Re: Public Domain

[Peter Evans peterev@xxxxxxxx]

Kenneth B. Frank writes that SmartWords can be used on a standalone
computer, doesn't necessitate a Q&A session, and has a command line
interface and configurable keyboard.

(And all that under the title "Re: Public Domain". Whoopee!)

So it sounds as if it can be used as XyWrite 5 (even though that isn't how
it is being advertised). Good.

But how is it at footnote placement? Xy4 tends to shove footnotes onto the
following page (or even the one after that), whereas Xy3 is superb.

Though I'm more interested in a debugged Xy 4.2 for Win95 than in more
features and bells and whistles (and fresh bugs), here are two features I
would like:

* A British spelling checker. My taste in spelling is a hybrid of
"standard American" and "standard British"; however, many Brits are
absurdly xenophobic about spelling, and (they know I'm a Brit) I have to
use British spelling when writing to them. (Note that even the modestly
priced shareware text editor TextPad comes with numerous spelling
dictionaries.)

* Automatic centering (etc.) of footnotes where appropriate. The more
academic books published by Oxford University Press are elegantly laid out,
and one reason for this is their observance of *Hart's Rules for
Compositors and Editors*. I have a copy of the 39th edition; this devotes
two pages (142-3) to footnotes, and among other things says:

 One single-line note on a page should be centred; two or more single-
 line notes on a page should be ranged on the left, the whole being
 centered on the longest.

 A short note may be set complete in the break-line of another note
 provided it is set full right, preferably with more than three ems
 between the notes.

 Short notes may be run on in the same line with preferably at least
 3 ems between them, the line being centred. Where there are several
 short footnotes, they should be ranged in columns with a minimum of
 a 3-em space between the longest lines in the columns.

If you find this a bit hard to grasp, it is. But all will be clear if you
read it while referring to a book published by OUP; if you lack such a book
I can fax you sample pages.
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Peter Evans