Msg: Re: Beginner's question + Euroscript.

On Mon, Nov 1, 2010 at 5:09 PM, Fred Weiner mailto:fw1948@xxxxxxxx wrote:

Ken, I can point you to a source where you will find Robert Holmgren's and Carl Distefano's XYWWWEB.U2 file, designed to work with XyWrite 4.016, a download of which is also, I believe, available there. This U2 file is a compendium of programs and routines covering a very great deal in creating an interface between XyWrite and Windows systems, including the routine TYP, which allows printing with any USB printer from within XyWrite. It works flawlessly in my setup. There's a learning curve for the use of U2, but the documentation is there for the motivated; very few will use the U2 in its entirety; and most of us on this list have experience with at least some of it. Welcome aboard. Fred Weiner.

On Mon, Nov 1, 2010 at 12:52 PM, Ken Tzrok mailto:tzykovomow@xxxxxxxx wrote:

Dear Xywrites,

This is my first (although probably pnot my last) post on this list, therefore A few introductory words:
I'm presently working on a philosophical thesis in German which is my
my mother tongue (sorry for my idiosyncratic English!). After getting mad at Word
for too many reassons to be listed, I decided to switched to Latex which produces nice
layouts but prevents from me from concentring on the text itself.

I then remembered that back in the mid 90s my roomate had this fantastic little but lightening-fast
Dos-program. When my notebook had been stolen, he let me type my schoolwork with it and he then
- with a few keystrokes - produced just any desired layout within seconds!

Years later, my roomate had moved to Canada by then and I was just frustrated by Word again, remembered that
wonderful little proggie and therefore called him to ask him the name of the program that I wanted to buy for myself.
He said that he believed it to be discontinued and that he himself didn't use it anymore, either. He therefore sent me the original
diskettes of Xy-Write4 which I installed on my old netbook that fortunately still works . Unfortunately they did not
come with any reference manual. And I had to learn that I was not patient or smart enough to figure out the necessary
functions myself.

As I am, somehow intuitively, convinced of the program's qualities and possibilities, I really want to give it a second try,
though. Therefore, I am happpy to have found this user community that hopefully will bear with me and a few beginner's questions_

1. Xy uses the ASCII-Code. I write most of my texts in German, though. "Umlaute" and "scharf S" seem to be
possible. By browisng through this list, I have also figured there is a (although very laboursome!) way to redefine the keyboard
(e.g. the exchanged position of the letters "y" and "x").

But apparently there is no way to produce standard German quotation marks that differ from the American ones ("text")
in that the beginning pair is in low position. I'm aware that there has been a German version of Xy-write called Euroscript which
would be the solution . I have asked friends, browsed shops, tried everything to get hold of it. I'm close to believing it has vanished from
this planet for good.

2. Can Xywrite, like e.g. Latex in combination with Biblatex, be set up to cooperate with Bibliography-formats? I'm exclusively using
the MLA-format and have encountered the name of a program called "Ibid" on this list. Is it part of the Xywrite-package? If not,
where could I get it from?

3. Although I'm primarily using postscript, I'm wondering if Xy-write4 be made to work with modern printers that connect to the USB-slot?

4. Is there any way for the beginner to get hold of handbooks, other reference material or instructional books for dummies? I am absolutely not interested in and incapable of programming, but would like to be able use the most common functions and, most of all, write, format and print out MLA-style papers in German.

Thank you very kindly for your patience. All hints and any help are very appreciated!
Ludwig