Programs for Macintosh Grow by 2
Until recently, hot-selling Microsoft Word was the only full-featured word processing program for the Apple Macintosh. It offers a spell checker, the ability to edit several documents at a time and a reasonable amount of control over the appearance of a document.
But now two more companies are in the market. Last month WordPerfect Corp. released WordPerfect for the Macintosh, which retails for $399, and then Ashton-Tate weighed in with FullWrite Professional, a $395 program.
Both companies have a great deal of clout. WordPerfect publishes the leading word processing program for IBM PC and compatible machines, while Ashton-Tate dominates the IBM PC database market with dBase III.
Their Macintosh word processing offerings arguably are richer in features than Microsoft Word. However, after testing all three (using both a standard Mac SE and a souped up Mac II), I’m going to stick with Word, at least for the time being.
WordPerfect and FullWrite are very ambitious programs, but like luxury limousines, they can be a bit sluggish at times. As with most computer software, the delays are subtle, but still noticeable when using a standard Macintosh SE. Both programs performed well when tested on a Macintosh II, but that machine computes four times faster than an SE. Word is fast on any Macintosh.
My main complaint about FullWrite is that it takes up a lot of memory--up to 1,124 kilobytes--and most Macintoshes have only 1,024 kilobytes, or one megabyte, of memory. The program can be run on one-megabyte machines if you have nothing else in your computer’s memory. Like most Mac owners, however, I generally use desk accessories, software that is available while other programs are in use. So I had to remove some of the desk accessories before I could use FullWrite on my one megabyte SE. I highly recommend at least two megabytes for optimal performance.
‘Posted’ Notes
Nevertheless, FullWrite has some very impressive features, especially if you’re planning to use your Macintosh to produce publications. Normally, if you plan to mix text and graphics, you need to buy two or more programs--one for word processing, a second to help lay out text and graphics on the page and perhaps a third for doing drawings.
But FullWrite performs all of those functions. Its built-in drawing features allow you to draw boxes, circles, lines and other objects. The program also lets you encircle a graphic with text. That trick previously required a special desktop publishing program such as Aldus PageMaker.
Another unique FullWrite feature allows you to place “posted” notes anywhere in your text, notes that appear on the computer screen but not on the printout.
Both FullWrite and Word allow you to create “styles” that can customize the appearance of your documents. Styles are stored and used as often as necessary. WordPerfect lacks styles, but, unlike the others, it has macros that allow you to assign a sequence of commands to a single key. Both styles and macros can be big time savers.
FullWrite also has “smart quotes.” For example, if you look at the quotation marks in this newspaper, you’ll notice that they lean toward the text they surround. On the other hand, quotation marks made by typewriters and most computer programs are straight up and down. The leaning quotes as well as apostrophes help give your document a professional typeset look. All Macintosh programs can create leaning quotes, but most require some hard-to-remember keystrokes.
All three word processors are able to check and help correct spelling. But FullWrite and WordPerfect also have thesauruses, allowing you to find synonyms for any word in your text.
FullWrite has an easy-to-use outlining feature that enables you to create outlines that can later be modified or merged into the text itself. Word’s outline feature is so difficult to use that I consider it worthless. WordPerfect does not offer this feature.
Need to keep track of the length of your documents? FullWrite has a “get info” option that tells you the number of characters, words, lines and paragraphs. It also displays the number of keystrokes and the time spent on the document. Efficiency experts can have fun with that one.
Finally, FullWrite has a “readability” index that indicates the education level (from first grade through college) necessary to understand your document. According to FullWrite, this article is appropriate for someone with at least a ninth-grade education.
Creating a multicolumn document can make your work look more professional. Both FullWrite and WordPerfect allow you to see two or more columns on the screen. Word also lets you divide your page into columns, but you can’t see them on the screen unless you invoke a special “preview” mode.
WordPerfect’s Mac edition borrows many of the features that made its IBM PC version so popular. One handy feature will find all documents on your disk that contain a specified word or short phrase. Another nice WordPerfect feature allows you to insert the contents of a file anywhere within another file. That’s a good way to insert boilerplate paragraphs into your text.
Bug-Free Software
Also, WordPerfect is the first word processing program to display color on a Macintosh II. Considering that most printers can print only black, color at first seems superfluous. But it can make the display easier on the eyes. I configured WordPerfect to display dark blue letters against a light blue background and found it easier to read than black on white.
Although WordPerfect and FullWrite have some very impressive features, I have several reasons for staying with Word.
To begin with, I know it well. Learning to fully exploit a program’s feature is no easy task.
Second, Word is bug-free and runs efficiently on any Macintosh with at least 512K of memory. WordPerfect sometimes crashes when used with Apple’s “Multi-Finder” operating system (Multi-Finder lets you run more than one program at a time). FullWrite, as I mentioned earlier, is a memory hog.
Finally, some of the benefits of FullWrite and WordPerfect can be achieved by using additional software that works with Word. If you want macros, for example, you can supplement Word with QuickKeys, from Des Moines, Iowa-based CE Software or Tempo II from Affinity Microsystems in Boulder, Colo. If you want drawings, you can use graphics from any drawing or painting program.
If you’re tempted by FullWrite or WordPerfect, I recommend that you wait, at least a few weeks, before buying. Word 3.0 was buggy when it came out but has since been fixed with version 3.01. Ashton-Tate and WordPerfect have indicated plans for revisions. Until the revisions are released, I’d let others be the guinea pigs.
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FULLWRITE PROFESSIONAL AND WORDPERFECT: THE SPECS Features FullWrite offers drawing capabilities; graphics features include multiple on-screen columns and the ability to wrap text around graphics. The program has posted notes, sidebars, endnotes, manual kerning (adjusting space between letters), a spell checker, thesaurus and outlining. WordPerfect offers a thesaurus, spell checker, macros and multiple on-screen columns. It has the ability to make inserts into files and can color display on Mac II. The program also can search files for key words, has mail merge, automatic date insert and keyboard alternatives for all menu items. Requirements FullWrite works on Macintosh Plus, SE or II personal computers with a minimum of one megabyte of random access memory, but works better with two megabytes. WordPerfect works on Macintosh Plus, SE or II personal computers with at least one megabyte of random access memory. Publisher FullWrite: Ashton-Tate, 20101 Hamilton Ave., Torrance, Calif. 90502. Telephone: 213-329-8000. Suggested retail price: $395. WordPerfect: WordPerfect Corp., 288 West Center St., Orem, Utah 84057. Telephone: 801-227-4000. Suggested retail price: $399. Los Angeles Times
