posted
I have quite a few agent/publisher submission pages that include e-submission (all right, you got me, but I've seen a couple). Sure, some ask for RTF files. They're easy to convert, and they hold all the formatting you need for a manuscript. BUT . . .
It seems, in THE INDUSTRY, the lines are pretty well drawn. In business, everybody uses Word, but in publishing, it seems that there is still quite a strong WordPerfect following.
I use WordPerfect. It's thesaurus is EASY. With Word, you have to right click and pull up a special menu. In WordPerfect, any highlighted word (or the word touching the cursor) will have thesaurus entries pop up in a box near the top of the screen. Sure, the thesaurus isn't the best, but it is pretty good most of the time.
My other basic problem with Word is conversion. I set up my writing programs with all of the available conversion modules intact, but Word (I have MS Word 2003 Professional) seems to garble exported files. Now I don't mean just a couple, I mean A LOT of files. Even RTFs. I have to go back and check to make sure that the integrity is okay on anything that I convert, and I usually end up having to use WP in the end. WordPerfect NEVER has this problem.
Honestly, for publishing anyway, I think that everyone should use WordPerfect. It's cool, it's happening, it's WOW. If only it didn't take so long to spool a 50,000 word document to the printer. . . .
posted
Oh Dear lord not WP!!!! Of course I have the same reaction to M$ Word.
My endorsement goes to OpenOffice. It's compatible with Linux, Windows, and Mac. It contains all but a handful of feature found in WP and Word, and of those the only one that is missing that has any affect on an author whatsoever is that it does not contain a 'word count' button, but you have to go into a information screen to get this info. It saves files in either its own .oo extension, also easily as .rtf, and also as M$ Word documents. oh, one last thing, it's FREE. Thats right, you dont have to pay upwards of $300 or more (based on amazon.com price for Microsoft Word 2002) for a word processor.
In addition to a word processor it has a spreadsheet (excel), presentation program (powerpoint), and a drawing program.
EDIT: its available at www.openoffice.org thought the web site is having issues right now please, dont take that as an indication of the Openoffice crew... they're awesome people...
-jon-
[This message has been edited by kinglear (edited March 01, 2004).]
posted
I'm a WP girl all the way, ever since my husband laughed at me on my Apple 2C and got me using his Amiga with WP 4! I've had the suite with the spreadsheet (QuattroPro) and WP Presentations too... Now on WP 11 and am still loving it. It's available for Linux too.
But I'd use chalk on slate to avoid the Evil Empire (ok maybe I'd check out Open Office before resorting to chalk).
posted
I checked out openoffice. You know, I've only played with it for a second, but I've noticed a few problems. It can't open or convert to/from WP. Sure, it can handle word, but there are quite a few people who'll want docs in WP format, at least Word can do that. Also, WP is the only one that has printing support to print your manuscript from back to front, so you don't have to re-organize your pages when you're done printing (sure, most printer setups will let you do it, but it takes more time). And I don't know how powerful the thesaurus is, but it is inconvenient to get to. Plus, OpenOffice has NO grammar check. Sure, I know, a good writer doesn't need grammar check, whatever, but it helps when editing 400 pages of MS.
Overall, I'd say it was good . . . if you don't want to spend the money for something better, but it's no replacement. I'll try it out later to see if it can export files without corruption . . . but it certainly won't be WP files . . .
quote:. Also, WP is the only one that has printing support to print your manuscript from back to front, so you don't have to re-organize your pages when you're done printing (sure, most printer setups will let you do it, but it takes more time).
Why would you want to print your document back-to-front? That makes no sense to me...
quote:Plus, OpenOffice has NO grammar check.
True, and there isn't even one in development yet (official position here: http://lingucomponent.openoffice.org/grammar.html ). I find MS Word's grammar check to be more of a hindrance than a help, though. But it's been a while since I tried WP (I last used version 5.2 !).
I get your point - OO does lack features. But, I find those features are ones that I rarely (or never) use.
