jmpi@ur-tut.UUCP (09/30/87)
Since it is now financially feasable for all of us dirt-poor college stu-
dents to afford this (wonderful?) program, before we (I) fork out my $99,
perhaps someone out there in NetLand who already has this program (I know
you're there) could clue us in as to the strengths and weaknesses of the
software.
Several questions I would like answered include:
a) does it support Amiga fonts, and if so, does it print them in
a pleasing way (not like Notepad, more like PageSetter). This
will probably be the most important factor in my decision to buy
since I have need to use several of the alt-key characters for
my Old English Literature course.
b) does it support editting multiple documents? I assume it does,
but I've not heard definitely one way or another, and none of my
magazines has a review of WordPerfect.
c) printing in the background would be nice. Does WordPerfect do this?
d) can it be run in Interlace as well as MedRes? (not too important)
Being what it is, I am sure it does most everything I want, but I have detec-
ted some slight hints of displeasure from commenters on the Net, seemingly
about minor things, and I think a lot of us would appreciate a definitive re-
view of its major points and pitfalls.
John "Reality Is Optional" Pisello--University of Rochester Computing Center
///
ARPA: jmpi%UR-TUT@SEISMO.ARPA Another Proud ///
BITNet: jmpi_ss@UORDBV.BITNET Amiga User ///
UUCP: jmpi@UR-TUT.UUCP \\\///
US Mail: P.O. Box 28858 River Station Rochester, NY 14627 \\// hrlaser@pnet02.CTS.COM (Harv Laser) (10/04/87)
jmpi@ur-tut.UUCP (Spike) writes: >Since it is now financially feasable for all of us dirt-poor college stu- >dents to afford this (wonderful?) program, before we (I) fork out my $99, >perhaps someone out there in NetLand who already has this program (I know >you're there) could clue us in as to the strengths and weaknesses of the >software. >Several questions I would like answered include: > a) does it support Amiga fonts, and if so, does it print them in > a pleasing way (not like Notepad, more like PageSetter). This > will probably be the most important factor in my decision to buy > since I have need to use several of the alt-key characters for > my Old English Literature course. > b) does it support editting multiple documents? I assume it does, > but I've not heard definitely one way or another, and none of my > magazines has a review of WordPerfect. > c) printing in the background would be nice. Does WordPerfect do this? > d) can it be run in Interlace as well as MedRes? (not too important) >Being what it is, I am sure it does most everything I want, but I have detec- >ted some slight hints of displeasure from commenters on the Net, seemingly >about minor things, and I think a lot of us would appreciate a definitive re- >view of its major points and pitfalls. > > John "Reality Is Optional" Pisello--University of Rochester Computing Center > /// > ARPA: jmpi%UR-TUT@SEISMO.ARPA Another Proud /// > BITNet: jmpi_ss@UORDBV.BITNET Amiga User /// > UUCP: jmpi@UR-TUT.UUCP \\\/// > US Mail: P.O. Box 28858 River Station Rochester, NY 14627 \\// ------ a) Nope. No support for Amiga Fonts either onscreen or in printouts in the current WordPerfect. But don't think for a minute that plenty of people aren't banging on them for this capability, and WP Corp are no fools (nor slouches) when it comes to upgrading their products. comment - if you want to see how nicely Amiga fonts can be output, take a gander at VizaWrite from Progressive Peripherals and Software. Best Amiga Font output to a dot matrix printer that I've ever seen. Makes "Notepad" output look downright crude by comparison, however VWrite has nowhere near the sheer power of WordPerfect. b) Yes, you can edit many documents at once, each in its own window. I'm currently working on a review of WP (takes a lot of time to learn it in order to speak knowledgeably about it) which should be out in a couple months in a nat'l magazine c) Yes, it prints in the background. You can "queue" up documents to print, each with its own parameters, whilst you work on other documents and your printer merrily skritches away d) Probably, but I haven't tried yet. Harv Laser PeopleLink: CBM*HARV UUCP: {ihnp4!crash, hplabs!hp-sdd!crash}!gryphon!pnet02!hrlaser INET: hrlaser@pnet02.CTS.COM
