frg@jfcl.dec.com (Fred R. Goldstein) (11/12/88)
I am looking for a good word processing program for the ST. It must be reasonably easy for a non-technical person to use it, and it has to support the usual features: Text attributes (underscore, italics, bold) Footnotes Automatic pagination with manual hard-page override Adjustable page numbering (for long documents) Mixed single and double spacing within documents Support for Draft and NLQ modes of printing WYSIWYG or at least no Runoff-style coding I don't know whether or not 1ST_Word Plus does it all: THe 1ST_WORD V1.06 that came with my 1040STf two years ago had lots of bugs, didn't know from footnotes, and screwed up double spacing (but at least had it, unlike 1.03). Now I found one program which SEEMED to have it all. Word Perfect For the Atari ST, V4.1. This is a very impressive package, with LOTS of slick features. Sadly, the implementation is not up to the quality of WordPerfect's PC products. The nastiest part of WP-Atari is that it has an undocument file size limit in the 60k range. If the file gets much longer, it might not save, and it pretends to, so it loses your work! They're working on it, maybe, but recommend only doing small files. Great. It once even deleted my original pre-session file: If it weren't for DLII, we'd have been serious goners (doing a thesis-class paper). THANKS, SIMON, FOR SAVING OUR LIVES! (Simon Poole is the Peter Norton of the ST world, and for free no less!) Besides that, the overall implementation on the Atari is sloppy. It occasionally goes nuts and gets stuck in a 1%-speed mode with block stuck on; if you can save/exit you're okay after restarting. The printer table for the April 15 version (which they mailed me in Sept. from the factory) is wrong for the Panasonic 1080i, and fixed in the 8/1 edition which they sent me last week, but the font table which was good is now wrong, and I failed trying to make a working printer file using elements of each... Weird.) And the spell check did a nasty 10-bomb on me once, using the new (8/1) version. The tech support guys asked me to figure out the pattern of why it happens. Great. I suppose the AtariST market is too small for WordPerfect Corp. to devote the effort to needed to support it right. So I'm thinking of trying yet another word proc. program. They do at least answer the phone (if you wait long enough); they just don't seem to understand the ST well enough to make it play. Sad -- we're so close yet so far away. Any suggestions? -- These views are strictly the author's, and don't represent those of DEC, NaC, CIA, FBI, KGB, AT&T, MCI, SOS, CBS, JFK or anyone else.
jafischer@spurge.waterloo.edu (Jonathan A. Fischer) (11/14/88)
Speaking of Word Perfect, what happened to the Canadian phone number? Last time I called the 1-800 number, I got an operator giving me a new number to call, which turned out to be someone else entirely. Can someone give me a number to call to get the latest version? -- -Jonathan Fischer Mr. Walkman
Dave_Ninjajr_Flory@cup.portal.com (11/14/88)
I almost hate to say it, since I have seen so many people knock it, but I have used almost everything from ST Writer, thru' Regent Word, First Word, Hippo xxxx, Word Up, Tempus, Word Perfect, and Microsoft Write, and when I want to do a fast letter or memo I use First Word Plus, for professional stuff where I want excellent proportionally spaced type, with the use of the glossary to built text from boilerplate components, i.e. legal stuff with special formats, I use Microsoft Write. The more I use it and get really intimate with it's features, the more I like it. With G+Plus instead of GDOS and an SLM804 it produces truly professional copy, and quickly too. The only lasting beef I have with it is the fact that every once in a while it boots up with a one column page width and I have to reset the margin definitions when I start up. It does multiple columnns with right justification and all that kind of bells and whistles stuff. A very underrated program in my mind. The lack of an integrated spell checker may bother some, but I've stopped relying on those since I discovered how often typos aren't caught by them, since they constitute a real word (i.e. thin, then, than, this, his, hen, etc.) When I have a real long doc to proof I save it as ASCII run it thru word perfect's spell check, by far the best spell checker I ever saw and then print it thru. MSW.
rjung@sal15.usc.edu (Robert allen Jung) (11/15/88)
In article <11286@cup.portal.com> Dave_Ninjajr_Flory@cup.portal.com writes: >... for professional stuff where >I want excellent proportionally spaced type, with the use of the glossary to >built text from boilerplate components, i.e. legal stuff with special formats, >I use Microsoft Write. The more I use it and get really intimate with it's >features, the more I like it. With G+Plus instead of GDOS and an SLM804 it >produces truly professional copy, and quickly too. ... >... an underrated program in my mind. Not to start any wars or anything, but I think a major part of people's grief with Microsoft Write for the ST is that it was _way_ below all of our expectations. It's an okay bare-bones (not too many bells and whistles) WP, but for $140, it's preposterous. It does have (in my opinion) one advantage over all the other WP's out there, and that is the use of GDOS' multiple fonts. In fact, it was my utter disgust with M.Write that led me to WORDUP, by NeoCept. Contains almost everything M.Write has, with even MORE features (graphics merging, glossary, true WYSIWYG, etc.) -- and the stunning price of $80. You really should try it sometime; The potential equvalent of MacWrite on the ST. Does anyone know when the next upgrade for WordUp is coming out? The guys at NeoCept told me (at the Glendale Atari Faire, in September) that it would be out "in two weeks". But now it's November, and nothing. Does anybody have any news? --R.J. B-) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer: These are my views, and mine alone. # ## # Mailing address: Beats me, just reply to this message # ## # (rjung@nunki.usc.edu?) ## ## ## #### ## ####
rona@hpdml93.HP.COM (ron abramson) (11/16/88)
I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I've been sitting on the sidelines waiting for a really good word processor for a long time. I'm an occasional writer and I really like the ease of use of First Word. In fact, with just a few more features, First Word would probably fill the bill for someone like me. The additional features I could use are: 1. A good spell checker. 2. Dual column printing. 3. Readability index function. Does First Word Plus have any of these features? Are there secondary spell checkers that can also measure the readability index? Is Word Perfect debugged enough to be worth the money and effort?
