Tuesday, 21 September 2010 15:03
Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 September 2010 17:05
Written by Michael Hill
Review of WordPerfect IIgs
by Scott G (October 2003)
WordPerfect for the IIgs has just been released by Corel as freeware.
This means that a high power word processor is now available for
anyone with a IIgs. So what is so cool about this software? The
answer is features. This program offers a combination of features
that no other IIgs word processing program does. If you are serious
about writing, this program has no substitute.
How many times have you had this problem. You are looking through
a CD-ROM and all of the sudden, you find an interesting file. Great,
you think, it is a text file from the icon and filetype. You
double-click on it, but your trusty Finder Extension chokes on the
20MB file. You then try AppleWorks GS. This program starts to load
the file, thinks about it for a couple of minutes, then decides it
has run out of memory. What do you do? You think of letting the
usual ProDOS 8 software chop up and load up the file. Divide the
file into four 5MB chunks and load them into your AE Expander
enhanced AppleWorks Classic. But wait, ProDOS 8 software can't
access your ISO-9660 CD-ROM. You need GS/OS for this and what's
worst, you can't even copy the file to a ProDOS volume because
ProDOS' file size limit is 16MB. There is only one program that
can handle this job and it is WordPerfect for the IIgs.
The programmers of WordPerfect IIgs wisely gave the program the
ability to load a file as large as the storage medium allowed (it
uses virtual memory in the sense that it is buffering the file with
disk storage to overcome RAM limitations). This means that it can
load a 16MB file from a ProDOS volume. As a GS desktop program,
however, it can also do the usual GS tricks like access your desk
accessories and, more importantly, your FSTs. You can use
WordPerfect to directly grab LAGER THAN 16MB files off of HFS and
ISO-9660 volumes.
Yes, WPGS is a true desktop program. It uses the standard Apple
interface, complete with scroll bars, dialog boxes, option buttons,
mouse interface, Apple, File, Edit, Search, Print, Line, Page,
Style, Footnote, and Special menus. Yes, the Apple menu really does
let you access installed desk accessories - this is a REAL desktop
program.
But what if you are an AppleWorks Classic fan. You don't like the
mouse and you fear a graphics screen would be slow. Without an
accelerator, you've always stayed away from AppleWorks GS because
of speed problems. Won't WPGS be as slow as AWGS? No. First,
while WPGS uses the SHR screen, it is very fast. The trick is that
WPGS does not use standard GS/OS fonts. It uses a built in
character set - you can see the built in fonts and you can see
underlines, italics, superscripts, and subscipts. Second, the
program can function without a mouse. You can access all of the
program's features through keyboard equivalents. Forgot the command?
Look under the Help option in the Apple menu and you will find a
scrolling, alphabetized list of WPGS's 100+ word processing features.
Simply scroll down and hilite the command you want, press return
(or click), and presto, it is done.
Ah, but you want to customize. You are a big fan of macros. GS
word processors can't do what UntraMacros can do, right? Wrong.
WPGS has a powerful macro language and you can also change the
default keyboard equivalents around to match your previous program.
You can also set up default margins and other page format parameters.
This flexibility includes user defined footnote and header options.
WordPerfect does not use the standard GS/OS printer drivers. Like
AppleWorks Classic, printers are defined via codes. There are many
built in, including the LaserWriters, but you can define custom
printers. Setting up WordPerfect to use a DeskJet, for example,
is trivial. You can even use a freely available NDA to lock the
printer port at 57.6kbps, giving the program access to the
DeskWriter's internal fonts (yes, the DeskWriter for the Mac
DOES have internal fonts, you just need a 57.6kbps connection
to use them).
The program has a 115,000 word spelling checker that scans for
spelling errors and typos and generates a word count. The powerful
thesaurus supplies synonyms and antonyms.
Along with the macro language, WordPefect also has comprehensive
mailmerge capabilities. It actually has database features that
allow you to set up mailing lists and reports through the integration
of two sparate files.
Other features include the ability to hide and show formatting
codes, like AppleWorks Classic. Split screen views of hidden and
"zoomed" text side by side, so you can get both views. The ability
to hide the menubar, for writers accustomed to a clean screen.
Little touches like the ability to insert the date and time
automatically in one of any format. It even supports shifting the
margins back and forth on even and odd pages to create a gutter
for binding. The program lets you customize your work environment
by choosing your own palette using the RGB sliders.
Finally, you must be asking yourself: the file format, is it
compatible with WordPerfect on my PC? The answer is a resounding
yes. WordPerfect for the IIgs uses the WordPerfect 5.1 standard
for PC machines. WordPerfect for Windows versions also support
reading from and saving to this format.
Sounds good dosen't it? It should...this program once retailed
for over $100. Now it is freeware. Get your copy today.
-Scott G.
Source: http://apple2.org.za/gswv/a2zine/Sel/WordPerfectPD.html
