kadickey@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Kent Andrew Dickey) (11/02/90)
I just picked up my $99 upgrade to Appleworks GS yesterday, and I kinda like it. It's actually faster than I expected it to be. I like it. However, in 1 day I found it doesn't do what I hoped it to do (which is to be roughly the equivalent of WriteNow in the wordprocessor module...well, not exactly, but at least have some of the features...and it's so damn close as to make that wish very frustrating). Here are my main problems (and I think #2 and #3 are outright bugs): 1) There is still no Footnote support. Does Beagle Bros. sell anything that helps in this area (with AWGS...)? 2) If you use super/sub-scripts on a line, that line is *ALWAYS* spaced an extra distance from lines around it, no matter what you do. Makes papers involving chemistry formulas (CO2, H2O, etc) look VERY unnappealing. Even in page-layout mode, it only lets you reformat by PARAGRAPH, so I'd have to reformat the document into separate paragraphs for each line to get it to look like I'd want...sigh. 3) You can only print to Laserwriters in a font size of which you have a bit-mapped font installed in your system folder. For example, I found I need to try to print something in Times 13 (Times 12 was too small, Times 14 too big, and those were the two closest sizes I have in my system folder), and it came out as Times 14 on the printer (I can verify this by actually printing Times 13 from a Mac). 4) You should be able to set variable line spacing in the wordprocessor (just like it already does in the page-layout module). A line spacing of 21 points looks fairly nice on a 12 point font. AWGS wordprocessor won't do this (but will if you import to Page-Layout...but there I have a new problem:) 5) Page-Layout when it imports wordprocessor files loses the margin setting commands. Makes nice indented lists nearly impossible (can you say resume?). 6) Oh yeah, you can't type (at least as far as I can tell) the extra characters of a font in directly in any module (for example, bullets for lists again). I created a text file from ML containing all chars from $80-$FF, imported that to the wordprocessor, and used Cut and Paste to get bullets and other funny characters (cents, etc.). It's most annoying since the option key doesn't seem to be used for anything, so it should be used to get the extra characters. Why do I mention all this (since I'm sure that others brought up the same points, and others, back when v1.0 and v1.1 first came out)? I was just wondering what work-arounds people have found for these, and what Claris might have in mind for new revisions (if any at all). As for Rastan, EVERYBODY BUY THIS GAME! It's absolutely amazing. Even if you don't own a GS, *BUY IT*. $22 from Programs Plus, and I got it the next day. Well worth supporting the Apple // series any way possible. Plus, John Brooks must need the money (I can't imagine him making all that much $$$ from writing //gs games). Buying Xenocide almost goes without saying since we've all ordered it by now, right? As for the mini-assembler, it was present in the Apple II, removed in the II+ and unenhanced IIe, and then brought back again in every Apple // since. In the II+ and unenhanced IIe, you could use the miniassembler by booting DOS 3.3, and installing integer basic. Kinda defeats the purpose of it, though. One last comment (I like to put all my comments in one post, so that those who have me in their kill file only have to kill one message at a time...): People have to keep perspective of exactly who here on the net is using Apple // computers. I see the group splitting nicely in 2 (posting-wise, at least. Lurkers throw off any statistics). Group #1: Professional computer users who use workstations regularly. They like their GS (or don't like it) at home, but don't expect workstation performance out of it. Would like to definitely use what powers the GS has to its full potential, and wish there was more software for it. A new //gs from Apple seems pointless since it would create more incompatibilites. Group #2: College students. They see what the Mac and the Amiga and ______ could do, and say "Hey, I'd like my //gs to do that too!" And they think anything their computer isn't currently doing needs to be fixed since being on the cutting edge is important. My opinion? Well, briefly: Apple, if it ever improves the GS at all, should only speed it up. 7-8MHz sounds reasonable. And patch