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1991-06-20
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The WordPerfect Book, 3rd Edition
Copyright 1991 David Batterson
I first used WordPerfect in 1990, when I was on a temporary tech writing
assignment. It wasn't by choice that I used WordPerfect 5.1, either. The
company wanted their people to use it, but there weren't any manuals.
Although I had heard horror stories about how difficult it was to learn
WordPerfect, it wasn't as bad as I thought. I learned it quickly. The program
is awkward, though, and I don't recommend it. I tell people to buy
Professional Write instead.
I used to wonder why there were so many books on WordPerfect published
every year. The answer is twofold.
In the first place, users have told me that the WordPerfect manual isn't
very good. A second reason is that there are so many pirated copies of
WordPerfect in use, because WordPerfect is the office standard. It's much
cheaper to copy the disks illegally, and then buy a book.
With all this said, let's look at The WordPerfect Book, Third Edition, by
Leo J. Scanlon. The author is a programmer at IBM, and has written more than
20 computer books.
Scanlon shows his bias for IBM computers right away. He writes that "to
use WordPerfect, you need an IBM Personal Computer or Personal System 2, or
equivalent . . ." Come on; why not just say an "IBM clone?" That's what most
users buy today.
We also see an illustration of the IBM PC (not AT) keyboard. What are
these writers thinking about? That keyboard is atrocious. It has the <|\> key
between <Z> and <left-shift>, undersized <Backspace> and <Enter> keys, and an
inferior numeric keypad.
Does the author think most users are still banging away on old IBM PCs
with bad keyboards? I'll stick with Northgate keyboards, thanks, and I don't
buy IBM products.
The WordPerfect Book covers WordPerfect versions 4.1, 4.2, 5.0 and 5.1.
The "intended audience" is the person with "no prior word processing or
computer experience beyond the simple ability to start up your computer."
I'm glad I read that sentence, because the book seems very superficial in
some sections. Do users really ask questions like: "Why does everything I
type appear as capital letters?" and "How can I make something appear on a line
all by itself?" Maybe they do.
Much of the early part of the book doesn't seem to go beyond what the
manual describes. I've never seen a WordPerfect manual, though.
Appendix A contains DOS-command filler. Appendixes B through D
contain 41 pages that are simply a list of features found in the four
WordPerfect versions. This seems aimed at the software pirates. If you
already had the manual, would you need that information?
The WordPerfect Book does contain useful information and more complex
subjects, such as macros, form letters, graphics, equation boxes, and more. So
some users will find the $17.95 list price acceptable. I think $7.95 would be
a more suitable price.
The publisher is Windcrest Books, an imprint of TAB BOOKS, Blue Ridge
Summit, PA 17294-0850. To order, call 1-800-822-8158. TAB offers a money
back guarantee on its books, if you return them within 15 days.
#
The reviewer used Professional Write 2.2 to write this review. Send any
comments via MCI Mail: 273-7218.
Addendum:
~~~~~~~~~
WordPerfect 5.1 Macros
WordPerfect 5.1 Macros is another Windcrest Book. The authors are Donna
M. Mosich, Robert Bixby and Pamela Adams-Regan, all computer professionals and
tech writers.
Since I don't use WordPerfect, I was unable to try out any of the
macro techniques, nor use the ready-to-use macros on disk (over 225). I did
want to mention the book, though.
Priced at $26.95, WordPerfect 5.1 Macros seems more of a bargain than The
WordPerfect Book. I can recommend it to experienced WordPerfect users, after
browsing though it.
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