Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!VAX5.CIT.CORNELL.EDU!ELFJ
From: ELFJ@VAX5.CIT.CORNELL.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re:  Help on FullWrite and Nisus
Message-ID: <8902211446.AA10018@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 21 Feb 89 14:40:00 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Lines: 34

I've used both Nisus and FullWrite extensively, and have recently
 switched from the latter to the former.  Here's a brief comparison:

FullWrite has more features, especially in the desktop publishing 
area, including hyphenation, kerning, styles, outlining, chapter 
organization, footnotes, endnotes, bibliographic references, and 
sidebars.  It has an elegant interface, but is SLOW, SLOW, SLOW.

Nisus is not as feature rich.  It does do multiple columns, index 
and table of contents generation, glossaries and so on.  It has a 
built in graphics mode, which is easier to use but not as powerful 
as FullWrite's.  Nisus really shines with GREP, Global Regular 
Expression Parser, which allows complex pattern matching in search 
and replace.  My Unix-experienced friend tells me Nisus' GREP is a 
superset of Unix's.  Easy-GREP is a menu driven subset for the 
timid.  The macro facility is far better than Word Perfect's.  
Footnotes and extended keyboard support are 2 features scheduled for 
the first upgrade, due this summer.

Nisus uses a variety of techniques borrowed from FullWrite, such as 
extra menus when using certain features, icons in the left margin, 
and menus in the search/replace dialog box.  It has a nice 
interface, is rock stable, and is FAST, FAST, FAST.

In summary, if you need the dtp features and have Mac IIs (or 
SE/30's), go with FullWrite.  If you are more interested in 
manipulating text than in pretty formatting, Nisus is worth a look. 


Linda Iroff
Humanities Computing Center
Cornell University
elfj@crnlvax5
elfj@vax5.cit.cornell.edu