the on-board ROMS so fewer tools need to be loaded. Change nothing else. (Unless that change could *ADD* a feature while providing COMPLETE compatibility with existing programs...as in, if 640x400 resolution is provided, make sure any program not expecting it still works OK. Actually, I'd like to suggest that if 640x400 res is provided, provide at least 2 display screens! Even if full compatibility is guaranteed, I'm still not sure of it being a very good idea). The reasons for very little to change should be obvious to anyone who stops to think about it... As for more software--well, by purchasing software you like, and writing on those registration cards that you want more, you send a clearer message to publishers than you might expect. Just look at Morgan Davis looking to patch up II+'s so that more people can run his software (I can't expect more than a dozen people have asked for it...). Or write some code yourself (I'm trying to write what I can when I get time, but I never seem to have anough. I'm about half-way finished with a really fast //gs assembler, but I need OMF docs or something first to make it really useable. If ever finished, it will be freeware. I also have a barely useable (as in, you type: 2023:60 N 2000G to run it [60 is for slot 6]) 5.25" nibble-copier written too...if someone would like to add a user-interface to it, you're welcome to all my code. It actually is more than a nibble copier--it 'packs' a nibble version of a disk to a bunch of files, and can unpack it similarly. It was meant to make II users with lots of RAM but only one drive able to make faster copies). I really don't want to see another post bitching about Apple support. Or, if you feel the need to bitch, include the keywords "BITCH BITCH BITCH" so that we can all kill it, ok? Kent Dickey kadickey@phoenix.Princeton.EDU
JWANKERL%UTCVM@PUCC.PRINCETON.EDU ("Josef W. Wankerl") (11/02/90)
On Fri, 2 Nov 90 09:03:48 GMT Kent Andrew Dickey said: >I just picked up my $99 upgrade to Appleworks GS yesterday, and I kinda >like it. It's actually faster than I expected it to be. I like it. > >6) Oh yeah, you can't type (at least as far as I can tell) the extra >characters of a font in directly in any module (for example, bullets for >lists again). I created a text file from ML containing all chars from >$80-$FF, imported that to the wordprocessor, and used Cut and Paste to >get bullets and other funny characters (cents, etc.). It's most >annoying since the option key doesn't seem to be used for anything, so it >should be used to get the extra characters. Well... the option key *is* used for this purpose! Be sure to have your control panel setting (the NDA control panel - CDev Alphabet) for translation to STANDARD, not none. > Kent Dickey >kadickey@phoenix.Princeton.EDU -- ===> Josef W. Wankerl, college student | "I am a Viking" -Y. Malmsteen ProLine: jwankerl@pro-gsplus | BITNET: JWANKERL@UTCVM InterNet: jwankerl@pro-gsplus.cts.com | UUCP: ...crash!pro-gsplus!jwankerl ARPA/DDN: ...crash!pro-gsplus!jwankerl@nosc.mil | I'm employed by EGO, GS+!
taob@pnet91.cts.com (Brian Tao) (11/03/90)
Whoops... should have changed the Subject line... I'm just going to comment on your AWGS problems (I think the others have been discussed enough here). > 1) There is still no Footnote support. Does Beagle Bros. sell anything > that helps in this area (with AWGS...)? There aren't any Beagle enhancements for AppleWorks GS. The beauty of AppleWorks is its profusion of hooks and entry points into the program. Writing similar patches for AWGS would be much more difiicult, I would imagine. I wonder if Claris will re-write AWGS to support entry points, and publish them so others can program TimeOut-like enhancements. > 2) If you use super/sub-scripts on a line, that line is *ALWAYS* spaced > an extra distance from lines around it, no matter what you do. Makes > papers involving chemistry formulas (CO2, H2O, etc) look VERY > unnappealing. Even in page-layout mode, it only lets you reformat by > PARAGRAPH, so I'd have to reformat the document into separate paragraphs > for each line to get it to look like I'd want...sigh. Yes, that extra little gap between lines sure is distracting! I use Palatino 12-point in my papers and essays. If I have to insert a subscript or superscript, I decrease the point size down to 7 or 9 point. It looks a lot nicer that way, and if you use 7-point, the super/subscript doesn't poke out enough to mess up the spacing. Just