Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ucbvax!DOCKMASTER.ARPA!TMPLee From: TMPLee@DOCKMASTER.ARPA Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple Subject: Re: WordPerfect for the GS Message-ID: <871213030233.769363@DOCKMASTER.ARPA> Date: 13 Dec 87 03:02:00 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Distribution: world Organization: The ARPA Internet Lines: 69 Yes, Rex and your friend, whoever you are (I receive info-apple by a means that drops the return address so unless its included in the text I can't tell) there is a WordPerfect for the GS. Version 1.1, which was more-or-less a port of the IIe version to the GS has been around for awhile. Version 2.0 has just been released, although I don't know how far it has penetrated to dealers: by virtue of having sent in a long set of comments on 1.1 I was given the chance of being a beta test site for 2.0; we (beta testers) received our copy of the "release" version about two weeks ago. Short description of 2.0: operates almost completely with the mouse (if you wish -- keyboard also usable for anything.) Supports as many windows as you have memory (i.e., you can be working on that many documents: I've had up to five on the screen at once.) Although its been awhile since I used the MS/DOS version the major things it is missing from that are multiple columns, the math column feature, red-lining/change bars, and lawyers line numbers. Oh yes, it does not have the automatic paragraph/ outline numbering features. Other than that the files are compatable with the MS/DOS versions. Has Speller and Thesaurus. Footnotes (several styles possible) and endnotes; Multiple-line Headers/Footers. left, left/right indents; margin release (for hanging indents.) macros, including conditional. Handles (at least the imagewriter, the only printer I have) 144 dpi proportional spacing font perfectly (e.g., when right justifying.) Its a little slow compared to something like Appleworks, but a lot more powerful. Since I've used it for so long I can't judge anymore how easy it would be for a casual user to learn (I remember the MS/DOS version taking a little while) but my guess is that with its pull-down menu interface the learning curve would be pretty quick. Oh yes, for those who use that kind of thing, has a very flexible merge facility. The interface is worth a longer description. There are really three ways of selecting "functions" (e.g., cut/paste a block) 1) major functions are on one of about a half dozen pull-down menus (file, edit, print, style, "special" ) etc. -- there is also a separate menu entitle "help" that has "all" the functions, but its purpose is really 2) by typing control-"character", where "character" is the first letter of the function you want, a portion of the "help" menu is displayed covering that function and others with the same initial letter; typing more characters (if necessary) moves down the menu to select the one you want, so "close" (a file) could be selected by ctrl-c l CR (if I remember right); 3) any function can have associated with it a single key "keyboard-equivalent", either option-character or apple-character -- it comes with predefined equivalents for the common functions (e.g., close is option-c) {no keyboard overlays! hurray}, but any existing one can be changed and unused ones assigned. single-keys (option or apple) can also be defined as macros. (my only disappointment here is that if, say option-x is defined as a macro, apple-x is also the same macro and would only have a different meaning if it were assigned as a keyboard-equivalent ot an existing function.) The numeric keypad is used as cursor control keys (as in the MS/DOS version.) User can select what colors he want the display to be in (text, highlighted text (e.g., current block), bolded text, background) All such things (keyboard-equivalents, varios default-settings) can be saved in a file that is automatically used set them on booting. The latest version (2.0d) still has a few minor bugs (e.g., it lost track of the end of page when there were too many footnotes; can't have both HEADER A and B on at the same time (not a real problem, since a header can be arbitrarily long)) but is already far more robust than 1.1 ever was and I think even than the last version of the MS/DOS one I used; the minor bugs will of course be corrected shortly -- we have been told that the remaining 4.2 features will also be incorportated. (no schedule) That help any? TMPLee@Dockmaster.ARPA