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******************************************************************************* * STatus Disk Magazine * * Issue 1, Volume 1 * * * * NOTE: This issue is to be copied freely by Atari ST users. We at STatus * * strictly prohibit anyone selling this issue as part of a Shareware or PD * * collection. * * * * STatus Disk Magazine * * Suite 299 * * 4431 Lehigh Road * * College Park, MD 20740 * * * * STatus Disk Magazine (c) 1989, is a COMMERCIAL effort. * ******************************************************************************* WordPerfect vs. WordWriter ST WordWriter ST has been a hugely popular word processor for the Atari ST, due to its well written user interface and WWSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) display. Its user friendliness is hard to match in any other word processor. My loyal word processing program for over two years, I realized that in typing more complex documents there was a need for a program with added flexibility. Alas, there is, indeed, a program that offers versatility and its companion complexity on a scale far beyond that of Word Writer ST - the well known WordPerfect (WP) from the IBM world, now ported to the ST. WordWriter ST (WWST) costs much less than WP, found at most retailers for $60-75, where WP is often discounted to $185-190 but lists for much more. WWST makes extensive use of the GEM interface; pull-down menus contain nearly all of its functions, although there are <alt> keypress combinations available for many of them. WP, a product of the MS-DOS world, is really meant as a keyboard intensive program making extensive use of the function keys themselves and in combination with the <shift>, <alt> and <control> keys. Sub menu choices that are a staple of life in WP are fast and easy to use, normally requiring a 1-key press of a numeric value (mouse clicks can be used also for die-hard mouse fans). These keystrokes can become quite a chore in themselves; although the program acts quickly on them, just "going through the motions" can be an unwelcome chore in typing a document. Macros to the rescue - WP allows you to "define" and name your common keystrokes into macros, and call them up at any time, providing a high degree of automation for many functions - some of them that are frankly too much trouble to perform without this help on a repetitive basis. Both programs offer excellent installation programs and instruction manuals. A comparison here is in order to illustrate the power behind WP: the WWST manual, contained in a slick plastic book on easily read glossy pages, is only 150 pages in length and much of that involves hand-holding for novice ST users that the more advanced user will quickly find no use for. By contrast, WP's manual spans nearly 600 pages, nearly 300 of that used in its massive, time consuming tutorial. It is imperative, however, that the buyer of WP go through at least half of this tutorial in order to avoid some frustration and to pick up on the true power of this program. Remember those advertisements where WP proclaims "some spelling checkers are better than others?" They are correct. WWST has greatly enhanced its spellchecker in version 2.0 as it is now expandable; however, it fails to find common words, so that this expand-ability is imperative. WP boasts a dictionary at least 115,000 words. Double words are checked for, and phonetic lookups can be performed in case you "know how it sounds but not how to spell it." Even wild card letters are supported. The thesaurus can be opened up into three windows with scroll bars. Thus, if the suggestions from the thesaurus are not quite what you were looking for, you can click on the closest word and WP will fill up to three windows with suggestions. While WWST's somewhat simpler spell functions suffice for most applications, it DOES have one feature WP does not: online spell checking. As an automatic drawback, it must be mentioned again that WWST will stop you frequently for words that should be in the dictionary; therefore the online spell checker can become a nuisance. Worse, the selector box for WWST can be drawn at different places on your screen, requiring you to aim for it with the mouse as you spell check. Also the WWST online spell checker is marred by a slowdown in system response; the screen draws are too slow anyway for fast typists, but with the online spell checker enabled, the speed slowdown can cause typing errors and more frustration. (Turbo ST v.1.6 improves speed of screen draws of both programs, and WWST benefits the most when it encounters "end of line word wrap" which causes a distracting buffering of characters that "spill out" once you are several characters into the next line. With Turbo 1.6 installed, this effect is lessened considerably). WWST is blessed with a semi WWSIWYG display; there are no hidden surprises come print time. WP is cursed with a "reveal codes" window, which splits the screen between your text and a window beneath that includes the codes for centering, justification, hard returns, etc. Making adjustments to text is relatively easy with WWST, and paragraphs or a whole document can be easily reformatted. Alter your paragraph from WP and you may be in for some rude surprises at print time - it may appear full of "holes" or other formatting errors. Should you decide to delete text, you have to be very careful to have your codes in order as well; you MUST use this window to extract the code used to implement the command the program has used. Now, at last, with the Summer '89 (July 31, 1989) update to WP for the ST, there is some relief in the form of the "Atari Screen Printer (preview)." Essentially, you can select this print driver to print to disk your file as it will appear on the printer, which could save potentially many sheets of paper and printer noise. The Summer '89 update allows for use of any "standard ST" file selector in place of the unique WP selector. I am one, however, who has become impressed by WP's selector so much that it is the one of choice for me! From within this menu, files/folders can be selected, and files loaded from disk into WP, as well as the usual saving, deleting, and a unique word search through files. Thus, if you can just remember one word that was unique to the report you're trying to find on a disk of 100 similar reports, WP can search out this word without having to open all the files. You can "look" at ASCII files but it doesn't work well; the formatting is so badly destroyed if there are hard carriage returns, the text is almost unreadable. WWST, of course, makes full use of your favorite GEM file selector box (UIS II, for example). Just mapping out the beginning of typing a letter can reveal the differences between programs. In WWST, you double click on the program, and are given a file selector with "Open..." where you select a name for your file and are give a full open window to begin typing the date, for example. With WP, you launch the program, and begin typing right away...however, you might have established along the way a macro