Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utcs!mnetor!seismo!nbires!hao!hplabs!tektronix!uw-beaver!cornell!rochester!ur-tut!aptr
From: aptr@ur-tut.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: word processor recomendations
Message-ID: <523@ur-tut.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 18-Jul-86 22:19:38 EDT
Article-I.D.: ur-tut.523
Posted: Fri Jul 18 22:19:38 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 20-Jul-86 10:22:18 EDT
References: <3092@ncsu.UUCP>
Reply-To: aptr@ur-tut.UUCP (The Wumpus)
Organization: U. of Rochester Computing Center
Lines: 70

In article <3092@ncsu.UUCP> atb@ncsu.UUCP (andy brown) writes:
>junk
>
>This is a question from a friend of mine (actually 2 questions):
>
>   I need a new word processing program.  I have been using wordstar
>   for a couple of years now, on an AT.  Needless to say, WS doesn't
>   treat directories kindly.  This new wordprocessor must:
>[...]
>      - have the capability of printing and displaying several different fonts
>[...]

I would strongly suggest looking into Word Perfect.  It supports everything
you mentioned except the above (ie. no different fonts displayed).  Word
Perfect 4.1 shows underline, overstrike, bold, etc. on the screen by making
use of either the colors available or by using the built ins in the BW
driver.  In all cases, except for fonts, the screen shows a very close to
what you see is what you get.  I say very close because it does not try to
display the characters in proportional space, but it still displays the
right number of characters on a line.

Word Perfect currently support over 200 different printers ranging from
Daisy wheel to dot matrix to Laser Printer (even a Xerox 2700 !) with
several fonts defined for each printer.  You can even edit the definitions
if you see fit.  I have done this to make the spacing and performance on one
of my printers work a little better.  On most of the drivers atleast on of
the fonts is a proportional space font.  This is true even on Dot Matrix
Printers.

Word Perfect also supports the full IBM character set (all 256) and will
print as many as it can on the printer.  Some of the fonts will print some
of the more common characters that are in the extended character set by
combining characters (ie. O + / = phi, O + - = theta).  Along with its
support of all the characters comes simple line drawing routines (vertical
and horizontal) that allow you to make boxes, etc...

I used to use WS on a CP/m machine (I know CP/m is dead...) and then on a PC
compatable until I bought Word Perfect a few months ago.  Since then, I've
converted completely.  I have even gone as far as to convert many of my WS
documents to WP documents with the utility that comes with it.  WP improves
over WS in that it is user freindly, faster, and does all of the fancy word
proccessing features.  Unlike WS it allows multiple line headers, and foot
notes, and Left-on-even-right-on-odd Justification.  Another nice feature is
the automated backup which will backup your document for you every once in a
while so that you don't have to worry about loosing too much.

The only drawback to WP is that it takes multiple disks to run.  It comes on
five disks and requires 4 disks to run: one for help, one for dictionary, on
for thesaurus (sp?), and one program disk.  Fortunately you only have to put
the dictionary, help and thesaurus in when you need them. WP is not copy
protected and therefore easily moves to a hard disk which I recommend (now
if some person would buy me one as a tax deduction...).

The most important feature about WP does not come on a disk.  It is not the
excellent documentation or the user friendly program, but it is the
customer support.  I have made two calls to customer support about questions
I had and they were very helpful and friendly.  I will also mention helt I
got through on their 800 number the first time I tried, and I did later find
the answer in the manual. (one of these days I bother to look at a manual
first)

I should now appoligize for making this sound like an ad for Word Perfect
4.1, but I strongly recommend it because I have spent years (yes, years)
trying to get WS with special printer programs to do what Word Perfect
already does.
-- 
The Wumpus        UUCP:   {seismo,allegra,decvax}!rochester!ur-tut!aptr
                  BITNET: aptrccss@uorvm

Disclaimer: "Who? When? Me? It was the Booze!"  - M. Binkley