Is XY-Write a word-processor or a text editor?

["Michael Edwards" mje@xxxxxxxx]

                         Michael Edwards.

   I've been quiet so long list members may not remember me, but I'm still
around, and still interested in getting XY-Write. It's just that I've had many
other things distract me recently, and I've lost track of various mailing lists
in recent months.

   My question now is so obvious that that is probably why it's never been
mentioned on the list as far as I recall - but all the same I am not sure of the
answer to it.
   Put simply: Is XY-Write a full-featured word-processor, with various
formatting capacities, or is it simply a text editor, producing only pure-text
files? I've always thought it was a proper word-processor and never thought to
question that. (Indeed, I have read the seemingly extravagant claim that it is
the world's best word-processor, and I think that's what interested me about it
in the first place.) But when I mentioned it to my brother, who is a computer
professional, and therefore presumably knows what he is talking about, he said
he was sure that XY-Write was only a fancy text editor, not a real
word-processor.
   I still think he might be mistaken, but it's raised enough doubts in my
mind to ask about it now. It will have a bearing on how suitable XY-Write will
be for me. (I hope it is suitable for me, because from what I've read, it
sounds like the kind of program I would like.)

   Also, I once or twice tried visiting a web page (I can't remember the
U.R.L. just now, but I think it's kept by someone on this list) where I was told
you could download a trial version of XY-Write - but when I tried getting the
zip file, my computer just slowed down to a crawl (it didn't freeze or crash),
and I had to give up. What am I doing wrong? Is that file corrupt in some way?
Is it a cut-down version, or time-limitede in some way? I suppose it would at
least be good for giving the program a try to see if I like it.

   I'm starting to get close to being ready to buy XY-Write. Could anyone
please suggest the best way of getting it? Would you ever find it for sale in
software stores, or do you have to order it over the Internet?
   Also, I would appreciate some idea of what it would cost. I suppose that
would be in U.S. dollars, but, the way the Australian dollar is, just double the
figure and I guess it wouldn't be too far off.

   Thanks to anyone who can answer these points.

             Regards,
             Michael Edwards.