ejw@sask.UUCP (Eric Woodsworth) (02/11/88)
A friend is planning to purchase a Francophone-capable word processing package for his IBM-XT. Does anyone have any recommendations or experiences with such beasts? Although others on this group may be interested in this topic, could you at least mail any responses to the friend (rhk@pmbrc.bitnet)? Thanks. -- ------- Eric Woodsworth / Canadian Wildlife Service / Saskatoon / Canada UUCP: pmbrc!ejw BITNET: WOODSWORTH@SASK Tel: (306)-975-4087
gerry@syntron.UUCP (G. Roderick Singleton) (02/15/88)
In article <1019@sask.UUCP> ejw@sask.UUCP (Eric Woodsworth) writes: >A friend is planning to purchase a Francophone-capable word processing package >for his IBM-XT. Does anyone have any recommendations or experiences >with such beasts? > >Although others on this group may be interested in this topic, could you >at least mail any responses to the friend (rhk@pmbrc.bitnet)? Thanks. >-- >------- >Eric Woodsworth / Canadian Wildlife Service / Saskatoon / Canada > UUCP: pmbrc!ejw BITNET: WOODSWORTH@SASK Tel: (306)-975-4087 Nice of you to ask BUT according to a CBC TV news story, as a memeber of the Federal Public Service you are obliged to make these request via DSS. According to the story DSS is restricting your ability to get bilingual computers, software, et certera to it's list of approved vendors. In order to get its own way, DSS has even declared the Beaver computer which is manufactured by a band of Native Canadians, and the JANUS bilingual computer to be NON-Canadian and to have ZERO Canadian content. Since I personally own a JANUS which I know that it is wholly manufactured in Toronto, Ontario,Canada, I find the situation VERY curious. I can only speculate that DSS wants to eliminate ALL Canadian-owned companies from the bidders lists and leave only the biggies like IBM, OLIVETTI, et cetera as bonifide suppliers. What does this mean to you in your search for software? Exactly no where. I suggest you call either DSS directly and enquire there. If you are making the query for personal use, please email me. If anyone is looking for a bilingual computer of which there are at least 150 in the Ministry of External Affairs, who can no longer easily obtain new machines due the DSS interference, may I recommend the Micro/Access JANUS. You can get the machine and bilingual software, such as Ability, from Micro/Access 1425 Bayview Avenue Toronto, Ontario M4G 3A9 (416) 488-1799 (voice) (416) 463-9360 (24 hr BBS, 300,1200,2400) One more little dig. According to the report, one of the officials at DSS, guiding this program to deny Canadian businesses access to government, declared that since 90% of the country is English speaking there is NO need to service the remaining 10% and "Anyway who cares?". This same spokesman also specified that only those computer manufacturers capable of producing 2000 units per month need apply. I know of no company with a single assembly line that could produce that many except the biggies with their third-world production facilities. How sad the mandarins can reverse public policy to their own ends. Anyone else got horror stories? -- G. Roderick Singleton | "ALL animals are created equal, <gerry@syntron.uucp>, | BUT some animals are MORE equal or <gerry@geac.uucp>, | than others." a warning from or <gerry@eclectic.uucp> | "Animal Farm" by George Orwell
fortin@zap.UUCP (Denis Fortin) (02/16/88)
In article <1019@sask.UUCP> ejw@sask.UUCP (Eric Woodsworth) writes: >A friend is planning to purchase a Francophone-capable word processing package >for his IBM-XT. Does anyone have any recommendations or experiences >with such beasts? The simplest thing that you can get is PC-Write 2.7 (or later). It doesn't support a "Selectric-like" keyboard, but it does support French characters: the "`" key is redefined as the "accent" key so you type <letter> <`> <accent> and you get the character you want. *PLUS*, PC-Write is shareware (or Freeware?!?). It won't cost you a dime to get it. Of course, if you want something fancier, you can go for a more expensive word processor. I believe there exist versions of MS-WORD, WordPerfect, etc. for French. -- Denis Fortin | fortin@zap.UUCP CAE Electronics Ltd | philabs!micomvax!zap!fortin The opinions expressed above are my own | fortin%zap.uucp@uunet.uu.net