‘Word’ Upgrade Makes It All Easier
Many people who make their living with words need industrial-strength word processing software. They need a program that can handle everything from memos to book-length documents. It must be fast, easy to use and flexible. Writers often have their own way of doing things and want their software to adjust to them--not the other way around. Microsoft’s new Word for Windows 2.0 delivers the goods.
In enhancing an already powerful program, Microsoft focused on making the software easier to use. Among the improvements:
* Frequently used commands can be issued by using the mouse to press a little icon, or button, on a “tool bar” near the top of the screen. Word is extremely flexible. You can replace the commands assigned to the tool bar. Furthermore, users can create “macros” that allow one to modify the behavior of virtually any menu item or button. Macros can also be assigned to keystrokes, making it faster for touch typists to issue commands.
* One nice touch is an envelope printing command. Printing envelopes in most word processors is a major hassle. With Word, you simply issue the command and let the software find the name and address from your letter and generate the envelope.
* The program now has “drag and drop” text movement. Instead of copying and pasting text, you can highlight it with the mouse and drag it to a new location.
* The spell checker has been improved. When it finds an error, it is now very good at suggesting the correct spelling. Microsoft has added a grammar checker that scans your documents for common problems such as wordiness and stylistic errors. It also displays a “readability index” that, among other things, shows the average grade level required to understand your document, based on the average number of words per sentence and the average number of syllables per word. This column, for example, is suited to people with a ninth-grade education, according to the grammar checker.
* There are several desktop publishing tools. It’s now easier to divide your document into multiple columns. Text can flow around graphics inserted anywhere in the document. Word comes with its own drawing program, as well as a chart and equation editor. You can also insert pictures from most drawing and painting programs. Another feature, called “WordArt,” allows you to create interesting text effects, such as curved, rotated or upside-down text. You can add borders and shading to any part of the document.
There is now a zoom feature that allows you to reduce or enlarge your view of the document to any size from 25% to 200%. It doesn’t affect what will be printed. This feature is important if you need to print in very tiny text but want to be able to see it clearly on the screen. It’s also a boon for the visually handicapped to be able to enlarge text. Zooming out, or reducing, can be helpful when you want to see the impact of a change on your entire page.
Word is one of several new Windows products to include Object Linking and Embedding (OLE). Programs that support OLE are able to exchange live data objects that can automatically be edited by the program that created the data object. For example, if you import a drawing into Word for Windows and later wish to modify that drawing, you click on the object and Word automatically brings up the drawing program so you can make the changes. When you’re done, the object is updated in the Word document.
The program is able to automatically convert files to and from a wide number of word processing programs, including WordStar and WordPerfect.
Microsoft is going out of its way to wean customers from WordPerfect--the most popular MS-DOS word processing program. There is a special help feature that allows WordPerfect users to enter familiar commands and watch as the program shows them the equivalent Word for Windows commands.
Microsoft is also making it financially easier to upgrade from WordPerfect and other “full-featured” word processing programs by allowing users to upgrade for $129--the same price as those who own an earlier version of Microsoft Word. The suggested retail price is $495.
(Microsoft is to announce today version 5.0 of Word for the Macintosh that includes some but not all the features in the Windows version.)
Word for Windows requires Microsoft Windows and a machine with a 286 or higher CPU and 2 megabytes of RAM. It takes 5 to 15 megabytes of hard disk space, depending on the options installed. For best results, I recommend a 386SX or higher CPU with 4 megabytes of RAM for running sophisticated Windows software.
Computer File welcomes reader comments but regrets that the authors cannot respond individually to letters. Write to Lawrence J. Magid, P.O. Box 620477, Woodside, Calif. 94062, or contact the L. Magid account on the MCI electronic mail system.
