Re: Word and Happy99 and things

[Paul Williams paulwilliams5@xxxxxxxx]

Peter Evans wrote:

> Then *Computer Virus Myths* must have changed a bit since I last looked at it--when it talked about trojans and the like in Word macros, but not about viruses. (Sorry I can't check now: the WWW has slowed to a crawl.)
>

I am probably guilty of a terminological inexactitude but whatever this thing involving a macro
based on a template is it sounds nasty

> Huh? Yes, if you use XyWrite to write pure ASCII with no commands, you'll get pure ASCII. But merely by (for example) italicizing a single word, you're introducing non-ASCII.
>

Not really. The commands are still ASCII characters, they are just not alphabetic ones. I use
Microsoft Access to write XyWrite documents for me, and all the commands are indeed ASCII
characters.

>
> Eh? Rather, we have one for which people have little incentive (or fewer people have incentive) to write malicious software. Word is used by millions, Microsoft is hated by thousands. Xy is used by thousands, TTG is of course loved by all who know it. If the market share were reversed, I daresay somebody would write gigantic XPL programs that would have nasty little routines hidden away in them.

Yes but they would not come as macros with documents that might operate on their own .. But sigh, I
guess you are right about the numbers game.


>
> >So shouldn't they fix the ruddy bugs in XyWrite?
>
> They *are* fixing the bugs. After all, here's what they say on their web site (or said, the last time I checked):
>

Ah. And XyWin came out when? And has there been an update?

>
> >We constantly work to improve our products
>

>You are forgetting that XyWrite is basically for writers and
>editors (what is the name of the EXE file? uhhuh, uhuh).

>Cough. The bit about the name of the .EXE rather suggests that you're
>forgetting XyWin.

I think Leslie must be referring to the Atex spinoff which was indeed called Writer. I use XyWrite
for words and pictures, and it is the graphical interface that seems decidedly dodgy. Couldn't they
at least make it work with graphics other than .BMPs?

Paul Williams