cmcmanis%pepper@Sun.COM (Chuck McManis) (10/05/87)
[Sorry, no time to do a complete review] In article <160@ur-tut.UUCP> jmpi@ur-tut.UUCP (Spike) writes: > a) does it support Amiga fonts, and if so, does it print them in > a pleasing way (not like Notepad, more like PageSetter). This > will probably be the most important factor in my decision to buy > since I have need to use several of the alt-key characters for > my Old English Literature course. In a word, No. WordPerfect is a word processor not a desktop publishing system. It prints text in the font that your printer uses. Whatever that happens to be. I can reccomend it for writing papers and reports but don't think you will be pleased if multifonts are important. > b) does it support editting multiple documents? I assume it does, > but I've not heard definitely one way or another, and none of my > magazines has a review of WordPerfect. Yes, up the limit of memory (chip or otherwise). It just opens another window. > c) printing in the background would be nice. Does WordPerfect do this? Yes, it has a nifty little print spooler that handles this built in. > d) can it be run in Interlace as well as MedRes? (not too important) Yup, the window it opens is in interlace mode if the workbench is in interlace mode. >Being what it is, I am sure it does most everything I want, but I have detec- >ted some slight hints of displeasure from commenters on the Net, seemingly >about minor things, and I think a lot of us would appreciate a definitive re- >view of its major points and pitfalls. Basically, it is great for papers and documentation and such, indexes, tables of contents, you name it everything you ever wanted to put into a document but were afraid to ask. It does not do graphics (they claim mono bitmaps in 5.0) and it doesn't do things like big titles and such. I can easily reccommend it for papers or something, but if you want MacWrite clones try ProWrite or PageSetter Deluxe. --Chuck McManis uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis BIX: cmcmanis ARPAnet: cmcmanis@sun.com These opinions are my own and no one elses, but you knew that didn't you.
bryce@hoser.berkeley.edu (Bryce Nesbitt) (10/06/87)
In article <29949@sun.uucp> cmcmanis@sun.UUCP (Chuck McManis) writes: >> d) can it be run in Interlace as well as MedRes? (not too important) > >Yup, the window it opens is in interlace mode if the workbench is in interlace >mode. It even opens up to full overscan. I tried this at a dealer. With WP in 640*200 everything was fine. With WP on a 704*232 overscan screen it was bombing all over the place. Something is wrong here... >I can easily >reccommend it for papers or something, but if you want MacWrite clones >try ProWrite or PageSetter Deluxe. For a graphics word processor take a good look at VisaWrite. (Distributed by Progressive Periperals?). Nice. |\ /| . Ack! (NAK, ENQ, SYN) {o O} . (") bryce@hoser.berkeley.EDU -or- ucbvax!hoser!bryce U How can you go back if you have not yet gone forven
ruslan@ecsvax.UUCP (Robin C. LaPasha) (10/08/87)
The following is a long mini-review of Amiga WordPerfect. I own
it (and don't work for them;) I generally like it. On the other
hand, I paid $99 for it (student.) I haven't mentioned (or
tested) everything; it's a BIG program. I may have missed ways
of doing stuff. I just noticed some things about the program and
want to respond to requests for some info on it.
Obvious stuff:
1. It is not WYSIWYG. Print codes are hidden, and the printer
looks for basic text + codes. If your printer doesn't already
have it, you don't get it. [You find out the score with the
Printer test part of the installation.]
1a. You also have to adjust some stuff via menus, using
particular numerical settings at times (more below.)
2. No pictures, NO AMIGA graphics FONTS. There are boxes, and
overstrikes, though.
3. It is somewhat Amigized (menus, submenus, gadgets, mouse
support) but retains full keyboard control (if you can remember
how to do stuff:) hot/user-defined keys, function keys (with
overlays) and stick-on cursor caps for the number pad...
extensive.
