nagel@ics.uci.edu (Mark Nagel) (02/22/90)
After seeing the ad for Grammatik Mac 1.0 (GM from now on) in MacWorld earlier this month, I finally decided to order it to see what it was like. They claim they have a 30 day money-back guarantee, so I figured that if it reeks, I'll ship it back pronto (aside: MacConnection continues to amaze me; I ordered it late Monday evening, and it was here early today). The good news: it seems pretty nice for what is pretty much a first (maybe second if you count Word Tools) generation grammar/style proofreader that can read many formats including MacWrite, MacWrite II, Microsoft Word 3.0, Microsoft Word 4.0 (more on that later), WordPerfect, RTF, and Text. It doesn't run like lightning, but it runs at an acceptable speed for what it does. You can create a slew of preference files, each selecting different options. For example, there is a large list of classes of errors GM is capable of finding, such as Jargon, Double Word, Cliche, etc. As shipped, there are 5 sets of writing styles that each contain a subset of the grammar rule classes enabled or disabled: General, Business, Technical, Fiction, and Informal. You are free to enable/disable any of the grammar rules you wish to create your own individual style. You can go through the document in full interactive mode or in a batch mode. In interactive mode, GM stops at each potential error, shows the text and its context, and describes the error and possible solutions. It also provides access to online help on the particular suspected grammar problem, so you can basically jump into a grammar book to see if and how you should change the text. In batch mode, you can just check for errors, automatically fix errors, or just generate statistics. The statistics generated are based on word count, average sentence length, average syllable length, etc. They do give a general feel for the level of the document and tend to point to areas that need repair or modification. GM also provides a comparison chart, so you can compare your document to the Gettysburg Address, a Hemingway story, and an insurance form. You are free to change any of these yardsticks to one of your own documents. The bad news: GM crashed my Mac the first time I tried to use it. I eventually traced this down to a problem in the Microsoft Word 4.0 module (the word processor document readers come in separate modules, so you only need the ones you plan to use). If the MS Word 4.0 file is on the same volume as GM, fine. If it happens to be on a different volume, KABLOOIE!! I first noticed this when I tried to scan a file on a different SUM partition. I then tried to scan a file on a floppy and the same thing happened. This is not true for the MS Word 3.0 or Text modules. I have not tested any other modules since I don't have files in those formats. Obviously, crashing is not a good sign. I'm planning on calling their tech support tomorrow to see if a fix is forthcoming immediately. They may refuse to help me, since I haven't registered yet, but I don't plan to register if they don't fix it, since I'll just send it back for my $52 refund. Aside from the seriousness of this bug, functionally, GM has several problems, most of which I expected. Luckily you can turn off many of the rule classes that give trouble, like Gender Specific (this works too well, even when you really _mean_ he or him). However, given its price and database size, I didn't expect a full semantic processor :-). However, it does fail on some other phrases that it shouldn't. One that springs to mind is "I've overcome". GM complained that I didn't use the proper tense after "have". It clearly did not have "overcome" in a lookup table and the word did not match whatever template GM uses to determine verb tense. Overall, GM seems worth the money (except for the bomb, which lowers its worth to zero). For $52, I didn't expect the world. It does seem to catch a lot of common errors (I should probably run this article through it :-). It is configurable, has good online help, and a nice interface. The scan speed is slow enough that you wouldn't want to run it over anything but a final draft of anything more than 10 or so pages. Smaller than that and you might want to run it more frequently. That's about all I have to say on Grammatik Mac for now. If Reference Software fixes the nasty bug I described above, I'll let you all know (as well as how long it takes...). If I decide to keep it, I'll give a more detailed review after I've used it on some upcoming papers. -- Mark Nagel UC Irvine Department of ICS +----------------------------------------+ ARPA: nagel@ics.uci.edu | Charisma doesn't have jelly in the | UUCP: ucbvax!ucivax!nagel | middle. -- Jim Ignatowski |
norman@a.cs.okstate.edu (Norman Graham) (02/23/90)
I received my copy of Grammatik Mac yesterday. Right away, I cranked
it up and got an error 32002-408323 from it before I could do anything.
I tried to track the problem down, but had no success.
So I called technical support and got the "All tech support personel
are busy" bit. I opted to leave a message on their voice mail system
(which is _very_ nice by the way) but I never got a return call.
This morning I called again and got through to someone. It turns out
that Grammatik Mac 1.0 has a problem running with 32-bit quickdraw and
my machine has it in ROM so I'm stuck. "No problem" says the tech
support guy, "We have a new version that fixes the problem and we'll
mail you a copy today." Now either this tech support guy was green,
or Reference Software has a very liberal tech support policy.
Obviously, since I only received the program yesterday, I haven't
had the time to send in my registration card and I couldn't exactly
give proof-of-purchace over the phone.
In summary, kudos to Reference Software for being so cooperative.
N.B. You do need to provide a serial number to the tech support people.
(I don't want anyone to think they can just call, report the bug, and
collect a free program. :-)
Cheers,
Norm
--
Norman Graham Oklahoma State University
Internet: norman@a.cs.okstate.edu Computing and Information Sciences
BangPath: 219 Mathematical Sciences Building
{cbosgd,rutgers}!okstate!norman Stillwater, OK USA 74078-0599nagel@ics.uci.edu (Mark Nagel) (02/24/90)
norman@a.cs.okstate.edu (Norman Graham) writes: >This morning I called again and got through to someone. It turns out >that Grammatik Mac 1.0 has a problem running with 32-bit quickdraw and >my machine has it in ROM so I'm stuck. "No problem" says the tech >support guy, "We have a new version that fixes the problem and we'll >mail you a copy today." Now either this tech support guy was green, >or Reference Software has a very liberal tech support policy. >Obviously, since I only received the program yesterday, I haven't >had the time to send in my registration card and I couldn't exactly >give proof-of-purchace over the phone. >In summary, kudos to Reference Software for being so cooperative. I found them cooperative myself considering that I too had not yet registered, but they were not nearly so responsive. I called yesterday about the MS Word 4.0 crashing behavior, and the woman I spoke with went through all the steps to make sure I really knew what I was talking about and finally concluded that I did and there was a bug. Time frame until a fix is available? About 2 months, maybe more. Sigh. I suppose I've been spoiled by all the net.authors out there that write free software and update it immediately upon notification of a fatal bug. I was told to use one of several workarounds, all of which are a hassle compared to simply opening a document. Oh well, I'm impressed enough with the product that I'll give them a chance. Of course, by the time they fix this bug, my 30 day money-back guarantee will have expired... -- Mark Nagel UC Irvine Department of ICS +----------------------------------------+ ARPA: nagel@ics.uci.edu | Six plus six equals fourteen for large | UUCP: ucbvax!ucivax!nagel | values of six -- Dave Ackerman |