Xref: utzoo comp.editors:3106 rec.arts.sf-lovers:58919 rec.arts.books:21292 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!zardoz.cpd.com!dhw68k!felix!asylvain@felix.UUCP From: asylvain@felix.UUCP (Alvin "the Chipmunk" Sylvain) Newsgroups: comp.editors,rec.arts.sf-lovers,rec.arts.books Subject: Re: What do writers want from a word processor? Message-ID: <161522@felix.UUCP> Date: 25 Apr 91 17:09:22 GMT References: Sender: daemon@felix.UUCP Reply-To: asylvain@felix.UUCP (Alvin "the Chipmunk" Sylvain) Organization: Foundation for the Increased Wealth of Chipmunks Send in your pledges now! (Visa/Mastercard accepted) Lines: 73 Written in article by francis@zaphod.uchicago.edu: > Professional writers: are you tired of word processors that don't do > all the stuff that a professional needs, because they were written by > people that were hopelessly clueless on the subject? Are you > struggling with a program that doesn't quite fit your needs? Then let > me know what you want! Well, I'm no professional writer, yet, but I _do_ have some ideas: Mouse support? Look at how most s/w for the Apple Macintosh works. Word Perfect has mouse support, but it's an afterthot, so you can't easily select a word or sentence. I like double-clicking a word. I don't remember if this is availble on Mac's, but by extension you should be able to SHIFT-double-click a sentence, or ALT-double-click a paragraph. This speeds the work nicely. Automatic knowledge of where spaces go around words and sentences? For example, if I double-click a word at the end of the sentence and CUT it, the WP should move the period up against the previous word. If it's not at the end of the sentence, just close up to one single space. Then I should be able to PASTE that word somewhere else, with the spaces figured out. The way most WP's work now, you must remember whether CUT brought along the space _before_ or _after_ the word, and take that into considertion when you PASTE it. Ie., if CUT brings the space _before_ the word, you must PASTE with the cursor _before_ the new space. If you place the cursor _after_ the new space, you'll end up with two spaces before the word, and none after. The same problem exists for phrases and sentences. Somehow the WP must treat white-space as delimiters which are more than mere characters. How about a built-in spelling and grammer checker to find out the mistakes I make when I make? Or sometime after. Cliche-detector? That would fit like a glove! Verbosity-detector? Something like that which could automatically analyze my text and put up a flag, some bold-font, marginal notes or other such nonsense, in order to indicate the words I could eliminate from a given sentence and still have the original meaning that I intended to put down on paper, without all the excess baggage that's so easy to let slip into my writing. Automatic formatting to standard manuscript styles? That is, I don't want to have to figure out how to print double-spaced, 10 pitch, one inch margins, which is what most editors require for submissions. The default formatting for every word processor in existance is always something which isn't used by a single soul in the universe. No matter who you are or what you're writing, you've got to figure out how to set the damn thing up. It would be nice if it came out perfect without any setup at all, outside of selecting _which_ standard format, then leave the learning curve to special situations. Actually, now that I think about it, this is a real bitch for me. Every time I start up with a new word processor, or an old one at a new location, I have to waste a good half-day setting the damn thing so that the output is at least acceptable. The defaults are always things like _no_ margins, _no_ headers, _no_ tab positions or tabs at every 8 spaces (vs. every 1/2 inch, what they should be for standard writing), etc.etc.etc. I'm surprised they don't default to _no_printout!!_ OK, enuff bitching, go make my new word processor! -- Alvin ===== asylvain@felix.UUCP ===== hplabs!felix!asylvain ===== "hplabs!felix!asylvain"@uunet.uu.net (I always try to respond to mail, if possible. If you don't hear back from me, try changing "hplabs" to "ccicpg," "fiuggi," or "lawnet.")