Re: Windoze questions

[Matt Clark clark@xxxxxxxx]

I should have made it clear that I have no reason to prefer Word
over Word Perfect. I don't do the sophisticated editing that
many users do, just writing and printing manuscript. BTW, Orbis
for XyW 4.0 was a total disaster in my hands.

> Since Matt recommends Word, and I just downed it, maybe I should say
> why. The only thing that makes a bloated program like WPW workable
> for me is direct access to the formatting codes. That is especially
> true in v. 6.1, since one can directly (i.e., as directly as WPW
> allows) change settings by clicking on the formatting code. I
> remember years ago working on an early version of WPDOS, when I
> finally learned about "reveal codes" I discovered that frustrating
> problems with formatting were largely due to codes I didn't know
> about, for instance, repeated strings of spacing codes most of which
> were cancelled out by those that followed but could still make trouble
> if you didn't know they were there. I consider the XyWrite approach,
> where you can instantly open any formatting delta and change it, to be
> a desirable norm, and simply wouldn't have the patience to grope
> around in a program where I couldn't find out exactly what codes were
> in play at a given point.
> > -- > Nathan Sivin
> History and Sociology of Science
> University of Pennsylvania
> Philadelphia PA 19104-3325
>