Re: Is XY-Write a word-processor or a text editor?

[yesss@xxxxxxxx]

Michael Edwards: xyWrite 3 is a text editor in every way
but one: it forces a dos eof marker at the end of each
file. It prints an unbroken page to screen no matter how
long a file is, and includes powerful tools that let xpl
programmers adapt it to any system that requires ascii
32-127, which makes it an unrivaled front end for a compiler
or interpreter, for www, for dtp and older printing systems,
or any other work that demands a text editor.

xyW 3 and 4 also include a full set of built-in formatting
options that let you configure XyWrite as a front end
for office printers--i.e., let you use it as a full-featured
word processor. Indeed, xyWrite was marketed as such
although the many users who don't self-publish never
have occasion to use the word processing options
(their editors would have their heads if they did
because formatting is achieved by embedded codes
that are meaningful to office printers but are garbage
otherwise).

All releases force the eof marker. Unlike xyW3, xyWin
and winNB and I believe xyDos 4 also impose displayed
word processing page breaks on formatted view, making
v3 better-suited to jobs that want a text editor. But
those newer releases also have powerful programming
tools; slightly more sophisticated formatting options
plus an editable gui print preview probably make them
better front ends for office printers. Unless your
system is standardized on PostScript, your best
choice may well be winNB; XyWrite's developer doesn't
devote a whole lot of resources to keeping printer
drivers up to date or otherwise supporting it
(witness the archives of this list).

If you're looking for "the world's best word-processor,"
xyWrite is almost certainly the wrong app for you. Who
knows what that empty claim means to you or the person
who made it? If you want a uniquely powerful and elastic
command-driven text editor that also formats for office
printers, xyWrite 4--dos or Windows--or winNB may meet
your needs, but xyWrite's not for everyone; for price
and purchasing info look to TTG (xyW4) or NotaBene
(get their urls from the archive or a search engine).
If your brother wants a uniquely powerful and elastic
dos programming editor, he couldn't do better than
xyWrite 3 (if he could find a copy for sale) ... Ciao.		--a

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