janssen@titan.sw.mcc.com (Bill Janssen) (10/25/88)
I'd be grateful if *someone who really knows* would describe the WriteNow WP. Is it emacsey? WordStar-like? FrameMaker or PageMaker-like? Similarly, does NextStep support fuzzy fonts as a standard thing? This is probably only answerable by someone from Adobe or Next, I guess. Bill
rang@cpsin3.cps.msu.edu (Anton Rang) (10/25/88)
WriteNow has been available on the Macintosh for a year or two (or maybe more). I presume that the version on the NeXT will be similar. Its approach is basically like most "basic" Mac word processors (say, MacWrite)--direct control of the text by the user (no control codes, for instance). It supports multiple columns and automatic footnoting, but doesn't have "fancy features" like text wrapped around arbitrary graphic objects. There's a version 2 (which I haven't gotten yet) which is supposed to add mail merge. Oh yes, there's a built-in spelling checker; forgot that. I don't know how different the NeXT version will be from the Mac version, though. Oh yes...I have no connection with NeXT, or with T/Maker (who markets WriteNow for Macintosh). +---------------------------+------------------------+----------------------+ | Anton Rang (grad student) | "UNIX: Just Say No!" | "Do worry...be SAD!" | | Michigan State University | rang@cpswh.cps.msu.edu | | +---------------------------+------------------------+----------------------+
matthews@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Jim Matthews) (10/25/88)
In article <1439@titan.> janssen@titan.sw.mcc.com (Bill Janssen) writes: >I'd be grateful if *someone who really knows* would describe the >WriteNow WP. Is it emacsey? WordStar-like? FrameMaker or PageMaker-like? > WriteNow on the NeXT machine is apparently a port of their Mac version. That version is a well-done, WYSIWYG Mac word processor. It is not programmable and (like most Mac programs) it relies heavily on the mouse. It does not have extensive desktop publishing features (by the standards of the Mac market, anyway) but it does do on-screen columns. I guess I'd describe it as a souped-up MacWrite. The most interesting thing about WriteNow may be the way it was written. I heard that the authors implemented parts of the Mac Toolbox in NextStep primitives, and were able to leave much of the Mac code alone. If that's true, porting from the Mac might not be too tough. >Similarly, does NextStep support fuzzy fonts as a standard thing? This >is probably only answerable by someone from Adobe or Next, I guess. > Judging from the glossy screen-shots distributed at the intro, they do not use anti-aliasing to improve font display. They do use the greys to make icons, buttons, etc. more visually appealing, but the fonts looked as bad as Apple's bitmap versions of PostScript fonts. They looked significantly worse (i.e. more jagged) than the bitmap fonts that originally came with the Mac -- not surprising, since those were designed with the screen resolution in mind. Jim Matthews Dartmouth Software Development
cramer@optilink.UUCP (Clayton Cramer) (10/27/88)
In article <1439@titan.>, janssen@titan.sw.mcc.com (Bill Janssen) writes: > I'd be grateful if *someone who really knows* would describe the > WriteNow WP. Is it emacsey? WordStar-like? FrameMaker or PageMaker-like? > > Similarly, does NextStep support fuzzy fonts as a standard thing? This > is probably only answerable by someone from Adobe or Next, I guess. > > Bill If it does support "fuzzy fonts", I would get your printer fixed. :-) What is a "fuzzy font"? I thought I kept up to date in the wonderful world of PostScript... -- Clayton E. Cramer ..!ames!pyramid!kontron!optilin!cramer
devin@topologix.topologix.com (Devin Hooker) (10/27/88)
In article <937@cps3xx.UUCP> rang@cpswh.cps.msu.edu (Anton Rang) writes:
<
< WriteNow has been available on the Macintosh for a year or two (or
<maybe more).
Just as a clarification: WriteNow has been available for the Mac
almost since it came out. It is, I believe, the ONLY WP which will run on
ANY Mac, from a 128K to a MacII. Oh, yes, I have no connections with T/Maker
either.
<+---------------------------+------------------------+----------------------+
<| Anton Rang (grad student) | "UNIX: Just Say No!" | "Do worry...be SAD!" |
<| Michigan State University | rang@cpswh.cps.msu.edu | |
<+---------------------------+------------------------+----------------------+
-Devin
What, Me? Connections? Expressing other peoples opinions? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
--
Devin Hooker
Software Engineer
4860 Ward Rd.
Denver, Co. 80033 (303) 421-7700NETOPRHM@NCSUVM.BITNET (Hal Meeks) (10/28/88)
It has been around for about 3 years now for the Mac. I have 1.0, which is slightly wierd at times but otherwise quite nice. It is sort of a cross between MacWrite and Word in functionality. The latest version sounds really good. While it's sold by T/Maker, it was licensed from NeXT, so I guess you could think of it as their first product. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hal Meeks "Don't you wonder sometimes, netoprhm@ncsuvm.bitnet about sound and vision?" hgm@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu --David Bowie