jacka@hpiag0.IAG.HP.COM (Jack C. Armstrong) (12/15/89)
Those of you using Interleaf, or considering it, might be interested in another product from Interleaf - PCEditor (or PCE). PCE runs on a 286 or better MS-DOS PC with at least 640K, and allows PC users to create and edit the contents of an Interleaf structured document. Period. I.e., do not, as I did, get the idea that it might be used as a general purpose PC based word processor in addition to working with Interleaf documents. I have only had a few day's experience with PCE, and remember through all thiss that I am by no means experienced in Interleaf workstation software. PCE can be used to create and edit flat ASCII files, but there are a number of other packages which probably are preferable if that's the only application. What PCE does well is allow users to use available PCs to create and edit Interleaf documents, then ship (via the LAN of your choice) to an Interleaf workstation running TPS. There, with the full power of TPS, you can add graphics, etc. PCE accepts Interleaf files in the 'fast' i.e., binary format they are normally saved in, and users are protected from accidentally damaging the Interleaf 'structure' information, including the master definition and property sheets. In PCE, this information may be viewed, but is read-only. Likewise, frames which in TPS include illustrations, will appear in PCE as markup statements. Any microdocument included in the same frame may be edited, but you cannot create or cut them in PCE. The screen layout looks 'sort of' like a document window in TPS, with a component bar, etc. PCE does not sincerely believe in anything resembling a mouse, but instead does everything with cursor keys. Reasonable use is made of the function keys, and cascading menus look familiar. One major drawback is the complete lack of any formatted output facility. PCE has a print command, but simply prints the unformatted text and markup lines. (Anyone volunteer to gin up an Interleaf->Postcript or PCL converter that will run on a PC?) Actually, I suppose this could be done, the PC version of HPTag converts to DVI and may be output by TeX, and there is even a DVI screen previewer that looks sort of reasonable in VGA. Bottom line is, PCE is an excellent tool for technical editors or anyone else who wants to bang in or edit text for Interleaf TPS documents on a small cheap PC. Just don't expect to preview or generate hardcopy of layout, fonts, or illustrations. I can see a place for it here in IAG, to utilize our secretaries to enter and correct text, and for some of us to be able to edit working documents on PCs at home. It's a niche, not nirvana.