Re: TTG marketing woes

[James Besser jbesser@xxxxxxxx]

** Reply to note from Charles Creesy  02/02/96
09:36am EST

> My complaint with all the Windows-based word processors, XyWrite
> included, is that they do not have a true draft mode (as XyWrite 4 for DOS
> and its predecessors do): big easy-to-read type, all coding revealed,
> etc., the old-fashioned ascii screen. Now I'm growing old and my eyesight
> is getting bad but I know productivity is enhanced even for young, well-
> sighted WRITERS when they can really see what they are doing. I find
> WordWin and AmiPro and the rest horribly hard to read.

You've put your finger on the most important factor keeping a lot of us with
XyWrite/Dos.

I've played with a lot of Windows and OS2 word processors. Many of them can now
match XY in speed, and are much better in terms of features. I was astonished
at how configurable WP/Windows is, and how easy it is to r emap the keyboard.

But none of these programs offers a screen that I can stare at for 10 hours a day.
DeScribe, with a reasonably useful text mode, comes closest, but even that isn't as
easy to read as the basic XyWrite screen.

So...when one of these pgrams finally does develop a draft mode option that's usable, a
lot of XyWrite users will probably make the switch.

>From my own point of view, Xy/Dos remains the best choice for daily writing and
editing. But I would not invest any more money in XyWrite products, because I don't
believe the company--with no advertising, no contacts with its user base, almost no
upgrades--is really committed to the product's survival.

jb


        ***James D. Besser, Washington correspondent ***
 Fax: 703-978-3675 * E-mail: jbesser@xxxxxxxx or 4212207@xxxxxxxx ***