Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!aplcen!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!apple!limbo!taylor
From: jessea@dynasys.UUCP (Jesse W. Asher)
Newsgroups: comp.society
Subject: Re: Student Writing: Can the Machine Main the Message?
Message-ID: <1011@limbo.Intuitive.Com>
Date: 18 Jul 90 22:54:35 GMT
Sender: taylor@limbo.Intuitive.Com
Organization: Dynasys: Consulting for the Future.
Lines: 22
Approved: taylor@Limbo.Intuitive.Com

Ken Weiss asks:

> It is reasonably obvious that this paper was not critiqued before 
> release, or if it was, it was by people with a leaning towards DOS...

It is also obvious that those that use Macs are greatly offended and not
willing to look at the article very objectively.  No where in the article
did the author suggest that the study was scientific in any way or that it 
should be taken as gospel.  The entire article was written to ask the questions
so that people could at least consider the notions behind how user
interfaces affect the writing ability of those that use them.  

I thought the article was very interesting and thought provoking - exactly 
what it was intended for.  I did see inconsistancies, but once again it was 
not a formal study with proper controls or proper consideration of other 
causes of this supposed difference in writing ability between those that 
use Macs and those that use PCs.

For those of you that are so shaken up by this article - stop complaining
and prove her wrong.

Jesse Asher