to, say, insert the date automatically, and space down to exactly where you would start typing the address or body of the letter. I named my macro "start" but could have made it an <alternate> combination which would have been very easy to invoke without even entering the "macro" command from the function keys. Speaking of macros, they can be used for many simple as well as complex functions; not only the ones mentioned before, but it can also be used in conjunction with search for automated repeat word searches - and then to go fully into the power of the program, these searches could result in an index generated from the places where these searches occurred. The implications of this are that you could program those macros to do some truly awesome things...if you had the time... WWST and WP do not allow importing of graphics. That's the bottom line, as of this date...no pictures! In the IBM world, at least WP does (5.0) allow graphics...I'm not sure about Beyond WordWriter. A final note about WWSIWYG between the two programs: WWST faithfully reproduces on the screen what you'll see at print time. WP is a hazardous guess at best, especially if you've edited text containing special codes, and paragraph structures that combine "hard" returns and "soft" returns. Super and Sub- script characters are represented accurately in WWST and WP is left in the dust on this small, but eye-catching point. Standard sized characters are displayed with super or sub-script chosen; you and only you know for sure if the job has been done correctly until print time. There is no such guessing with WWST with its accurate screen depiction. Of course, you can use your "reveal codes" window on WP and cross your fingers that your print-time results will match your expectations. Most text placement functions are handled well with both programs, although you can expect that WP will in most cases offer much more in depth of choices. Some "tricks" that WP can do include "case convert" for intelligent conversion between upper and lower case. You have to manually fix the proper nouns, of course. WP can handle multiple column text, WWST cannot. Printing Your Masterpiece Even in the print functions both programs are very different, though both capable. Trusty WWST has you choose a printer definition and install it. One printer, that is. WP allows you to define several printers and choose from among them at print time. With WWST, you can print to disk OR one printer. With WP, options are allowed for several printers and destinations, as well as a screen that shows the status of jobs printing - and the capability of deleting jobs in queue or modifying their queue status. Both programs allow on-line help screens...a feature often overlooked! Once you've set up your program use the HELP feature and you may well avoid having to hit the book. To print an entire document in a non-standard font, with WWST you'll have to find the corresponding code for your printer and imbed it in the first line of the text window. WP merely allows you to enter a sub-menu and select the font by a single digit number, already defined by your printer driver. If the printer is capable, WP allows access through the keyboard of all the Atari character set. It also has a graphing function, border drawing, and math functions (spreadsheet-like math operations). Recommendations WWST is tried and true, and WWSIWYG. This, coupled with its low price has endeared it to many ST users. WP is more of a "power" word processor for those who MUST have nearly infinite flexibility. Of course, the price is higher in many ways: retail, time spent in training, and time spent in actually processing a document. It is the ultimate first-time word processor, and indeed, all most people who merely need simple personal or business letters will need. When complex reports, math functions, the need for enhancements like multiple columns becomes a purchase consideration, the scale tips toward the complex but satisfying WP. There's a huge difference in complexity; WWST could be run by many people right from the box with no instructions. Not so with WP. Their tutorials will send your mind reeling back to the days of English 101. Should business applications, such as form letters, complex documents such as wills with exacting specifications be a consideration, WP is the only program that will offer the total flexibility required. It will take much longer to learn, and I am convinced that it is still not quite perfect. While writing this article, I received a two bomb salute (bus error). However, I have WP set to do automatic backups every 7 minutes. Therefore, when entering the program after the crash, WP nearly automatically knew to present me with that backup file so that I could continue working with it, or at least rename it to the name I wanted attached to the file. I've never crashed WWST on a "sane" ST, so a backup in that program is of less importance, although you SHOULD save your work frequently in case you made some drastic changes you want to go back on. Beyond WordWriter has been issued in Europe, though Timeworks has no plans for importing it to us; and because WWST is inherently less complicated, customer support via telephone is of much less importance. Timeworks is available by phone, but WordPerfect is known for its ongoing customer support and should you explore some of the complicated avenues offered through WP, and get into a bind, or discover a bug, they will offer help. Best of all, WP sends out a periodical informing registered users of updates and enhancements of all their products as well as direct responses by phone or mail to queries about updates. The evolution of WWST seems to have been frozen by Timeworks, whereas WP, which announced at one time that it was headed in the same direction, is once again at our sides supplying us with a professional, widely known and recognized program for the ST and is, in fact, continually enhancing it. It is still not certain if we will one day see a graphics preview or graphics importation, as 5.0 does on the IBM, but at any rate it is a honor for ST'ers to have the choice of such a powerful program, the very same one for which many books have been written (books that tell "how to get the most out of WP). When WWST was upgraded from version 1.0 to 2.0, they did not notify me; I had heard about the upgrade and had to call them. There have been student discounts for WP, and I would strongly recommend anyone in school taking advantage of this offer. Otherwise, it's a matter of complexity and diversity. WP is complex and diverse, and WWST is capable but much simpler at perhaps 1/4th the price of WP. If ease of use is of prime importance to you, WWST is the choice; it can be up and running for you very quickly after you start it. Simple letters and documents are it's specialties (both programs have mail merge functions). For technical papers with graphs, headers, footnotes, multiple columns, etc., WP is the choice. WordPerfect Corporation 288 West Center Street Orem, Utah 84057 Timeworks 444 Lake Cook Road Deerfield, Illinois 60015