is the Agent collecting personal information?

How is the information gathered by the Agent used by Netscape?

Do I need to enter my email address?

How will my email address be used?

How does the Agent send information to Netscape?

Is the information gathered by the Agent secure?

  See Also


What causes the Agent to activate?

The Agent can generally activate under these conditions:

Application bug or crash

If Communicator crashes, the Agent will automatically activate and gather information about the crash that Netscape will need to know in order to understand and fix the problem. This behavior is a built-in capability of the Agent.

Netscape-defined condition

Netscape can cause the Agent to activate based on any condition they define. Frequently, such conditions will be application bugs that do not result in a crash but Netscape nevertheless wants to fix them. Netscape may also cause the Agent to activate in order to gather information about how Communicator is being used so that they may better understand what features to add and improve.

  See Also


How do I turn the Agent on and off?

The Agent wizard appears when the Agent is activated for the first time. The default setting is on, and the Agent wizard gives you a choice of turning the Agent off at this time.

After the initial Agent wizard display, you can turn the Agent on or off at any time by selecting The Agent command from the Communicator menu, or by clicking on the Agent icon in the taskbar status area. From the Agent Monitor window Settings menu, select Turn Agent On (to activate) or Turn Agent Off (to deactivate).

  See Also


What information does the Agent gather?

The Agent collects information that is designed to be relevant and helpful to Netscape developers who are trying to diagnose and fix bugs as well as improve their products. Most of the time, this includes low-level technical information about Communicator, the operating system, and your computer.

In addition, the Agent lets you enter your own comments when it presents the Agent Information window. You may view the information collected by the Agent before you authorize its transmission. See How do I view the information the Agent will send?

For more details about the information gathered by the Agent, see Information Gathered by the Agent.

  See Also


How do I view the information the Agent will send?

You may view the information collected by the Agent before you authorize its transmission. See Information Gathered by the Agent.

  See Also


Is Talkback collecting personal information?
Is the Agent collecting personal information?

In general, information gathered by the Agent is low-level, technical information that is needed by Netscape to diagnose and fix bugs. This information is not of a personal nature. Sometimes Netscape will need information that you might consider personal. An example might be the name of the document you were using when the Communicator bug occurred.

Most of the information that is sent to the developer is used in a collective fashion. That is, your information is added to the information from every other user to form a “big picture” of how the application is behaving for users in general.

When the Agent Information window appears, you may view all of the information that has been collected and decide whether to allow it to be sent. Additionally, you may choose to either enter your email address or remain anonymous.

When the information is transmitted to Netscape, whether it contains anything considered personal or not, all of the data is encrypted and sent over a secure connection. This ensures that the data is going only to the intended recipient.

  See Also


How is the information gathered by the Agent used by Netscape?

Netscape will use the information provided by the Agent in several different ways. When bugs or crashes occur, the data supplied by the Agent is used to help diagnose and fix the problem.

Statistics about Communicator can be collected, such as how stable it is and which features are most used. This provides Netscape with a big picture view of how Communicator is behaving for users, and which parts of Communicator they should change or improve.

Finally, because the Agent provides a location for you to enter comments in the Agent Information window, Netscape can collect and read your comments.

  See Also


Do I need to enter my email address?

No. You may choose to enter your email address or to leave it blank and remain anonymous.

  See Also


How will my email address be used?

If you choose not to enter your email address, you may leave the email address text area blank when the Agent Information window appears. However, entering your email address in the Agent Information window opens a two-way communication between you and Netscape.

Netscape may want to reach you so that they can supply you with a fix or work-around to the bug that caused the Agent to activate. Your email address can also give Netscape a way to notify you when new versions of Communicator are available.

The Agent also can be configured to recognize specific bugs, crashes, and problems. With a recognized problem, the Agent might automatically use your email address to send you information about solutions to known problems.

If you choose not to enter your email address, you may leave the text box blank when the Agent Information window appears.

  See Also


How does the Agent send information to Netscape?

Once you authorize sending the collected information, the Agent uses the Internet to send the information to Netscape. Your computer does not need to be connected to the Internet all the time, or even when you allow the Agent to send the information. The Agent will automatically hold the data until an Internet connection is available.

When the Agent establishes a connection, the first thing it does is to create a secure connection between your computer and the Agent server. The rest of the communication, including all of the data that the Agent collected, is sent in encrypted form using this secure connection.

TIP: You can monitor and control the information that the Agent sends by using the Agent Monitor window. See The Agent Monitor Window.

  See Also


Is the information gathered by the Agent secure?

Yes. The Agent establishes a secure connection to Netscape for all communications. This ensures that the information collected by the Agent can only be received and interpreted by Netscape.

  See Also


The Agent Information Window

After the initial Agent wizard setup, every time that the Agent is activated, the Agent Information window automatically appears. This window lets you know that the Agent has been activated. It allows you to include any additional information you want Netscape to receive, and to see what information the Agent will send to Netscape. You may also choose not to allow the Agent to send the information it has collected.

This window lets you know that the Agent has been activated. It allows you to include any additional information that you want Netscape to receive, and to see what information the Agent will send to Netscape. You may also choose not to allow the Agent to send the information it has collected.

The Agent Information window contains these elements:

Comments text area

Email address text area

Send button

Don’t Send button

Show Details button

  See Also


Information Dialog-Comments
Comments Text Area

When the Agent Information window appears, use the Comments text area to add any comments you have that are relevant to the Communicator bug or other condition that caused the Agent to activate. Your comments about what you were doing and anything about your particular computer or situation are very valuable when tracking down problems. This is also the area where you submit a suggestion.

  See Also


Information Dialog-Email Address
Email Address Text Area

You may optionally enter your email address. Netscape may use your email address to let you know about bug fixes, software upgrades, and work-arounds. Your email address might also be used by the Agent to send you an automatic reply that addresses the problem encountered by Communicator. You may leave the email address blank if you prefer to remain anonymous.

  See Also


Information Dialog-Send Button
Send Button

Select this button to authorize the Agent to send the information it has gathered to Netscape.

  See Also


Information Dialog-Don't Send Button
Don’t Send Button

Select this button to prohibit the Agent from sending the information it has collected. Pressing this button causes the Agent to discard the information about the Communicator crash, bug, or problem.

  See Also


Information Dialog-Show Details Button
Show Details Button

Select this button if you want to view the information that the Agent collected before you allow it to be sent.

  See Also


A crash occurs when Communicator tries to perform an illegal operation (such as dividing by zero) or attempts to invoke functions with unexpected values. When Communicator crashes, it usually terminates immediately.


Provides a space for you to type any comments you have relevant to the Communicator bug or condition that caused the Netscape Quality Feedback Agent to activate.


Provides a space for you to type in your email address if you wish to receive information about product updates from Netscape.


Click this to automatically send the information that the Netscape Quality Feedback Agent has gathered to Netscape, without asking each time.


Click this to send the information that the Netscape Quality Feedback Agent has gathered to Netscape.


Click this to prohibit the Netscape Quality Feedback Agent from sending the information it has collected to Netscape.


Click this to view the information that the Netscape Quality Feedback Agent has collected.


No Help topic is associated with this item.


This list shows the categories of information that the Netscape Quality Feedback Agent has captured.


This space describes the currently selected item on the left.


Click this to close this dialog box.


Click this to view more details.


Click this to hide the extended details.


This text pane contains detailed information about the currently selected item in the Details list above.