Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!imspw6!bob
From: bob@imspw6.UUCP (Bob Burch)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Wordperfect / far from 10 worst list
Message-ID: <213@imspw6.UUCP>
Date: 9 Jan 89 03:42:02 GMT
Organization: IMS Inc., Rockville, MD
Lines: 42

From Ted Holden, HTE


Nobody gets to a point of near total dominance in one of the two or three
most competitive niches in PC software by being anywhere remotely close
to 10 worst.  It is true that there are an occasional bug and fluke in 
5.0, but 5.0 appears to be an interrim product with which WordPerfect 
Corp. attempted to bite off a very great deal, so much so in fact that 
there's almost no way anyone could have gotten it all perfect at one fell
swoop.  With 5.0, they left the realm of compatibility with the first
generation of PCs and moved into the realm of today's hardware, ega/vga, 
fonts, graphics, and the whole nine yards.

Several of the key things which establish WordPerfects market dominance are
nearly invisible features which you really have to think about a little
to appreciate, and include, at least, the following:

1.  WordPerfect's file structure is simply more intelligent than that of any
other wordprocessor (at least, that I know of), and contributes to the great
speed of the product.  WordPerfect file codes are entirely symmetric i.e. 
the program itself can see and interpret them properly coming or going (
scrolling up or down) and requires no secondary system of pointers or seperate
formats as do at least half what I've seen.         

2.  WordPerfect has the only real spelling checker in the industry.  Try 
keying in something like "aaaan elefent stteeppeed ooon a bigge blaeckke 
buuug and the bigg blaaq buuug bleead thiickke blakk blooood" on WordPerfect
and then invoke the spell-checker... no problem.  Next, try the same thing
with MultiMate, MS Word, Q1, or anything else out there and watch the fun.

3.  Most PC word processors come with about 30 printer drivers;  if yours
ain't one of theirs, tough shit.  WordPerfect comes with an assortment of
about 250 printer drivers and a damned reasonable little system for
constructing printer drivers from scratch for exotic printers.  Try using
any of the other vendors' systems for constructing printer drivers.  This
feature is immensely valuable for large organizations which perforce must
utilize numerous printers bought for different projects over a period of
years (i.e., a 5-7 year gap in technology from oldest to newest) and yet
would benefit from having the same word processor used throughout.

Ted Holden
HTE