Re: Version confusion.

[cld@xxxxxxxx (Carl Distefano)]

Reply to note from "Michael Edwards"  Wed, 20 Dec
2000 13:59:43 +1100

-> Does anyone have any thoughts about these version questions -
-> or should I forget it all and just accept the recent version 4
-> I've been offered?

Michael:

Why not test before you buy? You can download fully-functional trial
versions of both 3 and 4 from publicly-available sources. Go to
http://users.datarealm.com/xywwweb/#xylite to learn how. Play with both
versions for a while, then decide for yourself.

Since you hardly know XyWrite and are just beginning to figure out if
it's for you, it doesn't matter much which version you test first. The
Inuit have at least 10 different words for the crystalline form of
precipitation, but to the rest of us it's all snow. I think you'll find
that 3 and 4 look, feel and behave very much alike. Both have a command
line and a similar mnemonic command set (4's is larger), both are nimble
text editors, both do lightning-fast search and replace (which is *not*,
by the way, the function that was temporarily crippled due to
litigation), and both are highly customizable. Version 3 is very
portable (a full installation fits on a single floppy); version 4 has
additional functionality, better memory management and handles larger
files. One advantage of 4 from the beginner's point of view is that it
comes with Common User Access menus that allow you to start using it
without knowing any commands. To get the real Xy-experience, however,
you'll need to learn some commands.

The version you eventually adopt -- if you like XyWrite at all -- will
depend on your personal preferences and needs. What brings you to these
Arctic climes? Why *are* you considering XyWrite?

--
Carl Distefano
cld@xxxxxxxx
http://users.datarealm.com/xywwweb/