3a. It's a really souped up word processor program (you can
get quite spoiled with it,) but there's a lot to learn, some of
it in the book and not onscreen; it's not for the faint of
fingers.
3b. It is obviously possible to forget this stuff if you
don't use it; it's not for occasional use.
Kudos:
1. Actually, the manual is pretty darn good (except for the
"learning" section; I always ignore them after 10 minutes
anyway.) It has an index, a sensible reference guide done
alphabetically (and a "split-page" affair to help distinguish
between instructions for mouse-clickers and key-tappers,) various
gory details in the appendix, and a hand-holding installation
chapter.
2. The files show page-line-position (and cap-lock status) in
the lower left corner. They also "behave" in the sense that
there are sizer and up/down scroll gadgets on the right side, and
front/back/close gadgets at the top. You can have as many files
around as you and your memory can stand (things eventually get
slooow.)
3. After my initial distress at not having rulers with "grab-em"
tabs and margins, WP's Format menu has grown on me; it's not
WYSIWYG but it's flexible and fairly mouse-able too. It's still
hard to remember what some of the menus and submenus mean, but
they're really powerful. [Examples: Tabs are accessible through a
"ruler" within a menu, Date gives you 10 different (clickable)
selections on the appearance of the date, while Left Indent just
"happens" at the cursor.]
4. (When it works...) It's nice to have a print job running in
the background (I believe it's a true task, though I'm not
positive,) and you can have 6 different printer definitions
hanging around. You can also define "fonts," "proportional
fonts," and "special characters" -- but this is totally
dependent on the printer's NON-Graphics stuff.
5. Some of the goodies on the Special menu are just fantastic.
You can have parallel columns (for a glossary) or newspaper-type
columns, macros that are defined by "watching" what you do, 13
options for footnotes, a whole screenful of merge submenus ...
besides the more mundane speller, thesaurus, etc..
Problems:
1. Bugs with the print control:
DO NOT USE "Stop Current Job" in the Print Control menu
[Re: call to WP 10/7/87; it's a known bug and they're working on
it] - use "Cancel Job" instead. Otherwise your printer will lock
up.
2. "Switch" under the Project menu.
With an open document, I pulled down "switch" after a block copy,
thinking that Switch was some sort of clipboard affair. After
looking at it for an instant, I decided it wasn't (it switches
you between open files,) and selected "Cancel" -- and gurued
immediately.
Switch will have troubles if there's no document to switch
to (even if you hit "cancel";) I got the impression that this bug
has been fixed (?).[Re: call to WP 10/7/87] I'll find out when I
get my update! [free because it's a bug fix.]
3. According to the manual (which I check on occasion) "Block" is
supposedly activated via the menu selection (or keystrokes) and
sets you up for a block operation. About half the time when I
click the mouse in the middle of some text, block suddenly is on.
If I click an extra time before I start typing, then block is
turned off, but it's much too "eager" a feature. [Re: call to WP
- it has since been "desensitized" - another bug fix.]
Nuisances:
1. Since the List Files option pulls up a nice directory of
files, with additional ways to the "parent" and files in
subdirectories (via "look",) it would be nice to be able to
double-click ("Blitz"-style) on a file or directory in List Files
and call it up (retrieve it, look at it, whatever applies)
instead of going aside and requesting it.
2. I wish that selected text would stay selected after I do
something to it. If I (for example) select a block, then select
"Underline", the area is underlined but immediately de-selected.
I have to do it all again if I want it to be italicized as well.
[Re: phone call to WP 10/7/87, you can "re-select" text by
setting block on, then hitting Ctrl-Home twice. Something
simpler is needed.] I would also like a "Plain/Normal text"
option in the style menu (rather than having to go remove all
those codes, search & replace or otherwise.)
