THE AUTO REPLACE ISSUE

[STEVE CRUTCHFIELD]

Enclosed is a copy of a letter I've sent to the VP of Marketing at XyQuest
about the recent removal of the "auto replace" function in XyWrite


August 13, 1990

Mr. James Adelson Vice President for Marketing XyQuest 44 Manning Road
Billerica, MA 01821

Dear Mr. Adelson:

I am writing to you to express my concern about the recent "downgrading" of
XyWrite III Plus. Specifically, I am very distressed at the decision to remove
the "auto replace" feature, whereby typographical errors can be automatically
corrected and abbreviations expanded "on the fly."

This particular feature is probably the single most useful capability I have
found in XyWrite. In my profession as an economist and program manager, I spent
a great deal of time writing documents that have many technical terms. For
example, I often have to write memos about agricultural nonpoint source
pollution or potential vulnerability to ground water contamination from
pesticides or fertilizers. It is a tremendous convenience to me to be able to
type "I often have to write memos about agl nsps or ptn vuln to gw ctm from
psts or frts" and have XyWrite expand my abbreviations. In addition, the
automatic spelling replacement feature proves invaluable in catching my
numerous typos. This frees me from the drudgery of thinking about my typing,
and instead permits me to concentrate on the substance of my writing.

I have used XyWrite exclusively since Version II in 1983. I have
enthusiastically recommended this program to countless friends and associates.
I have found that the auto replace feature, when used in a demonstration, is a
highly effective marketing tool: this feature alone has convinced nearly two
dozen friends to switch from competitive products to XyWrite.

I can appreciate the difficulty your recent legal conflict with the patent
holder for this feature can create. However, I find it astonishing that a
concept like "auto replace" can be patented. While of course I am not privy to
your discussions with the patent holder, lawyers I have talked to expressed
surprise that, barring any direct copying of source code by XyQuest, the patent
holder could press a case for patent infringement.

I strongly urge you to make every possible effort to return this valuable
feature to XyWrite IV. Surely a programming staff talented enough to produce
the best word processor on the market could figure out a way to retain this
feature without infringing upon anyone's patent.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,


Stephen R. Crutchfield

Agricultural Economist and Section Leader U.S. Dept of Agriculture, Economic
Research Service 1301 New York Ave NW Washington, DC 20002 (xxx) xxx-xxxx