rowley@ORVILLE.NAS.NASA.GOV (Karl Rowley) (02/08/88)
I saw Microsoft Word for sale yesterday at HT Electronics in Sunnyvale. The advantages of the program are that it seems to be a decent word-processor, it can use multiple fonts, and it produces output with GEM metafiles. However it does not include a spelling checker. The package comes with GDOS, and a device driver and fonts for the Atari dot matrix printer. Included is a set-up program for GDOS. It appeared that Epson-compatible and 24 pin printers are not supported for output of GEM metafiles in this package. They were using device drivers and fonts from Easydraw on an FX-80 compatible in the store, and the output looked good. The GDOS document and utility programs look good. Atari should consider selling the GDOS programs and documents separately from the Microsoft Word package. At the store they had a copy of a utility program that could convert Mac and Amiga fonts to GDOS fonts. Karl Rowley ...ucbvax!ames!orville.nas.nasa.gov!rowley rowley@orville.nas.nasa.gov "Any opinions expressed are my own."
poole@forty2.UUCP (Simon Poole) (02/19/88)
In article <8802072043.AA15363@orville.nas.nasa.gov> rowley@ORVILLE.NAS.NASA.GOV (Karl Rowley) writes: ............ > >The package comes with GDOS, and a device driver and fonts for the Atari >dot matrix printer. Included is a set-up program for GDOS. It appeared .............. >The GDOS document and utility programs look good. Atari should consider >selling the GDOS programs and documents separately from the Microsoft Word >package. > Fat chance of that happening, over the period of the last two years Atari has simply refused to make GDOS available as a seperate product, delibertley crippling the ST as a result. As far as I know the only way to get a copy without buying a software package is to buy an Atari laser printer :-/. Simon Poole Bitnet: K538915@CZHRZU1A UUCP: ...mcvax!cernvax!forty2!poole
rjung@castor.usc.edu (Robert Jung) (02/22/88)
(A divergent tangent, but bear with me, please) In article <148@forty2.UUCP> poole@forty2.UUCP (Simon Poole) writes: >In article <8802072043.AA15363@orville.nas.nasa.gov> rowley@ORVILLE.NAS.NASA.GOV (Karl Rowley) writes: >............ >>The package comes with GDOS, and a device driver and fonts for the Atari >>dot matrix printer. Included is a set-up program for GDOS. It appeared >.............. Waitaminute! What if you don't *have* an atari dot-matrix printer? In my case, for example, I've got a Panasonic KX-P1091 (Epson FX compatable [I think, somebody lemme know if I'm wrong])...Does this mean that if I get Microsoft Word for the ST, I *CAN'T* use the graphics printing/custom fonts on my setup? Maybe I'm stupid, but why doesn't Atari include GDOS drivers for other printers in the package, then? On the other foot, if I've read the above quote wrong, will somebody correct me? Thanks a bunch, --R.J. B-) P.S. 1st Word is great, but if I can get MW to work (and get all them nifty fonts and tricks, too), then I'll buy it...
lharris@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu (Leonard Harris) (02/22/88)
I got a look at Microsoft word the other day. Its a really nice program - a bit slow though. The one thing that pissed me off was that you need an atari laser printer to print fonts. Why is this? Why not provide a set of dot matrix fonts (as on the mac) so people with cheap printers can get good looking output. The lack of non-laser fonts cripples this program and makes probably the best word-processor for the ST - almost useless! (Yes - I know there is a metafile to postscript converter but if I had a postscript printer I wouldn't be compaining) /Leonard
Thomas_E_Zerucha@cup.portal.com (02/24/88)
I have a Panasonic KX-P1080, and it does really nice printing of documents from EasyDraw using it's capabilities since it uses Epson compatible graphics. Since the 1090 should be similar, it still should work - anythign that has epson compatible graphics since that is what GDOS uses.