diff --git a/src/apps/terminal/TermView.cpp b/src/apps/terminal/TermView.cpp
index a7939bbce5..1987e7efc0 100644
--- a/src/apps/terminal/TermView.cpp
+++ b/src/apps/terminal/TermView.cpp
@@ -178,7 +178,9 @@ TermView::TermView(BRect frame, int32 argc, const char** argv, int32 historySize
 	fReportButtonMouseEvent(false),
 	fReportAnyMouseEvent(false)
 {
-	_InitObject(argc, argv);
+	status_t status = _InitObject(argc, argv);
+	if (status != B_OK)
+		throw status;
 	SetTermSize(frame);
 }
 
@@ -197,7 +199,9 @@ TermView::TermView(int rows, int columns, int32 argc, const char** argv,
 	fReportButtonMouseEvent(false),
 	fReportAnyMouseEvent(false)
 {
-	_InitObject(argc, argv);
+	status_t status = _InitObject(argc, argv);
+	if (status != B_OK)
+		throw status;
 
 	// TODO: Don't show the dragger, since replicant capabilities
 	// don't work very well ATM.
@@ -247,8 +251,10 @@ TermView::TermView(BMessage* archive)
 	}
 
 	// TODO: Retrieve colors, history size, etc. from archive
-	_InitObject(argc, argv);
-	
+	status_t status = _InitObject(argc, argv);
+	if (status != B_OK)
+		throw status;
+
 	bool useRect = false;
 	if ((archive->FindBool("use_rect", &useRect) == B_OK) && useRect)
 		SetTermSize(frame);
@@ -2710,10 +2716,10 @@ void
 TermView::AboutRequested()
 {
 	BAlert *alert = new (std::nothrow) BAlert("about",
-		"Terminal\n"
-		"\twritten by Kazuho Okui and Takashi Murai\n"
-		"\tupdated by Kian Duffy and others\n\n"
-		"\tCopyright " B_UTF8_COPYRIGHT "2003-2009, Haiku.\n", "Ok");
+		"Terminal\n\n"
+		"written by Kazuho Okui and Takashi Murai\n"
+		"updated by Kian Duffy and others\n\n"
+		"Copyright " B_UTF8_COPYRIGHT "2003-2009, Haiku.\n", "Ok");
 	if (alert != NULL)
 		alert->Go();
 }
diff --git a/src/apps/terminal/TermWindow.cpp b/src/apps/terminal/TermWindow.cpp
index 370aa81b23..6454fad903 100644
--- a/src/apps/terminal/TermWindow.cpp
+++ b/src/apps/terminal/TermWindow.cpp
@@ -833,6 +833,12 @@ TermWindow::_AddTab(Arguments *args)
 	} catch (...) {
 		// most probably out of memory. That's bad.
 		// TODO: Should cleanup, I guess
+		
+		// Quit the application if we don't have a shell already
+		if (fTabView->CountTabs() == 0) {
+			fprintf(stderr, "Terminal couldn't open a shell\n");
+			PostMessage(B_QUIT_REQUESTED);
+		}
 	}
 }
 
@@ -1027,14 +1033,14 @@ void
 CustomTermView::NotifyQuit(int32 reason)
 {
 	BWindow *window = Window();
-	if (window == NULL)
-		window = be_app->WindowAt(0);
-
 	// TODO: If we got this from a view in a tab not currently selected,
 	// Window() will be NULL, as the view is detached.
 	// So we send the message to the first application window
-	// This isn't so cool, but for now, a Terminal app has only one
-	// window.
+	// This isn't so cool, but should be safe, since a Terminal
+	// application has only one window, at least for now.
+	if (window == NULL)
+		window = be_app->WindowAt(0);
+
 	if (window != NULL) {
 		BMessage message(kCloseView);
 		message.AddPointer("termView", this);