3. The Spell feature has some definite drawbacks. Not the
Thesaurus - after figuring out where to put the cursor in/on the
word (at the beginning seems best; don't "select" the whole word)
it's gotten rather handy. No, but the speller doesn't tell you
ANYTHING unless you're wrong somewhere. I can't work by checking
the whole document; I do copious transcriptions of foreign
languages in my term papers. Checking such a document is
hopeless (I tried it once;) I usually need to know if a certain
WORD is misspelled in English. So I ask it to Spell Check a
Word. Nothing seems to happen. Eventually I find out that that
means it's okay. How unhelpful. I would also like to be able to
check a whole document EXCEPT selected blocks (of transliterated
gobbledy-gook.) In addition, I wish there was some way of
avoiding the creation of the file (sup.wp) that WP sets up "just
in case" you'll need to add to their spell files.
4. While an earlier version of WP (I tried at the dealer's) was
so uncouth that it gurued outright with a raw ("Entire Document")
Textcraft file, my own version chokes a bit and keeps asking me
to select hyphenation over and over again.
On the other hand: WP accepts "Text Only" files from Textcraft
rather nicely; it even preserves a fair bit of formatting.
Notepad files come out, well, pretty strange depending on what
fonts you were using. WP can also supposedly export text files
with or without formatting.
5. (Really picky, but:) I wish there was a Screen down
feature along with the Screen up; there is a Page up/down, but
that's a printed page (2-3 screens.) The cursor keys are as slow
as molasses for movement, and the up/down slider gadget isn't too
precise.
Conclusions:
I bought it, I like it - I can't imagine paying the going rate
for it, but I'm a poor student. For $99 (student rate,) you have
everything you could want in a _normal_ word processor - but you
don't get fonts or pictures. Rumor has it that a future release
may work toward these things (5.0 or something,) but - hey,
they're putting out WordPerfect for the Mac and Atari (?) now,
and updating the PC version, so it'll be a while (if ever.)
For fonts, I'm still using the Mac at school, because I can't get
Prowrite to print well enough (through Preferences) with my old
Gemini 10x, and the Gemini apparently isn't supported by
Vizawrite (they haven't returned my phone call either.) I am
"still waiting" too; when something can print my Cyrillic fonts
nicely and is easier to use than a desktop publisher, I'll fork
out some bucks for it. (Even if I have to eventually buy another
printer.) For everything else, I've imported my active files
into WordPerfect.
If you decide to get it (not on this alone, please!) make sure
you get or update to [free fixes] at least the 9/28 version
(listed on the help screen, top bar, right side.) [They said
9/28; perhaps they meant 9/27? I don't know.] My 8/10/87 version
isn't the infamous "beta" version, but (as I found out today) it
still has the bugs listed above.
Robin LaPasha ruslan@ecsvax.UUCP
Copyright (C) 1987 by L. Robin C. LaPasha
All Rights Reserved
[for my paranoid instincts]jdow@gryphon.CTS.COM (Joanne Dow) (10/08/87)
In article <4164@zen.berkeley.edu> bryce@hoser.berkeley.edu (Bryce Nesbitt) writes: >In article <29949@sun.uucp> cmcmanis@sun.UUCP (Chuck McManis) writes: >>> d) can it be run in Interlace as well as MedRes? (not too important) >> >>Yup, the window it opens is in interlace mode if the workbench is in interlace >>mode. > >It even opens up to full overscan. I tried this at a dealer. With WP >in 640*200 everything was fine. With WP on a 704*232 overscan screen >it was bombing all over the place. Something is wrong here... Ayup, that's not suprising. Just recently Mark found a pair of TAS instrux lurking in his code. And as we all know that kills Amiga's in hires... -- <@_@> BIX:jdow INTERNET:jdow@gryphon.CTS.COM UUCP:{akgua, hplabs!hp-sdd, sdcsvax, ihnp4, nosc}!crash!gryphon!jdow Remember - A bird in the hand often leaves a sticky deposit. Perhaps it was better you left it in the bush with the other one.