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From: vg55611@ihuxk.UUCP (gopal)
Newsgroups: net.text
Subject: Re: Use of ``vi'' for business office word-processing (LONGISH !)
Message-ID: <1193@ihuxk.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 29-Sep-86 09:43:10 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihuxk.1193
Posted: Mon Sep 29 09:43:10 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 30-Sep-86 20:39:29 EDT
References: <1246@kitty.UUCP> <1242@inuxc.UUCP>, <312@xios.UUCP>
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Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 31

Let me throw my two cents in. I have used WYSIWYG word processors on the
PC for two years (mainly, word-perfect) and have used vi/troff for the past
one year. I am fairly proficient with vi/troff (can write my own macros etc.)
and love the output I get on the local Xerox 9700 laser printer.

But if it weren't for the fact that I can generate equations and pictures
(using pic) on unix and that I cannot afford to buy a laser printer (yet)
for my p.c., I would have reverted back to the WYSIWYG word processor a long
time ago. Vi/troff, with eqn, tbl and pic, meets my needs but rather painfully
(it takes many iterations to get a picture right). If I did not need equations
and pictures and had a letter quality printer, I'd gladly bid bye-bye
to this system. And it is not because I am afraid of programming, computers,
or the complexity of UNIX - I consider myself fairly good at these sort of
things and happen to like UNIX. I even wrote a macro package for pic at one time
to draw circuit schematics with.

As to the future, I have no doubt that there will be a WYSIWYG type word
processor that will do equations, pictures and almost anything else you
want on the p.c. Some progress is already being made in this direction.
I read on one of the newsgroups that someone out there sells an equation
package that they will guarantee to work with almost any word processor.
Let us face it - the p.c. is natural for this sort of thing with the built-
in graphics capability. Why should I go through editing a file and then
running it through a formatter when I can format on-screen ? And laser
printers are becoming cheaper and cheaper - I think they will become the
standard of the future even for home users.

Let us face it - WYSIWYG is software a generation ahead of the imbedded
command type software.

Venu P. Gopal, ihnp4!ihuxk!vg55611