Re: Public Domain

[Peter Evans peterev@xxxxxxxx]

Kenneth B. Frank writes:

>I just didn't want anyone to spend too much time thinking about [the
>donation of XyWrite code to the public domain] since it simply doesn't
>seem feasible.

Well, if a major reason for this is that Xy and SmartWords are so
intertwined, I'd like to hear more about the latter. I managed to find
your website--Altavista couldn't find it; I had to read an old message
posted here--and read your description of SmartWords. It's written at a
baffling level of abstraction, but I tried my best. Two points. . .

First, I'm alarmed to hear that the program is

>[d]esigned from the ground up to be used on networks by groups of people
>working on related matters

I'm a single person who has never worked on anything in a group and hopes
never to have to. (I don't suppose that this puts me in a small minority
among XyWrite users.) Will I have to "log in" to this program in order to
use it? Can I disable the workgroup features?

More alarmingly:

>With SmartWords, a user is led step-by-step through a dialog with the
>computer where a series of questions are asked. . . .

This may be a recipe for commercial success, but to me it sounds like the
antithesis of XyWrite and of any program I want to use more than once a
month. You do add that

>the SmartWords editor can be configured to resemble their word processor.
>In this way, use of SmartWords will not require any substantial retraining
>for the word processing component.

This sounds promising. Do you mean that it can have a command line, and
that, as in XyWrite, any key combination whatever can be programmed as
anything whatever?

At present, I'm mildly interested in SmartWords but until I hear more (e.g.
on how it has been beta-tested) have no desire to pay any money for it. On
the other hand, I'd be willing to pay for a scrupulously debugged Win95
version of XyWrite with certain features added (even if these features slow
it down a little). Others appear to be willing to pay for a tweaked and
scrupulously debugged XyWrite for DOS (with no loss of speed). If we can't
appeal to your generosity, can't we tempt you with cash?
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Peter Evans