lj@ewj01.UUCP (Leonard Jacobs) (09/30/85)
Thanks for your help in compiling this survey. What follows is an
edited summary of my net research on usage of Writer's Workbench. Thanks
to those who helped. The initial questions on AT&T's Writer's Workbench
were first presented.
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1. Is anyone using Writer's Workbench from AT&T on a regular basis?
2. I would like to know how useful this software is and what types of
applications people are finding for it.
3. I am also interested in knowing what types of customized
standards people have established for WWB and whether there has been any
testing of modifying the lex files for analysis of other languages.
4. Has there been any porting to micros for general layperson testing?
5. Does anyone who does not now have WWB wish they could?
6. And as a corollary, is there anyone distributing binary as opposed to
source licenses for WWB?
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The Edited and abridged responses follow:
1.
We use it on one of our Masscomps.
[There must have been others who use WWB.]
2.
I find it useful in performing basic copy-editing work on
just about any memo that I issue that is longer than about 1-2
pages. I find that there are several words that I overuse or misuse
and these get caught by WWB. Although I am a good speller, I find
that spellwwb catches a few that I miss. spellwwb is far superior
to spell in that I can have a personal dictionary and the mistakes
come out multi-column.
I use WWB regularly to check spelling, punctuation, double words,
diction (poor phrases), and split infinitives. It seems to work
well for these things.
We are a (mostly) gov't suppported research lab, so we write
lots of grant proposals, journal articles and book chapters.
We routinely run everything through WWB and generally heed by
its suggestions. We also have a medical editor who looks things
over, and she and WWB usually agree.
We have writer's workbench and have been using it for almost a year.
We do not find it terribly useful. We have muse (wordmarc) software
for wordprocessing and send those files directly to wwb. We wrote a
filter to do it. Any other questions, just let me know.
3.
I am also interested in finding out about other customized
standards. I have considered setting one up for my father as he is
writing a rather highly technical book on nutrition. I don't
currently have an interest in analysis of other languages, but it
might be interesting to find out what's happening in that field.
We haven't changed much, except a few phrases common to our area
that WWB doesn't like. We also have edited the dictionary to add
a lot of our technical terms. Our resident UNIX guru has added a
filter to the front end of WWB so we can use a word-processing
program (MUSE) that our secretaries like. None of us use embedded
nroff commands. It seems to me (as a biophysicist, not a linguist)
that it would be a major re-programming job to adapt it to other
languages. However, as more multi-national companies start using
UNIX it may be worth their time to do it.
4.
How do you define micro? The AT&T 3B2 computer is a "super
micro" which runs with the WE 32000 (3B2/300) or WE 32100 (3B2/400)
32-bit microprocessor. WWB runs just fine on the 3B2.
wwb has been ported to a pc-ix, which is about as smalla unix as
you'll find. I only know it was done and was slow beyond belief.
5.
I do not now have WWB and I wish I could. 1 vote.
I wish there were a cheap version for large UNIX micros, like the
AT and 3B size beasts.
6.
UNIX Writer's Workbench Software is available in binary from
AT&T for the 3B2, 3B5, and 3B20 computers. Contact your
local AT&T Information Systems account rep. The software
is referenced in the AT&T Computer Software Guide on pp. 138,
170, and 273. Prices for the software start at $1700 (for the
3B2). The Software Guide is in many bookstores, or you can
order it directly from Reston Publishing (800-336-0338).
re binary: try VLS of Fremont, CA.
One new WWB product is available from AT&T-IS as of last week,
called the UNIX WRITER'S WORKBENCH Collegiate Edition Software.
This grew out of our collaboration with Colorado State University
(primarily Charles Smith and Kate Kiefer of the English Dept there).
They've been using WWB for more than three years for all freshman
English composition students. They tailored WWB to be used in a
writing lab for college composition classes--developed new standards
based on good freshman compositions, bundled many programs to be run
together in batch, and added a few new programs. The Collegiate Edition
Software can be purchased as part of a bundled package with an AT&T
3B2/300 computer, 10 AT&T 4410 terminals, an AT&T dot-matrix printer,
the UNIX V Operating System, an editor-formatter called etx (a non-hog),
a host of administrative programs (for setting up classes, etc), and the
modified WWB text analysis programs. The software is only available in
binary form for the 3B2/300 computer. Check with an AT&T Information
Systems account representative for prices on the bundled package and
individual items. The major beta test site (of the bundled package)
was at Glenbard West High School, 670 Crescent Blvd., Glen Ellyn, Ill. 60137.
Darlene Guerin, the computer lab administrator who was involved, the
teachers, and the students were all most enthusiastic about the project.
The district is buying the package for all their high schools.
If you'd like to find more WWB users (who might not read Usenet),
Kathleen (Kate) Kiefer of CSU is one of two editors for a newsletter
entitled "Computers and Composition," which sometimes carries articles
on uses of WWB at various schools. Her address is: Kate Kiefer,
Dept. of English, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523.
The WRITER'S WORKBENCH Collegiate Edition System will be publicly
announced at UNIX/EXPO in New York City, Sept. 18. There will
probably also be an announcement of another new WWB product at
that time, the Professional version which provides the editted output
in context in the source documents.
--
Len Jacobs
East West Journal
{harvard,seismo}!bbnccv!ewj01!lj