Path: utzoo!dciem!nttor!contact!ben
From: ben@contact.uucp (Ben Eng)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.applications
Subject: Re: When will new WordPerfect be available?
Keywords: WordPerfect
Message-ID: <1991Jan12.223304.28382@contact.uucp>
Date: 12 Jan 91 22:33:04 GMT
References: <8133@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> <510@pallas.athenanet.com>
Distribution: na
Organization: Jet Penguin Lavatories
Lines: 53

In <510@pallas.athenanet.com> wally@pallas.athenanet.com (Wally Hartshorn) writes:

>I use version 5.1 at work on a DOS machine and am VERY envious!  I'd
>be happy if WordPerfect would just port over the non-graphics features
>and release a 4.5 or something.  Perhaps now that the A3000 is out and
>seems to be gaining popularity with the professional crowd we might be
>able to talk WordPerfect into upgrading the Amiga version.

I can't see what is so desirable about WordPerfect 5.1 on a DOS
machine, that cannot be done better on an Amiga without WordPerfect.
WP5 is slow, clunky, chunky, over-weight, overbearing, and lacking in
usefulness.

If you really wanted to do "professional" typesetting, especially
without graphics, then you should be using TeX.  AmigaTeX in
particular by Tomas Rokicki is by far the most wonderful piece of
software that is available on the Amiga for any type of textual
output.  It is especially suited to "professionals" who need to
typeset mathematics and tables.

Unlike a WYSIWYG system, such as WP5 or a page layout program, TeX
handles all the kerning, paragraphing, spacing, margins, page breaks,
indenting, centering, and other subtle details automatically.  Title
pages, Abstracts, Tables of Contents, List  of Figures, List of
Tables, Chapters, Sections, Subsections, Bibliographies, References,
footnotes, figures, tables, references to numbering of
tables/figures/etc, ALL numbering (page, chapter, section, etc.), and
virtually everything else is all done for you.

You just have to supply the meat and potatoes along with a bit of
spice (some magic keywords) to do anything in LaTeX.

And if you do want to include IFF or PostScript graphics in your
document, that is possible too without any more effort than inserting
a line of text.

Additionally, the Amiga is such a superior environment for TeX because
it is multitasking.  Arexx allows one to have a completely integrated
environment.  With ARexx, CygnusEd, TeX, preview, ISpell, MetaFont,
and some DVI printer drivers the AmigaTeX environment becomes much
more desirable than WP5 or any other WYSIWYG system.

Of course, these are only my opinions (subjective as they may be).  I
don't have any affiliation with Radical Eye Software.  I just fell in
love with AmigaTeX, and I think every Amiga owner should at least look
into what AmigaTeX is, to see what they are missing.

Ben
-- 
Ben Eng                  | ben@contact.uucp  (416)-431-3333
150 Beverley St. Apt #1L | Bix: jetpen
Toronto, Ontario M5T 1Y6 | UofT Engineering Science: engb@ecf.toronto.edu
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