[comp.text.desktop] looking for good WYSIWYG doc processing under MS-Windows

jrg@apple.com (John R. Galloway) (05/03/88)

Having given up looking for good word processing that I can port to my
System V, X 10.4 systems, I am now moving that end of my work to MS-Windows
(i run both on the same system so its only quite disgusting rahter than fatally
so).  Now are there any good word processing systems that run under MS-Windows?
note that MS-Word does not count since it takes over the screen and does not
know anything about windows (and hence in my system it will see only the
standard mono board and not my Viking-1 hi res systems which has a windows
driver).  All suggestions welcome.  Word processing, Page Layout, or both.
thanks!
-- 
apple!jrg	John R. Galloway, Jr.       contract programmer, San Jose, Ca

These are my views, not Apple's, I just get my mail here.
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tensi@lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de (Thomas Tensi) (05/11/88)

Tiny WYSIWYG editors for WINDOWS were shown at the CEBIT in Hannover in March.
The ones I describe are simple editors without sophisticated layout
possibilities. 

The first one I saw was from Palantir Software (they did the Palantir Filer
Database program). I did't take that into further consideration, because it
obviously requires WINDOWS >=2.0. It can do editing in multiple windows and is
similar to MacWrite (formatting is done via rulers).

The one I liked most (and I also intend to buy) is ComfoText from Software
Products International (they did Open Access). It actually was developped by
SIEMENS but SPI distributes it.  It's also a MacWrite lookalike with the
possibility to do page previews, limited line graphics and of course vertical
integration of pictures (cut and paste). A spelling checker is built in (if my
memory serves me right you even can switch between languages (but you Americans
don't need that, do you? :-) ).  There is also some online help available (via
a special menu). I'm not sure if you can have double column output but I think
they at least planned to integrate that in future releases. (Price: 495DM that
is about $300).

For advanced layout (DTP) I think Pagemaker by Aldus is better suited, but let
someone else comment on that, as this is not my area.

Thomas Tensi, Institut fuer Informatik, Technische Univ. Muenchen,
Arcisstr. 21, 8000 Muenchen 2, West Germany
        | E-Mail:
        | tensi@lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de                (X.400)
        | tensi%lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de@relay.cs.net   (arpa/csnet)
        | tensi%lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de@unido.uucp     (uucp)
        | tensi%lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de@ddoinf6.bitnet (bitnet)

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tensi@lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de (Thomas Tensi) (05/14/88)

Tiny WYSIWYG editors for WINDOWS were shown at the CEBIT in Hannover in March.
The ones I describe are simple editors without sophisticated layout
possibilities.

The first one I saw was from Palantir Software (they did the Palantir Filer
Database program). I did't take that into further consideration, because it
obviously requires WINDOWS >=2.0. It can do editing in multiple windows and is
similar to MacWrite (formatting is done via rulers).

The one I liked most (and I also intend to buy) is ComfoText from Software
Products International (they did Open Access). It actually was developped by
SIEMENS but SPI distributes it.  It's also a MacWrite lookalike with the
possibility to do page previews, limited line graphics and of course vertical
integration of pictures (cut and paste). A spelling checker is built in (if my
memory serves me right you even can switch between languages (but you Americans
don't need that, do you? :-) ).  There is also some online help available (via
a special menu). I'm not sure if you can have double column output but I think
they at least planned to integrate that in future releases. (Price: 495DM that
is about $300).

For advanced layout (DTP) I think Pagemaker by Aldus is better suited, but let
someone else comment on that, as this is not my area.

Thomas Tensi, Institut fuer Informatik, Technische Univ. Muenchen,
Arcisstr. 21, 8000 Muenchen 2, West Germany
        ! E-Mail:
        ! tensi@lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de                (X.400)
        ! tensi%lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de@relay.cs.net   (arpa/csnet)
        ! tensi%lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de@unido.uucp     (uucp)
        ! tensi%lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de@ddoinf6.bitnet (bitnet)

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fleishman-glenn@cs.yale.edu (Glenn Fleishman) (05/16/88)

>For advanced layout (DTP) I think Pagemaker by Aldus is better suited, but let
>someone else comment on that, as this is not my area.

and found it full of bugs, slow, and difficult to use, but by far
the best IBM package. It actually _does_ do everything you want with
a lot of fuss. (I'm biased as well, since I was using a non-PostScript
printer).

However, I used PM3.0 on Windows 2.xx on an IBM 60M system the other
day and found it about 10 times as fast, easier to use, and with fixes
for all the problems I had found with it. It's comparable to the Mac
3.0 version as far as features go, and actually seems to be about 1/2
as good as the Mac version (as opposed to usually a .1 to .25
efficiency for publishing programs between the IBM and Mac). I like it.
I recommend it.

(Disc: Nothing to do with Aldus. I just use their programs.)

Glenn I. Fleishman, graphic designer & Mac apologist
FLEGLEI@YALEVM.BITNET or through r/Reply  
"Andy Warhol lives. I think. Maybe not."

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