[comp.sys.amiga.applications] DTP

Michael.Witbrock@cs.cmu.edu (05/06/91)

> Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.amiga.applications: 16-Jan-91 Re: When
> will new WordPerfe.. Marc Barrett@ccvax.iasta (1418)

> In article <17621@cbmvax.commodore.com>, daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com
> (Dave Haynie) writes:

> > What do you want a word processor for anyway?  Real Men write directly
> in
> > DTP programs.  Or in markup languages, like TeX or Scribe.  No word
> processor
> > is powerful enough.  

>    Microsoft Word is, period.  Microsoft Word, in one package, includes 
> ALL the tools that you would ever need to typeset a book.  Is that
> powerful
> enough for you?


Dave's right, if you want a DTP package, it makes sense to use one. I
just wrote my thesis proposal in FrameMaker (running under various
unices). I used to use LaTeX (again under unices). There are some things
that Framemaker wouldn't let me do, which LaTex would have, but having a
package which can do the whole thing, including diagrammes, in one
package is a big win.   Since FrameMaker runs on practically everything
(suns, pmaxen, sparcs, vaxen, rts, rs6000s, NeXTs, and computatdor
horribilis inter amigianos non dispudandum (excuse my poor latin)), and
since it is easier to use than TeX (sorry, but it's true - TeX lovers
should start work on the wisiwig interface now), it will probably
replace TeX as the typesetter of choice for (lazy) academics. This being
the case, if I were commodore, and if I were an amiga user (actually, I
am), I'd contact Frame Technologies, and ask them about porting
framemaker to the amigas (both unix and non). 

Wordprocessors, it seems to me, were an intermediate phase between text
editors and dtp packages, and their time may well be up. Perhaps,
though, wordperfect is really a dtp in wp clothing.  

michael