Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!oliveb!apple!claris!krazy
From: krazy@claris.com (Jeff Erickson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: MacWrite II
Message-ID: <10070@claris.com>
Date: 5 May 89 04:14:51 GMT
References: <707@cf-cm.UUCP>
Organization: Claris Corporation, Santa Clara CA
Lines: 52

From article <707@cf-cm.UUCP>, by ralph@computing-maths.cardiff.ac.uk (Ralph Martin):
> Can someone (perhaps from Claris ;-)) explain why MWII does not have
> the same signature as the original macwrite. This means if you
> rteplace MW with MWII you can no longer doubleclick MW files to edit
> them. Yes, I know that MWII uses a different file type, but that
> doesnt mean the signature had to be changed as well. I find this an
> extremely poor decision as far as user interface design goes. It now
> means I have to rummage around and start up MWII first before opening
> any old MW file.

That's easy.  Suppose you want to open your old documents in the
application that created them (the usual scenario)?

There is a workaround of sorts.  If your MacWrite Classic document is
selected at the same time as MacWrite II, and you double-click on MWII,
the old doc will automatically be opened.  This works for WriteNow, text,
and MicroSludge documents, too.  Unfortunately, it means you have to have
MWII in the same folder as your docs.

> I also find having manually every time to say whether I want to save
> the result in the new format as a converted file pretty tedious.
> Surely this could have been handled better with a check box option
> Always Convert to MWII Format?

Wait.  You mean you actually want the program to write to your disk and
destroy old files WITHOUT YOU TELLING IT TO?  Uh-uh.  No way.  Not a chance.
Some people might want to keep the old files around because they have to
be read by people who don't have MWII.  Besides, how long can it take to 
hit fan-S?

> How can I try to persuade people here (read: Secretaries, etc) to move
> to MWII when it is doesnt let them double click their old files any
> more? And do you think *I* want to convert them all for them one by
> one?!

That's even easier!  Delete MacWrite Classic from their hard drives!  :-)

> I think these poor decisions will be hitting sales. Remember, not all
> Mac users are sophisticated!

I'm sorry if I sound glib about this.  I realize that many people have a 
hard time changing from one way of doing things (double-click) to another.
The only suggestion I can give is to show them MWII's obvious advantages
over MacWrite: more than one document open at a time, faster, multiple
columns, faster, footnotes, faster, mail merge, faster, auto hyphenation,
faster....  Hopefully they'll realize that the inital time investment to
convert their files will be paid back as they use the program.
-- 
Jeff Erickson       Claris Corporation  | Birdie, birdie, in the sky,
408/987-7309      Applelink: Erickson4  |   Why'd you do that in my eye?
krazy@claris.com     ames!claris!krazy  | I won't fret, and I won't cry.
       "I'm a heppy, heppy ket!"        |   I'm just glad that cows don't fly.