Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ewj01.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!think!harvard!bbnccv!ewj01!lj From: lj@ewj01.UUCP (Leonard Jacobs) Newsgroups: net.unix,net.text Subject: Writer's Workbench Responses to survey (longish) Message-ID: <195@ewj01.UUCP> Date: Sun, 29-Sep-85 19:32:11 EDT Article-I.D.: ewj01.195 Posted: Sun Sep 29 19:32:11 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 3-Oct-85 06:31:30 EDT Distribution: net Organization: East West Journal, Brookline, Mass. Lines: 127 Xref: watmath net.unix:5782 net.text:632 Thanks for your help in compiling this survey. What follows is an edited summary of my net research on usage of Writer's Workbench. Thanks to those who helped. The initial questions on AT&T's Writer's Workbench were first presented. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Is anyone using Writer's Workbench from AT&T on a regular basis? 2. I would like to know how useful this software is and what types of applications people are finding for it. 3. I am also interested in knowing what types of customized standards people have established for WWB and whether there has been any testing of modifying the lex files for analysis of other languages. 4. Has there been any porting to micros for general layperson testing? 5. Does anyone who does not now have WWB wish they could? 6. And as a corollary, is there anyone distributing binary as opposed to source licenses for WWB? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The Edited and abridged responses follow: 1. We use it on one of our Masscomps. [There must have been others who use WWB.] 2. I find it useful in performing basic copy-editing work on just about any memo that I issue that is longer than about 1-2 pages. I find that there are several words that I overuse or misuse and these get caught by WWB. Although I am a good speller, I find that spellwwb catches a few that I miss. spellwwb is far superior to spell in that I can have a personal dictionary and the mistakes come out multi-column. I use WWB regularly to check spelling, punctuation, double words, diction (poor phrases), and split infinitives. It seems to work well for these things. We are a (mostly) gov't suppported research lab, so we write lots of grant proposals, journal articles and book chapters. We routinely run everything through WWB and generally heed by its suggestions. We also have a medical editor who looks things over, and she and WWB usually agree. We have writer's workbench and have been using it for almost a year. We do not find it terribly useful. We have muse (wordmarc) software for wordprocessing and send those files directly to wwb. We wrote a filter to do it. Any other questions, just let me know. 3. I am also interested in finding out about other customized standards. I have considered setting one up for my father as he is writing a rather highly technical book on nutrition. I don't currently have an interest in analysis of other languages, but it might be interesting to find out what's happening in that field. We haven't changed much, except a few phrases common to our area that WWB doesn't like. We also have edited the dictionary to add a lot of our technical terms. Our resident UNIX guru has added a filter to the front end of WWB so we can use a word-processing program (MUSE) that our secretaries like. None of us use embedded nroff commands. It seems to me (as a biophysicist, not a linguist) that it would be a major re-programming job to adapt it to other languages. However, as more multi-national companies start using UNIX it may be worth their time to do it. 4. How do you define micro? The AT&T 3B2 computer is a "super micro" which runs with the WE 32000 (3B2/300) or WE 32100 (3B2/400) 32-bit microprocessor. WWB runs just fine on the 3B2. wwb has been ported to a pc-ix, which is about as smalla unix as you'll find. I only know it was done and was slow beyond belief. 5. I do not now have WWB and I wish I could. 1 vote. I wish there were a cheap version for large UNIX micros, like the AT and 3B size beasts. 6. UNIX Writer's Workbench Software is available in binary from AT&T for the 3B2, 3B5, and 3B20 computers. Contact your local AT&T Information Systems account rep. The software is referenced in the AT&T Computer Software Guide on pp. 138, 170, and 273. Prices for the software start at $1700 (for the 3B2). The Software Guide is in many bookstores, or you can order it directly from Reston Publishing (800-336-0338). re binary: try VLS of Fremont, CA. One new WWB product is available from AT&T-IS as of last week, called the UNIX WRITER'S WORKBENCH Collegiate Edition Software. This grew out of our collaboration with Colorado State University (primarily Charles Smith and Kate Kiefer of the English Dept there). They've been using WWB for more than three years for all freshman English composition students. They tailored WWB to be used in a writing lab for college composition classes--developed new standards based on good freshman compositions, bundled many programs to be run together in batch, and added a few new programs. The Collegiate Edition Software can be purchased as part of a bundled package with an AT&T 3B2/300 computer, 10 AT&T 4410 terminals, an AT&T dot-matrix printer, the UNIX V Operating System, an editor-formatter called etx (a non-hog), a host of administrative programs (for setting up classes, etc), and the modified WWB text analysis programs. The software is only available in binary form for the 3B2/300 computer. Check with an AT&T Information Systems account representative for prices on the bundled package and individual items. The major beta test site (of the bundled package) was at Glenbard West High School, 670 Crescent Blvd., Glen Ellyn, Ill. 60137. Darlene Guerin, the computer lab administrator who was involved, the teachers, and the students were all most enthusiastic about the project. The district is buying the package for all their high schools. If you'd like to find more WWB users (who might not read Usenet), Kathleen (Kate) Kiefer of CSU is one of two editors for a newsletter entitled "Computers and Composition," which sometimes carries articles on uses of WWB at various schools. Her address is: Kate Kiefer, Dept. of English, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523. The WRITER'S WORKBENCH Collegiate Edition System will be publicly announced at UNIX/EXPO in New York City, Sept. 18. There will probably also be an announcement of another new WWB product at that time, the Professional version which provides the editted output in context in the source documents. -- Len Jacobs East West Journal {harvard,seismo}!bbnccv!ewj01!lj Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com