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From: dpaight@HP-UX.ucsd.edu (Dan Paight)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: ATM and HP LaserJet II-compaitble printers
Message-ID: <2061@network.ucsd.edu>
Date: 11 Nov 89 07:06:37 GMT
References: <5907@shlump.nac.dec.com> <2046@network.ucsd.edu> <1432@adobe.UUCP>
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Reply-To: dpaight@weber.UUCP (Dan Paight)
Organization: SSCF, UCSD
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In article <1432@adobe.UUCP> bezanson@adobe.UUCP (Brian Bezanson) writes:
>Adobe did extensive testing
>on all printers mentioned in the advertising. Should Adobe hold up shipping
>ATM so Apple could do a better ImageWriter driver or Microsoft fix their
>spacing to the ImageWriter? 

Unfortunately, no one uses just the printer: everyone also uses
software.  And MS Word happens to be the most popular word
processing software for the Mac.  I'm not sure it's such a good idea
to release a software enhancement for Imagewriters when that
enhancement produces bad-looking text on such a popular piece of
software as MS Word.  As for the driver, what does it matter that
it's the driver's fault?  The driver is already in use -- bugs and
all.  If Adobe released ATM knowing that some problem in the IW
driver would cause ATM to screw up people's printouts, then that
strikes me as dishonest.  

In short, it doesn't matter whose "fault" it is. Adobe ought to make
it clear to potential customers that ATM and certain popular
programs do not work exactly right together.  I was ready to go out
and buy ATM when it was first announced (before it was distributed),
but after reading the lengthy discussion of ATM here on the net, I
decided that ATM would not make my printouts look any better.  I
almost never use odd-sized fonts or large fonts -- mostly just 9 &
12 point.  Your informative posts convinced me not to buy ATM.  But
if I HAD bought it -- just for the sake of those few times when ATM
would help -- and then found that ATM wouldn't work properly with MS
Word, no amount of blaming Microsoft would have made me feel better.

See what I mean?

dp