Re: survey on XW use

["..." adpf@xxxxxxxx]

Hi, Steve Shaw. *Bless* you for not biting (and any response would have
been a bite) on Seaver's bait. What follows is all rather boring; I
really just wanted to say that I appreciate the spirit of your msg.
Anyone who installs an OS because of what s/he reads on the 'net deserves
what s/he gets, but finding a mailbox stuffed with also-ran-OS cultspam
is tiresome. At least what comes via the xylist is always under a
predictable handful of names, so is easily disposed of on recognition.
....

Truth to tell, these days I mostly use xyWrite--and anything that doesn't
intrinsically demand a gui--under the late, lamented DRI's robust DR DOS
6. I seem to be constitutionally unable to write or edit in the presence
of the distractions guis offer. When I need to taskswitch xyWrite with an
app like CorelDraw that requires a gui I use the only 80x86 gui with
consequential native apps much as I would use Warp if it were the lone
80x86 OS: without enthusiasm and without apology. (At least MS never came
thisclose to murdering xyW.) In comp.lang.c I once saw the query "How do
you reboot under Windows?" answered, "Use a DOS app." ;) I try to
remember to save often.

I use xyW almost exclusively as a front end; on the rare occasions when I
print I export first to a gui app or utility--GeoWrite/Draw (part of the
Ensemble suite) or a PostScript software interpreter/viewer if not
QuarkXPress. xyDos 4 has some really nice features but so many cranky
habits--especially in the way the CMline handles input--that I use v3
unless working on a file so big it would make v3 burp. I never bought
xyWin but expect this new beast TTG is laboring on to do some things that
will break down my resistance. I should mention that I use Windows 3.11
(WfWG "lite"--no network files). The only negative reports on win95 I'm
aware of are postings by folks who exhibit pathological MSophobia.
Upgrading my 8-meg 386dx25 so I can use it is tempting, but the most
compelling software I know of that demands win95 is the JDK and Java
applets, which so far seem to be trivial.

My ISP provides a full array of Windows 'netware, but I prefer my shell
acct, especially for the ease of uploading a bunch of email prepped as
xyW files without having to fool around with a clipboard. My de facto
offline reader/mailer is an integrated set of xpl programs and QModem
scripts I wrote. Lynx is a joy for both clarity and speed. When I find a
Web site that looks like it would be fun with Navigator I note it for a
late-night excursion. Must try www.ttg.com to see what happens.  ...
Ciao. 	--Annie

============================= adpFisher  nyc