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From: jww@sdcsvax.UUCP (Joel West)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Re: spacing (MS-WORD flame, actually)
Message-ID: <1015@sdcsvax.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 27-Jul-85 15:06:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdcsvax.1015
Posted: Sat Jul 27 15:06:33 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 30-Jul-85 06:36:31 EDT
References: <10637@rochester.UUCP>, <991@sdcsvax.UUCP>
Organization: CACI, Inc - Federal, La Jolla
Lines: 57

> From: Henry.Kautz
> In WORD, you can set the spacing between lines to whatever you want it
> to be -- in fractions of an inch, or points, or centimeters.  Be sure
> to get the latest upgrade to WORD before doing your laser-printing --
> the original version is very slow at laser printing.  (>2 minutes each
> page.)
> ---- Henry Kautz

I'd like to thank Henry and all the others who pointed out that MS-WORD
has this arbitrary leading capability.  In the meantime, I have solved 
the problem by using the 1 1/2 spacing on MacWrite, which I find too 
white but the people who count approve of.

**FLAME ON**
I purchased MS-WORD about 6 months ago, spending $150 of my hard-earned
dollars.  Other than doing one form letter and a few landscape-format
reports (5 pages each), it has remained in the box.

There are some things I like about it, such as
	* obvious improved flexibility over MacWrite
	* arbitrary leading
	* multiple headers in one document
	* horizontal scrolling (why can't MacWrite do this?)
	* ability to move a document on the page without reformatting
	* handles documents with lots of "Returns" (like computer
	  printouts) unlike MacWrite

However, I will not use the current version for anything important because:
	1) Very user-hostile and confusing
	2) Poorly documented
	3) What You See is Not What you Get (such as page headings)
	4) Slow
	5) Undocumented and incompatible file format

The latter might not seem to be as important as the others.  However,
once I import a document into WORD, there's no way to take it out
(without losing all formatting).  Because of this, I dare not start
something in WORD unless I'm sure I want to remain there forever.

With some improvements it could be a very good program (like MS-BASIC
2.0).  Or, I would gladly buy a MacWrite-like product that corrects 
the above deficiencies for serious writing.  (Is anyone listening?)

I recently did a 100-page report using Wordstar 2000 on an IBM AT.
I'd previously used "real" Wordstar on a CP-M machine and found it
difficult to get started on, but easy to use once you knew it.
Wordstar 2000 allows nice footnotes, fancy rulers, etc.  However,
it is more cumbersome, confusing, buggy and less desireable than
old Wordstar.

I would submit that MS-Word is the Wordstar 2000 of the Macintosh world.
I'm still waiting for the Easywriter, Volkswriter or PFS Write.

----------
	Joel West	CACI, Inc. - Federal (c/o UC San Diego)
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