Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!pt.cs.cmu.edu!sei!bwb From: bwb@sei.cmu.edu (Bruce Benson) Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms Subject: Re: Which Word Processor is easiest to use? Message-ID: <7412@fy.sei.cmu.edu> Date: 4 Jun 90 13:31:25 GMT References: <7366@fy.sei.cmu.edu> Reply-To: bwb@sei.cmu.edu (Bruce Benson) Organization: Software Engineering Institute, Pittsburgh, PA Lines: 40 In article gustwick@wf-aus.cactus.org (Bob Gustwick ) writes: >i did move the style sheets. most worked.... however, several >documents were screwed up beyond all recognition. ie: side by side >columns switched sides of the page serendipidously. You must use more involved style sheets than I do. I have not tried to print any of my side by sides. I'll have to look into it. >in all my letters and calls to microsoft product support, i always >talked to kind well-meaning people. they offered what help they >could. but even when i sent a disk of WFW screwups, i was >never told that any of my problems were their problems... problem >reports were never opened, and there were never any replies such as >'thank you, that will be fixed in the next release.' instead i've >been told that i should work around things. i work around things >by using word 5.0. Microsoft doesn't seem to be in to admitting problems. When win 2.0 (?) came out, Write had a problem where if you did a quick save (alt-file-save), the hard disk access light would go on, write would show a xxx bytes saved, but in actuality nothing was saved. My letter to MS came back with a reply to use alt-file-save-as. This is in contrast to Borland. When I stumbled over a problem in Quattro (randomly encrypting my files) they asked for example files and then later sent me a free upgrade (I didn't ask for it). To get a fix for Write, I had to buy the 2.01 (or 2.1, I forget) upgrade. The experiences seem similar enough that it sounds like a company policy on handling bug reports. I suspect they do track the problems, but just won't admit it. Bugs they probably work on to be fixed in the next release, but other complaints (compatability) they probably wait for a critical mass of letters/calls before deciding on any change in policy. If it only affects a few power users (who don't write columns for a national publication) they will probably not worry about it. Bruce Bruce Benson + Internet - bwb@sei.cmu.edu + + Software Engineering Institute + Compuserv - 76226,3407 + >--|> Carnegie Mellon University + Voice - 412 268 8496 + + Pittsburgh PA 15213-3890 + + US Air Force