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From: es1@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Ethan Solomita)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: It's really tough to debate with ignorant...
Message-ID: <1991May8.024825.21176@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu>
Date: 8 May 91 02:48:25 GMT
References: <11737@uwm.edu> <8raGbu-=1@cs.psu.edu> <1991May8.001619.12563@sbcs.sunysb.edu>
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Reply-To: es1@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Ethan Solomita)
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In article <1991May8.001619.12563@sbcs.sunysb.edu> dtiberio@eeserv1.ic.sunysb.edu (David Tiberio) writes:
>In article <8raGbu-=1@cs.psu.edu> melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger) writes:
>>
>>(Gregory R Block) writes:
>>
>>
>>I'm just repeating what Amiga zealots have told me.  Word processing
>>is weak on the Amiga.
>
>  That is absolutely not true. My Amiga word processors beat Word Perfect 
>hands down, as well as Microsoft Word for the Mac. You obviously have friends
>who are still using the word processor from the Appetizer disk.
>
	OK. I love my Amiga and all, and praise it all I can, but
there are limits. ProWrite can't even do freakin FOOTNOTES! Of
the "big names", i.e. ProWrite, Excellence, WordPerfect and Pen
Pal, only Excellence and WP do. I don't consider WP Amiga to be
particularly useful as it is annoyingly slow and still somewhat
buggy.
	NONE of the Amiga word processors give high-quality
printouts to your standard 300dpi laser printers/inkjets, unless
you have postscript, and even then the support is poor. You can't
even BUY the fonts.
	I haven't used MS Word all that much, but here is what I
like about WordPerfect 5.1: Formula editor for entering
complicated mathematical equations of all types. Excellent font
support/printer support/network support. Precise setting of tab
stops, margins, etc., by typing in a number of inches. Support
for tables and direct import from spreadsheets. Columns can start
anywhere in your document and end anywhere in your document.
Import structured graphics from other programs. Mail merge.
	Now, admittedly, it isn't the most user-friendly of
programs. It takes a bit of getting used to, i.e. you have to
adapt to it not vice versa. But it is rather bug free in return.
I certainly have no problems using it and find it far easier to
use than graphics-oriented programs cause I can see what is going
on with much more detail. I also prefer the all-keyboard
approach.
	Oh yes, nothing beats WP macros. It is a FULL programming
language.
	As always, I already know all the advantages that the
Amiga has in various areas, I don't need to be reminded. ARexx is
real nice, if only a WP supported it. But our WP software is the
worst part of the Amiga, behind even the spreadsheets and
databases! (I happen to think we have good databases and decent
spreadsheets. I don't consider our wordprocessors to even be
decent. I've USED the others)

	-- Ethan

"Brain! Brain! What is Brain?"