Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!me!radio.astro!helios!utpsych!lewan
From: lewan@utpsych.toronto.edu (Stephan Lewandowsky)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: World's Best Word Processor?
Message-ID: <1989May10.221510.20511@utpsych.toronto.edu>
Date: 10 May 89 22:15:10 GMT
Reply-To: lewan@psych.uucp (Stephan Lewandowsky)
Organization: Psychology, U. of Toronto
Lines: 40

I've been using WordStar for years and years, and refuse to give
up my habit of moving the cursor around using simple ^Fs or ^As.
On the other hand, aside from this feature, the WordStar interface is
of course dreadful and even seems to be getting worse with each "new"
release.

After looking at other major word processors (Word Perfect, Word) 
my frustration has grown even more: they are, in my opinion, even worse
than WordStar.

So here is my wishlist for the *perfect* word processor.  Does anyone know
of any package that has all these features (or comes even close)?

          o  Multiple Windows
          o  Multiple files, cut & paste between files
          o  Multiple Undo
          o  LIGHTNING FAST!
          o  VGA support (>25 lines if desired)
          o  Small (<1MB)
          o  Programmable macros
          o  Intelligent search & replace
          o  Key redefinition (to give me those ^Fs and ^As :-)
          o  On-line spellchecker and synonym finder or dictionary
          o  Some arithmetic
          o  Escape to DOS shell
          o  *GOOD* outlining capabilities
          o  File conversion utilities (import ASCII, WordStar, etc.)
          o  Footnote/bibliography management
          o  *GOOD* WYSIWYG (no ^PS^PB aberrations)
          o  Dynamic reformatting of paragraphs (no ^B^QP cludges)
          o  Postscript support (HP LaserJet goes without saying...)

I guess I want a word processing clone of BRIEF or VEDIT.  By the way,
I've heard that XY Write 3+ has all (or most) of these features.  Is this
true?  If so, where has XY Write been reviewed recently?

Please reply to lewan@psych.toronto.edu.  I may post a summary of replies
if they appear interesting.

Thanks for your help.