make sure you have the 14- or 18-point version in your Fonts folder so it will be readable when you print it out at Best Quality on an ImageWriter. > 3) You can only print to Laserwriters in a font size of which you have > a bit-mapped font installed in your system folder. For example, I found > I need to try to print something in Times 13 (Times 12 was too small, > Times 14 too big, and those were the two closest sizes I have in my > system folder), and it came out as Times 14 on the printer (I can verify > this by actually printing Times 13 from a Mac). Hmmm.... I never heard of that problem before. I can't get a LaserWriter hooked up to my GS, so I print the AWGS document out to a PostScript file and I use Mac to download it to the LaserWriter. No problems with irregular point sizes using that method. > 4) You should be able to set variable line spacing in the wordprocessor > (just like it already does in the page-layout module). A line spacing > of 21 points looks fairly nice on a 12 point font. AWGS wordprocessor > won't do this (but will if you import to Page-Layout...but there I have > a new problem:) Perhaps in AWGS 2.0... :) > 5) Page-Layout when it imports wordprocessor files loses the margin > setting commands. Makes nice indented lists nearly impossible (can you > say resume?). That's another annoying caveat... you have to make a seperate text box in the PL window for the indented text. If GraphicWriter III was faster and a little cleaner (and could import AWGS files), I would immediately drop AWGS for desktop-publishing. > 6) Oh yeah, you can't type (at least as far as I can tell) the extra > characters of a font in directly in any module (for example, bullets for > lists again). I created a text file from ML containing all chars from > $80-$FF, imported that to the wordprocessor, and used Cut and Paste to > get bullets and other funny characters (cents, etc.). It's most > annoying since the option key doesn't seem to be used for anything, so it > should be used to get the extra characters. Go to the Control Panel (the graphic one) and select the General CDev (I think that's the one). Make sure your Keyboard Translation reads "Standard", otherwise GS/OS won't interpret the Option characters. Hope all that helps somewhat. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ | Brian T. Tao | UUCP: torag!pnet91!taob | / \ | University of Toronto | INET: taob@pnet91.cts.com | \ The Apple II / | Scarberia, ON | taob@pro-micol.cts.com | / Lives On!! \ |:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::| \ / | "Computer guru? Someone who got their computer a | /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ | couple of weeks before you did." (Alvin Toffler) |
taob@pnet91.cts.com (Brian Tao) (11/03/90)
> Go to the Control Panel (the graphic one) and select the General CDev (I > think that's the one). Make sure your Keyboard Translation reads > "Standard", otherwise GS/OS won't interpret the Option characters. Make that the Alphabet CDev... sorry! \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ | Brian T. Tao | UUCP: torag!pnet91!taob | / \ | University of Toronto | INET: taob@pnet91.cts.com | \ The Apple II / | Scarberia, ON | taob@pro-micol.cts.com | / Lives On!! \ |:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::| \ / | "Computer guru? Someone who got their computer a | /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ | couple of weeks before you did." (Alvin Toffler) |
scottr@gnh-applesauce.cts.com (Scott Rothstein) (11/09/90)
RE: Appleworks GS Could never understand why a FootNote option was never implemented, either in AWGS or the MultiscribeGS/Beaglewrite GS I had before. Can't type extra characters? You mean option-<character>?? Works for me. BTW, I had a ][+ for 7 years, and I used its mini assembler heavily. ////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ \ Internet: scottr@applesauce.cts.com /\ ts'hahl: /\ 'tis but / / AKA: Monte \/ no retreat \/ a scratch \ \ America Online: ScottR2 /\ no surrender /\ -- M.P. / /----------------------------------------------------------------------\ \ Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, / / -- Edgar Allan Poe \ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////////////////////
penguin@gnh-igloo.cts.com (Mark Steiger) (11/11/90)
There was an upgrade to AWGS???!!! I never recieved notification of it. What
exactly does it do??? :)
Mark
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