Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!killer!elg From: elg@killer.Dallas.TX.US (Eric Green) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: WordPerfect dumps Amiga Message-ID: <7987@killer.Dallas.TX.US> Date: 3 May 89 02:35:47 GMT References: <155@modcomp.UUCP> Organization: The Unix(R) Connection, Dallas, Texas Lines: 44 in article <155@modcomp.UUCP>, srp@modcomp.UUCP (Steve Pietrowicz) says: [lots of apologetic text from Wordperfect person, forwarded from Compuserve] [ and then, just for a sampler:] > WordPerfect is a great word processor and the Amiga is a great machine. > Our 4.1, 4.2 or 5.0 versions, however, are not the right versions for the > Amiga. We need 6.0, and 6.0 isn't ready yet. Once it's ready, we may > change our decision, but in the meantime, we can make better use of the > programmers on other machines. Pete > > --------------END OF MESSAGE------------------- Would-be customer support people, take note: the above forwarded message is one of the best pieces of technical writing that I've seen in a long time. Maybe we should forward his name to Telenet, for them to hire him as PC Pursuit public relations (typical PC Pursuit manager's posting: "If you post , we'll kick you off. If you post , we'll delete it and kick you off"). Instead, potential PR people, note the careful reasoned and apologetic tone, calculated to gain sympathy. Technical writers, note how well the final paragraph summarizes the entire message. Everybody, note the final sentence, calculated to cast a ray of hope on the whole situation. All in all, that message was the work of a true artist. My hat is off to the person who wrote it. This is meant most sincerely, in no way satirically. In the meantime, the only other large word processor is Excellence!, which is so mind-bogglingly slow that I'd have to be doped up on Qualudes to use it. So the question is, "What now?" Note how many people he said would be required to write Wordperfect 6.0 from scratch... do you see any Amiga software companies with the resources to put that many people onto a project? DO you see ANY software company daring to trod where WordPerfect feared to go? Sounds like it's about time for me to buy TeX, eh? -- | // Eric Lee Green P.O. Box 92191, Lafayette, LA 70509 | | // ..!{ames,decwrl,mit-eddie,osu-cis}!killer!elg (318)989-9849 | | // Join the Church of HAL, in worship of all computers with | |\X/ three-character names (e.g. IBM and DEC). White lab coats optional. |