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From: alh@pyrnova (Alan Holzman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Text editing on Macs
Message-ID: <88714@pyramid.pyramid.com>
Date: 24 Oct 89 00:04:48 GMT
Sender: daemon@pyramid.pyramid.com
Reply-To: alh@pyrnova.pyramid.com (Alan Holzman)
Organization: Pyramid Technology Corp., Mountain View, CA
Lines: 43

In article <2385@eagle.wesleyan.edu> you write:
>I'm looking for a plain-text editor for newspaper reporters to use
>on dual-floppy Mac SEs. Any suggestions? 

	There is a DA called Vantage (formerly McSink when it was shareware)
	that is now a well-supported, commercial product. It is very easy
	to use, powerful (spell-checker, open multiple document windows, add /
	strip control chars. etc.) and always available as it is a DA. It works
	only in ascii/text format but can open not only text format files,
	but MS-Word, Write, WriteNow & MacWrite and then save as text.
 
>We have some computer-phobic reporters, and a seriously limited budget. 
>The formatting is done with Quark, but I'd like to create a text
>database of previously-published stories (hence the interest in
>ASCII files).
>Second possibility: If we go with Microsoft Write, is there a utility
>program around that will take a folder full of Write documents and
>strip them down to ASCII? (Or is Write's file format available so that we can
>write our own filter?)

	Compared to Vantage (or any good, DA text-processor like Mockwrite,
	mini-writer etc.) Write is alot harder to use and definitely NOT 
	very convenient if you desire text format. Vantage can probably
	even open your Write and TeachText docs. and save them as plain
	text.
 
>For now, we have some folks using Teach Text (!), some on Write, and a 
>couple of us experimenting with MEdit. Qued sounds interesting, but I'm
>afraid that it will look too techie for a couple of our people.
>Bob                                                              B-)=
>       --==THIS is a job for a mild-mannered reporter==--

	... definitely consider a DA text processor for both ease of use for
	your "computer-phobic" reporters and the small size & power of a DA 
	on a 2 floppy SE.

Regards & good luck;
- Al Holzman

-- 
Al Holzman                 |  alh@pyrnova.pyramid.com
Pyramid Technology Corp.   |  (415) 965-7200 x-3380.
Mt. View, CA. 94043        |  FAX (415) 967-4344