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From: svc@well.UUCP (Leonard Rosenthol)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Arabic/Hebrew Word Processors
Summary: Expensive and pathetic!
Message-ID: <14944@well.UUCP>
Date: 12 Dec 89 21:08:02 GMT
References: <980@madnix.uucp> <141200085@cdp>
Reply-To: svc@well.UUCP (Leonard Rosenthol)
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA
Lines: 42

In article <141200085@cdp> sklein@cdp.UUCP writes:
>
>There are at least three products that i've heard of for right-to-left
>word processing on the Mac.  Davka Software markets two programs--
>one is called Rav K'tav and is an enhanced version of Ready,Set,Go!
>
>Davka sells a more bare-bones product, but i can't remember their name.
>
	Partially correct, but you got the products backwards.  Davka Corp.
out of Chicago, ILL does indeed market two programs. One is called Rav K'tav
and is a Hebrew Word Processor (well it's really a Script Manager compatible
WP, they just push it's Hebrew and it comes with the Hebrew System.) This 
program is underpowered (as WP's go (not even a WriteNow)) and has an interface
which might make MSWord users feel good about theirs.  It's also quite 
expensive (about $395, last time I checked).
	Their other product is called AllPage (it used to have another name,
but I forget what) which is, as Shabtai points out, a specialized version of
Ready-Set-Go (not so much enhanced as localized for Hebrew and mucho buggy!).
The last version I saw was a the equivalent of 4.0a of RSG, though I would 
guess they have a 4.5 by now...This one is also mucho dinero ($695) and it's
a shame that the programmer took a good product like RSG and killed it!!
(Oh, this is also SM compat, but localized for Hebrew).

>There is an Arabic product called Mac Al-Kaatib (or something like that)
>that may or may not exist anymore.  I'd say Davka is your best bet.
>-shabtai

	The product was indeed called Al-Kaatib (no Mac) as was the first
Arabic (specific!) WP for the Mac.  I would assume the company is still in
business, but couldn't say for sure.  I knew people that used it, and swore
at it (nobody liked it, but it was the only thing!).

	Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but at the moment there is no
good choices for WPing in foreign langs, and those few things are possibly
better, are not available in the states!!


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