stever@tektronix.UUCP (02/22/86)
It has been stated recently that Wordperfect does not support a mouse. I am not sure what this means. I do know that one can use the Mouse Systems mouse with almost any package that supports use of cursor keys (with BASIC programs requiring some special treatment). Mouse Systems also provides a driver to emulate the Microsoft mouse. Microsoft does not support the Mouse Systems mouse for Word (as far as I know), but I could use my Mouse Systems mouse with Word if I so desired. Micropro does not support a mouse for Wordstar, but I can and do use one. Albeit with slow horizontal cursor movement and a very fustrating lack of diagonal movement (Micropro, if you are listening, PLEASE FIX THESE TWO ITEMS in Wordstar 3.5 or whatever you are going to number it!). I would expect Wordperfect to actually work better with the Mouse Systems mouse than with Wordstar. I am planning to check this out in the very near future. Wordperfect has attracted my interest with its column editing capabilities. However, I dislike Wordperfect's use of the 40 function key combinations. The organization and presentation of these function keys are confusing and hard to remember. A friend of mine has used Word, Wordperfect and Wordstar extensively and is about ready to go out and buy a copy of Wordstar Professional. We both find the semi-mnemonic nature of the control key commands to be more straightforward. And the reference card is well organized. The designer pop-up menu software provided with the Mouse Systems mouse would let me use Wordperfect without having to remember all those function keys. In fact, the pop-menus allow me to use several word processors for what they are good at without ever having to learn a whole new set of commands. I have given up ever finding one that does everything just the way I want and need! steve rogers tektronix!stever
halff@utah-cs.UUCP (Henry M. Halff) (02/23/86)
In article <6646@tektronix.UUCP>, stever@tektronix.UUCP writes: > > > It has been stated recently that Wordperfect does not support > a mouse. I am not sure what this means. > > The designer pop-up menu software provided with the Mouse Systems mouse > would let me use Wordperfect without having to remember all those function > keys. WordPerfect has a real problem with mice because of its model of cursor movement on the screen. A down arrow, for example, will take you to the column directly under the cursor or to the end of the line, WHICHEVER IS CLOSEST TO THE LEFT MARGIN. Down arrow to a blank line leaves the cursor at the left margin. Now most mice programs (including designer menus) work by simulating cursor keys, so if you move the mouse straight down the screen in WordPerfect, you are more likely than not to have the curso wind up on the left margin, no matter where you started. Designer menus should work ok with Word Perfect if you are careful about keeping track of the stack in nested menus. Since your menu program will have to simulate WordPerfect's nesting structure, you'll probably find yourself looking at the wrong menu quite often. -- Henry M. Halff Halff Resources, Inc. halff@utah-cs.ARPA 4918 33rd Road, N., Arlington, VA 22207
gst@talcott.UUCP (02/25/86)
This may be slightly off-topic, but I thought readers of this discussion might be interested in taking a look at an article in the February 24th issue of "Infoworld" (p. 67), entitled "Two Mice Nibbling at Microsoft's Lead." This article reviews the PC Mouse by Mouse Systems Corp., and the Logimouse C7 by Logitech. The author is especially concerned with the performance of each of these mice with a variety of programs, some of which are designed to be used with mice, some of which are not (the Logimouse comes with software which enables it to be used with keyboard-based programs that use the Microsoft Mouse standard). I suggest reading the article if you're into mice. However, my quick summary of the article is that the author seems somewhat more impressed with the PC mouse, even though it requires its own power supply, can connect only to a serial port (as does the Logimouse), and requires a special mouse pad with a lined mirrored surface. He also gives it high marks for its ability to move the cursor smoothly. The Logimouse, which (at $99) costs just over half as much as the PC mouse, he gives a "poor" rating for documentation, and finds it to share the weakness of the Microsoft Mouse of jerky cursor movement (though he likes the feel of the mouse itself, the way it rolls, and finds it generally well-built). I hope this information contributes to the discussion. -- Gary Trujillo (harvard!talcott!gst)