In the world of word processors from A to Z, "Z" stands for XyWrite II+ (pronounced zyrite). It is probably the last word processor people consider among the group of first line processors, if they have even heard of it at all. It is not a newcomer to the word processing scene by any means having been adapted from a mainframe word processor called «MDBO»ATEX «MDNM»which has been widely used for quite some time in the publishing industry. «MDNM»The most recent incarnation of the product from XyQuest, Inc. «MDNM»was just released in the spring of this year. This will be a brief review concentrating mainly on special features.
During the past 18 months, I became an inveterate «MDBO»Wordstar«MDNM» hacker. Unfortunately, there were several things which «MDBO»Wordstar«MDNM» either did not do at all or did not do very elegantly. For example, research articles in my profession require a fairly flexible header/footer arrangement. Also, I needed access to the full range of special/scientific characters. In addition, there are special formatting needs for references. Most importantly, having just signed a contract for a major book on stress and health, I needed powerful formatting, indexing, and table of contents capabilities. As much as I loved «MDBO»Wordstar«MDNM», I would probably still be using it if it were not for the power, speed, and flexibility which «MDBO»XyWrite II+«MDNM» offers.
My rather compulsive and lengthy search for a word processor began this past summer. Still using «MDBO»Wordstar«MDNM» as the standard, and pouring over the «MDBO»PC Magazine«MDNM» major review of word processors, I inspected a number of programs that would meet my major criteria. When I narrowed the field to five, I obtained either demonstration programs or working programs of all. The five programs were «MDBO»«MDBO»Wordstar,«MDNM» «MDBO»«MDBO»XyWrite II+«MDNM», «MDBO»Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, and WordMarc.«MDNM» This list was rather quickly narrowed to just three programs«MDBO»«MDNM», «MDBO»«MDBO»XyWrite II+«MDNM», «MDBO»Microsoft Word, WordPerfect«MDNM». I very quickly came to the conclusion that «MDBO»XyWrite II+«MDNM» won hands down over the other two. It is easier to use, especially when one gets into the more complex aspects of text management and formatting, plus it is lightning quick.
Let me start with the unusual--support. How many companies would be willing to have their technical support staff spend more than 3 hours on the phone «MDBO»BEFORE YOU BUY «MDNM»just to help you understand the features of their software? I did just that and never encountered the slightest protest! Among the esoterica, I knew before I bought it that it would work on the AT under DOS 3.0, that it would soon support laser printers, that it would work with dBASE III for direct import of files, etc.
Also, during the first week of use, something didn't work right. I panicked. Had I made the wrong choice after all? It was Saturday afternoon, around 2:00 p. m. I called anyway. The response was instantaneous. A technical support person was the«MDBO»«MDNM»re, knew immediately what the problem was and provided me with complete information on the situation. In a time when the journals are full of complaints about paying customers not being able to get past the front office and then waiting sometimes days and weeks for technical support, this was indeed a breath of fresh air. Their support is fantastic«MDBO»«MDNM»! There is also XyWUG--you guessed it, a XyWrite users group which provides newsletters every other month for $10.00 per year.
Now, you are probably wondering about that something which didn't work right. It has to do with one of the most powerful features of «MDBO»«MDBO»«MDBO»XyWrite II+«MDNM»: direct access to DOS even while editing. In «MDBO»XyWrite II+«MDNM» you have a command line at the top of the screen where any one of nearly 100 commands can be entered to carry out certain functions such as search, change of case, etc. You can enter the DOS command and carry out chores which you «MDBO»«MDNM»need to do, such as formatting a new disk, operating another program, etc. Then, with the simple command «MDBO»EXIT«MDNM» at the A> prompt, you are zipped right back to your text, your cursor still exactly where you left«MDBO»«MDNM» it! The problem was that the manual said to give the CTRL-Break command to go back into editing. That was a DOS 1.1 command. In DOS 2.x, this had been changed to the command EXIT. Had I read the entire manual, I would have found the information in the technical«MDBO»«MDNM» section, but I had not gotten there as yet. When all else fails, read, right!
«MDBO»«MDBO»XyWrite II+«MDNM» also supports windows. You can split the screen vertically, horizontally, or front and back. If you have enough memory, you can go to another window, go into DOS, work in dBASE III for example, transport a table or set of records into the editor, modify it and then copy it over into the text still waiting in you«MDBO»«MDNM»r other window. «MDBO»«MDBO»XyWrite II+«MDNM» works entirely in ASCII and thus any other program which generates ASCII code can be worked on directly.
