Most important criteria:

1. Optional menu bar, hopefully with help file if it has complex features. But if it all worked intuitively, I'd like to be able to turn it off to save the space.
2. Ability to page or scroll back and forth to what has already scrolled off the screen. Pgup/Pgdn would be best or even a scrollbar for the mouse.
3. Need easy copy/paste functionality and interoperability, ie I want to copy here and go to a different window or another application like geany or the browser and paste it in, or visa versa. I like CUA standard keys, ie Ctrl-C, Ctrl-x and Ctrl-v if possible, just because I'm used to them and because I'd like the keys to be the same in the browser, editor and terminal if possible. I realize a remap of Ctrl-c is needed to do this and am open for suggestions.
4. Easy to configure colors and sizes. I would rather a"root" session easily have a different color scheme and that the window be resizable. Easily configured foreground/background colors are sufficient, but more are ok, too.
5. Ability to execute terminal based programs from the command line so it can be used from menus. Is the -e a standard?
6. Reconfigurable keys if possible. I know my keyboard preferences might not be the same as others.
7. As light as possible in memory use. Tabs vs windows not important, but I run 6 or 8 windows of terminals with or without mc, as su or not, most of the time, plus other normal programs like browser etc.
8. Ability to launch a URL in a separate window would be very nice, maybe by clicking it or highlighting and clicking, or something, and to have the ability to configure what browser program to use would also be nice

Help me evaluate and choose, please. I will add others to the poll or drop ones off as needed. If the one you are suggesting doesn't have the features, please explain what pros and cons it has that merit its inclusion.

For starters, even though its the one most distros give me, I left xterm off the list. I don't think it meets the requirements, and that's the reason for this post. What say you?

Once I get a list together, I'll do a test against the criteria given and try to find the clear winners...

And if you think I'm foolish to post this because its all been hashed out before, please feel free to say so and provide a link...

You chose a poll thread. In the past, I had considered instigating a"terminal app shootout" thread but

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(105 items) the field of available choices is probably too broad.
Here I'll just mention a couple interesting and apparently lesser-known alternatives

CLIcompanion

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quoting a comment on this second linked page ^---v

I've always liked tools with features similar to CLI-Companion. On one side of the situation you have"commands" with complex options and often equally complex syntax. On the other side, you have"tasks" that you routinely accomplish with those commands. Often, these tasks are performed at a low frequency and so that associated command often requires re-invention. Features that enable one to store those commands once configured and recall them when needed at a future time, make one's like easier in many ways. I encourage the authors of CLI-Companion to add features to augment shell history features with"helpers". When when tries a new command, CLI-Companion might remember what was tried before and guide the end-user with prompts or questions accompanied with suggestions for suitable command verbs and associated options.

domycommand

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domyfile

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I have a lot of reading to do there. I'm thinking of just looking at ones in the debian repos since I would think most of the ones that would be worth looking at should be there?