frg@jfcl.dec.com (Fred R. Goldstein) (11/16/88)
I haven't used Microsoft Write. If its main features are right
justification, proportional spacing and laser support, then it's
not for me, as I HATE right justified type except if it's serious
laser typeset quality, and I use a cheap Panasonic printer at home
(where this is for). But does it have the word processing features?
Footnotes? Italics (on a matrix printer that supports them)?
Maybe I should try to get a demo at the local computer store...
fredrona@hpdml93.HP.COM (ron abramson) (11/17/88)
Does WordUp have automatic headers, footers, page-numbering, auto-indent and a spell checker? Is there a utility to convert my First Word files to WordUp format? Is it missing anything that you would like to see? It sounds like an excellent product for $80, thanks for the tip. Ron Abramson
rjung@nunki.usc.edu (Robert allen Jung) (11/18/88)
In article <480003@hpdml93.HP.COM> rona@hpdml93.HP.COM (ron abramson) writes: > [In reply to my earlier praise of WordUp!] > Does WordUp have automatic headers, footers, page-numbering, > auto-indent and a spell checker? Is there a utility to convert > my First Word files to WordUp format? I don't know what an "automatic" header/footnote is, but there are nice provisions for both, as well as page-numbering. There's also master pages, which are pages of text/graphics you can have printed on every odd/even/all pages, which is something no other WP I've seen so far offer. No auto-indent, but I don't find the tab key to be a menace. No spelling checker either (though their ads hint at a possible future upgrade?), but I can use it in conjunction with Thunder! (accessory) with no ill effects. You can also merge in ASCII text files, and cut-n-paste between windows. > Is it missing anything that you would like to see? Not a whole lot. The current incarnation is about 90% perfection (I'm still waiting for the next upgrade, which looks to be a REAL blockbuster), but the current setup suits my (somewhat light) needs just fine. > It sounds like an excellent product for $80, thanks for the > tip. Just a fair tip: You really ought to have at least a megabyte to use this program effectively, especially if you want to use more GDOS fonts than it comes standard with (WordUp! comes with Epson 9-pin GDOS fonts for Serif, Sans serif, and "typewriter" fonts; You'll have to send in your font disk with a note to get appropros fonts for other printers). With a megabyte or more, you can easily fit in the included fonts, and the Thunder spelling checker, and several more goodies without straining things too much. Despite how much I praise this program, it will *not* conquer a $300 WordPerfect with no effort. I am not a professional writer by any means; What may be fine for me might be totally inappropriate for you. However, for only $80, and with those beautiful GDOS fonts and the ability to load in DEGAS/Neo/.IMG pictures into your documents, and the speed (100% 68000 assembly, no compiled code), and the documentation/design, it's _beautiful_... --R.J. B-) P.S. I have no affiliation with NeoCept except as an extremely happy customer (now where is the next upgrade??? B-) P.P.S. As a demonstration of the program's ability, look at its instruction manual. All 200-so pages written with WordUp and an Atari Laser printer. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer: These are my views, and mine alone. # ## # Mailing address: Beats me, just reply to this message # ## # (rjung@nunki.usc.edu?) ## ## ## #### ## ####
sl148033@silver.bacs.indiana.edu (Kevin_Clendenien) (11/21/88)
[In article <480002@hpdml93.HP.COM> rona@hpdml93.HP.COM (ron abramson) writes:] =>In fact, with just a few more =>features, First Word would probably fill the bill =>for someone like me. The additional features I could =>use are: => 1. A good spell checker. => 2. Dual column printing. => 3. Readability index function. =>Are there secondary spell checkers that can also =>measure the readability index? Yes, Thunder! (originally by Batteries Included, but I think they were bought out.) You not only get a spelling checker that you can set up as a desk accessory, or a stand alone spelling checker, but you also get two readability indexes. And yes, I do use Thunder! with 1st Word. It does make 1st Word a much nicer word processor.
rona@hpdml93.HP.COM (ron abramson) (11/24/88)
Thank you Robert and Kevin! I've ordered Thunder! and the latest version of WordUp. In case anyone else is interested WordUp costs $49 at a couple of mail order houses. I figured that I couldn't go wrong at that price. Anyway, thanks again for your advice! Ron Abramson