Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watnot!watmath!clyde!cbatt!ucbvax!sdcsvax!jww From: jww@sdcsvax.UUCP Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Word 3.0 evaluation Message-ID: <2809@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU> Date: Thu, 5-Mar-87 11:22:04 EST Article-I.D.: sdcsvax.2809 Posted: Thu Mar 5 11:22:04 1987 Date-Received: Sat, 7-Mar-87 00:40:05 EST Organization: Western Software Technology, Vista, CA Lines: 128 [ For those that don't have FTP access to SUMEX, here's a copy of the review I intended posted to INFO-MAC. I've update it somewhat. ] About my background: I've been using MacWrite for 3 years. I've used Write for both camera-ready user manuals and book (draft) manuscripts, as well as letters, articles, and short reports. I've owned Word 1.0 since it came out, but haven't used it much, primarily due to slowness, no significant feature enhancements, and one-way document compatibility. Currently using MacWrite 4.5 full-time for 60-90 page (double-spaced) chapters (split into 2 documents to reduce risk of crashes), but will be switching to 3.0 on a trial basis. Short Menus Very good. Both short & long menus have a sensible way of formatting headers, almost (not quite) like MacWrite, easier to figure out than Word 1.0's. Also has quasi-MacWrite rulers, with justification and spacing icons. Spelling checker Fair. It lets words like 'Q-ray' and 'lo' through. It requires you define both plural and possessive for any word in your custom dictionary. User dictionaries not well integrated - require manual loading, defining multiple variants (which don't apply to standard, read-only dictionary.) Standard dictionary has Pascal but not Ada! Macintosh but not Lisa! No batch mode checking, and word-at-a-time checking is a pain. Illustrates why a context-sensitive usage checker is better than a 'dumb' spelling checker. Outlining Very good. To me, the most useful feature (when combined with styles). Illustrates why outlining belongs in a word processor, rather than the other way around. Somewhat awkward at first to build an outline. Inflexible in formatting the outline view (it would be nice to be able to print the headings in outline mode with their standard formats, ala More). Styles Very good. [changed] Nicely integrated with outlining. Styles can be defined in terms of other styles, allowing you to easily change all occurences of Geneva to Helvetica without changing the Couriers. Or change all your heading fonts. However, can't directly redefine one style in terms of the other -- if you change Normal from 'Double' to 'Single', it will go from Normal = Double Normal = Single + 24 pt. (i.e., changing what a style is based on cannot change the properties.) One trick: attributes are XOR'd: if the text is Bold and the style is also Bold, the text will be printed not Bold. Make the text plain. Documents Excellent. Allows you to save your document Text-only, text-only with breaks, MacWrite, Word 1.0, Word normal, Word MS-DOS, or RTF (MS plain text with formatting). External conversion utility for DCA. If you open with one of these formats, it allows you to resave with the same format, unlike MacWrite, SuperPaint and other idiotic programs that leave your document 'untitled' unless saved to the standard format. Unlike some programs, allows you to resave in place with a different format and the same document name. Pretty good for reading large 'TEXT' source files. Has a read-only check box. Page layout/graphics Good. Much better than MacWrite (which rates a poor), but still no PageMaker or Full(vapor)Write. With indexing, columns, and some graphics wrap-around, probably adequate for 95% of developer user manuals. Macintosh interface Fair. Reasonable undo. No Select All, awkward help. (step down from Excel). Fonts in numeric ('FOND') order rather than alphabetic, not all fonts shown. A lot of use of Command-Shift equivalents. Allows additional equivalents, awkward to type, very non-standard, doesn't allow equivalents to be shown on menus. As before, evidence Apple should address this issue in the interface (because most major products indicate 26 equivalents to be inadequate.) Program seems more compatible with IBM PC version than with the Mac. Worst example: Clear key doesn't clear; it is the numeric keypad lock key, ala IBM AT! With numeric on (N in title bar), pad works normal; off, 8 becomes an up-arrow key. Speed Good. [Changed] Much better than 1.05. Some noticeable pauses with ImageWriter; LaserWriter not available, but presumably faster than 1.05. Gets behind at strange places when typing (heap compaction?). Very slow to load. Pagination not automatic, but fast. Reliability Fair. It crashed in the first three hours with a standard Mac Plus and System/Finder configuration. Dictionaries lost in a crash. No documented way of reloading from the temp file on disk, and several obvious approaches at using the temp files didn't work. Clutters System Folder with temp files that it doesn't delete, for some reason. (I have 8 so far) Documentation Fair. The organization is good, but the actual writing ranges from good to poor. Sometimes you just have to try it to find out. Somewhat better than 1.0, but still plenty of room for a good third-party book. Idiocies: Bizarre non-standard printing dialogs. Whoever thought of this should be shot. Always leaves word's directory as the default directory after launch, destroying the previous setting. A pain if you're launching say Paint then Word to work on documents in the same project. Spelling checker treats ^ and _ as words or parts of words. You can't add command-keys to custom menus. No way (I know of) to make a font change a single-character command key, my #1 'custom' requirement. You can't add dictionaries to custom menus or have your own standard dictionary always open. Word underline underlines tabs. Overall impression: Value to buy at $295 list: fair Value to upgrade at $100: good to very good Overall rating: Good. Worth considering if you want just one word processor, with more capabilities than MacWrite. -- Joel West {ucbvax,ihnp4}!sdcsvax!jww (ihnp4!gould9!joel once I fix news) jww@sdcsvax.ucsd.edu if you must