Re: Nota Bene

[Dorothy Day day@xxxxxxxx]

On Sun, 26 Oct 1997 jbesser@xxxxxxxx wrote:

> Uh...I know this isn't a list for Nota Bene, but since I'm contemplating
> a switch from Xy/Dos to NB, I can't think of anybody more qualified to
> answer some questions than you folks....
>
> I'm thinking of changing because like many users, I'm tired of unfixed
> bugs, and because I am hopeful thje text indexing/search module of NB can
> solve some problems for me.

Hi James,

There are a few NB users also reading the Xy list because we bought
XyWin as a "bridge" to windows printing--so you can get answers informed
by both programs.

>
> Questions:
>
> * Will the text indexing module (Orbis???) work properly with XyWrite/Dos
> files? I have thousands, I don't want to convert them all.

Any file that is basically Xy III+ will be absolutely no problem. NB 3.x
files were precisely Xy III+ in format. NB4.x has departed slightly,
which means that there a few deltas that Xy versions won't recognize
(e.g. using TW instead of RM for text width, or some "new" feature not
in Xy versions). That means that Orbis will index and display Xy files
as native, but those RM deltas will get changed to TW if you edit &
save--something that took a little getting used to for NB users moving
to 4.0 also.

>
> * I understand the keyboard isn't as configurable. How configurable IS it?
>

Don't know where you heard this. Exactly the same process. The NB editor
is just the Xy editor, with a few enhancements, and keyboard files are
even more elaborately customized. Granted, more function keys are
pre-configured with calls from the HELP file, but you can move those to
any other keys if you don't like their location on the keyboard.

> * What speller do they use? After playing with all the major Windows WPs,
> I find the XyWrite/Dos Microlytics is still the best speller around.
> What does NB use, and how does it stack up?

Same old spell-checker. If you like it, you'll be happy. Some folks
grumble about say the French version, but that's another story.

>
> * Is anybody using NB under OS/2 and Win95? I'd be using it under both.
>

You should ask that on the NB listserv (notabene@xxxxxxxx), where
several users do work with OS/2. Far more use it with Win95 (and I do),
and I'm quite pleased with its functioning. The (current) DOS version
does require a lot of lower memory, so it helps to not load a bunch of
TSRs--but the real memory hogs (spell-checking, Orbis, and Ibid
processing) use Extended memory (in either Dos or Windows), so that's
effectively resolved. The hope for the anticipated Windows version (I
don't hold my breath, but maybe first quarter next year?) is to be
freed of Dos memory tyranny entirely, and to have Windows printer
drivers for everything. For Lingua (the multi-lingual enhanced version
with about 3000 characters to design fonts for), that will probably take
a bit longer than the basic version.

> * Do XPL programs work under NB, given its Xy engine?

Yes, just the same as Xy--though some Xy4 calls may not work, and some
NB4.5 calls may be new to you. I've got customized versions from some of
the Xy list members that work fine with NB, so it's not an
insurmountable problem.

Good luck!
	Dorothy


*****
Dorothy Day			
School of Library and Information Science
Indiana University
day@xxxxxxxx	
*****
	"He also surfs who only sits and waits."