There is another very powerful feature--a program generator. You can develop editing programs to carry out particular chores automatically. Say you want to construct a form which will be filled in on the screen by the clerical staff with case/client specific information. The same general form might be used repeatedly but with different boiler-plate «MDBO»«MDNM»paragraphs or header information imported for different type of clientele. You could set up a «MDBO»XyWrite II+«MDNM» program which the staff could exec«MDBO»«MDNM»ute on the command line by typing in «MDBO»RUN program.nam.«MDNM» The program itself would consist of any commands, cursor moves, or disk calls which you might carry out manually. Immediately, the program could go to the disk, get your form, fill it with the specific boilerplate information, and be ready for the staff to fill in the additional information. Or say you wanted to search and replace some specific characters or words in a number of files. You could set up a program that would automatically do it.
Do you have your own special favorite key functions which you don't want to give up? «MDBO»XyWrite II+«MDNM» is a chameleon when it comes to the keyboard. It will be what ever word processor you want it to be in a matter of minutes. Do you want the Dvorak keyboard? About 30 minutes of work with the keyboard file and you have it. «MDBO»XyWrite II+«MDNM» has a small file called «MDBO»IBM.KBD«MDNM». The entire keyboard is mapped out with the ASCII codes for each key and what each key will put on the screen when it is struck. There is a separate map for each of the combinations of unshifted, shift, control, and alternate or combinations of shift/control etc. Following the keyboard map, there is a code=character list. If you want a key to do something different, change the character designation corresponding to the code of the key you want to use for that command. Virtually all of the 100 some commands can be mapped to the keyboard using very simple two letter codes for the command.
I said earlier that I had a great fondness for «MDBO»Wordstar«MDNM», especially the «MDBO»diamond «MDNM»cursor control arrangement on the left hand. Consider the possibility of duplicating but literally amplifying that diamond on the right hand. CTRL-I would move you up several lines instead of the one line which CTRL-E would move. CTRL-J would move you four words to the left instead of just one word as CTRL-A does. Using this procedure, I have customized my keyboard in a way which suits my style of work. The speed with which I now carry out editing procedures with my hands never having to leave the main alphanumeric section is on the order of magnitude increase.
In my estimation, «MDBO»XyWrite II+«MDNM» is much more flexible in cursor control and define functions than anything I have ever encountered. You can define anything from a letter to a word to a line to a paragraph with a single keystroke. When you want to define a paragraph, you can be anywhere in the paragraph. You don't have to mark the beginning and then the end as in «MDBO»Wordstar«MDNM». The same is true of any of the other defines. Moves and copies are single keystrokes after the define.
You can also define text and save it to a key with the F2 function key followed by the particular key you want it saved to. Then whenever you want that text, simply hit ALT+ the alphanumeric key. The text is zipped into your work instantly. How long can the text macros be? Up to 64K! Save a form on a key! Whatever you want, it doesn't make any difference.
The speed of the program is impressive. Remember searching for something in «MDBO»Wordstar«MDNM», especially a backward search in a long file? Or remember trying to go from the beginning of your file to the end to resume work? You could go make a cup of coffee and come back to hear the disks still grinding with «MDBO»Wordstar«MDNM». In «MDBO»XyWrite II+«MDNM», everything is held in memory. Virtually all functions and operations are instantaneous. Some of the chapters I work with are in the vicinity of 70K. When I call the file and have the cursor at the beginning, a single keystroke will take me to the end. A single eyeblink will miss the move! It is that fast.
Much of my writing requires special indentations for different types of text. I used to live in fear when reformatting under «MDBO»Wordstar«MDNM». One keystroke could undo specially formatted sections which had taken precious time getting correct in the first place. With «MDBO»XyWrite II+«MDNM», you merely tell it the format you want for each section of text, and until you change the embedded command (the embedded command shows as a bright triangle on the screen), the text formats the way you want it. For example, the command IP 5,0 will indent the first line of each paragraph 5 spaces and put all successive lines flush left. When you end a paragraph, you don't have to remember to indent the next line, it automatically is indented. Microsoft «MDBO»Word«MDNM» has similar impressive "stylesheet" features, but the process is much more complicated and slow.
Finally, «MDBO»XyWrite II+«MDNM» has very powerful footnote capability. When you want to insert a footnote, enter «MDBO»FN«MDNM» on the command line and an entry window opens in the text at the point of your cursor. The footnote is automatically numbered in sequence. You can type in whatever information you want and format it just as though it was text. It makes no difference where you are in your text. If you insert material with footnotes, all footnotes beyond are automatically resequenced. If you open a window and copy material from another file with embedded footnotes, the program will readjust all remaining footnotes in the supply file while simultaneously resequencing all footnotes in the targe file. Also, the footnotes can be at the bottom of the page, or at the end of the file.
I have only scratched the surface of the many features supported by «MDBO»XyWrite II+«MDNM». It sells for $295 retail and about $229 wholesale. The addition of the $60 IBM «MDBO»Word Proof«MDNM» spell checker gives all that the «MDBO»Wordstar«MDNM» pro pack gives plus a lot more. Take a look at this one if you are in the market for a high powered word processor.