The PDF export feature is _very_ useful for me, and I wouldn't trade it for Word or WordPerfect because of this, unless someone were to throw in a full version of Acrobat at the same time...
posted
I also am in the WordPerfect camp. I started with WP 4 and I'm on 11 now. It is my belief that MSWord is a decent program for people who occasionally write papers or short projects but for larger-scale professional typesetting and layout, WP is the way to go.
Posts: 20 | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
Hmm. I've not used WP, myself. I'm actually figuring out whether or not I can use Appleworks or TextEdit to do my writing with. Anyone any thoughts on that?
quote:Why would you want to print your document back-to-front? That makes no sense to me...
Hey. I know that one! Because then you don't have to take the time to rearrange all the pages front-to-back once they're printed. If you print the last first, it all comes out ready to read or mail.
However, that last page-by-page once over as you rearrange the sheets can be a last defense against errors. When I recently printed my project and was reshuffling the pages into front-to-back order, I discovered that Word had done some crazy things. I had a few places where paragraphs were divided in the middle with resulting strange-looking spaces, and at least one instance of an extra line space. None of those were in my original when I had done my final reread, but I must have done something to trigger them. Had I not scanned the final printed version, I would have sent it out with some glaring errors.
[This message has been edited by Kolona (edited March 02, 2004).]
posted
I don't understand what the big deal is. We're writers, are we not? We don't need to worry about professional type-setting or anything like that. So long as we have a Courier font, set to double-spacing, set our margins between 1 and 1.5 inches, and put in pages numbers with a heading, what else do we need?
I use MS Word, and it works great for everything I need to do. I can print back to front -- you can actually make this a default setting so you ALWAYS print back to front -- and though its thesaurus isn't the greatest, NO thesaurus compares to ROGET'S.
Sorry, I just don't get it.
Of course, writers are a strange bunch. They'll argue about whether to outline or not, about whether to write long-hand or not, whether to use a typewriter or not. And I guess in the 21st century, they'll argue about which word-processing program to use.
posted
I use MS Word. It spellchecks, does a word count, and will set the page up in manuscript format. I really don't know what else I would need, and since I've used it for years and it pretty much came with the computer, I don't think I'll be switching any time soon.
And it also prints out so the manuscript finishes printing with the first page on top where it should be. I haven't seen anything not do this in so long, it I didn't even think this was an issue!
[This message has been edited by GZ (edited March 02, 2004).]
(Do you think writers are the only people who get embroiled in preference battles? KDE! Gnome!)
oh dear lord lets not start in on that topic. Next thing you know we'll be engaged in good old fashioned distro wars (Go Fedora!) or even worse, browser wars! (Go FireFox),..
posted
Even as a semi-anti-Microsoft person, I rather like Word. I guess it's just 'cause it's what I've always used. For the longest time I used a very old Mac with a very old version of Word. Then the Mac died ...[cries]... and I got a piece of crap PC that barely had enough hard drive space for anything, so I found a nifty little word processor called Rough Draft and grew rather fond of it. Now I have an up-to-date PC (more or less... lousy rapid technological advances), and I use MS Word (with -all- the auto correct and red and green underlining turned off) for my school work and I still use Rough Draft for my writing.
Lila
[This message has been edited by Lilamrta (edited March 02, 2004).]
posted
I've used both Word and Word Perfect, and I use them for different things.
I layout the Science Fiction and Fantasy Workshop newsletter in Word Perfect 9, and I can save it as a PDF file (so OO isn't the only one).
I edit stuff using Word (because I like the way their tracking tool works).
If I'm going to take something from Word Perfect and import it into Word, I save the document as a text file and import the text into Word. Word is nasty about any other word processing format, and I'd rather not import anything else into it. (Word Perfect is much more accommodating.)
The word processor I write my stories in is a dinosaur, though. LEWP.
You should use what works best for you for the job you want it to do.
quote:I found out that only SOME printers print out backward. My inkjet does, but my laser at work doesn't.
Ah, do some still do that? Every printer I've used for about the last 10 years doesn't do it like that. Even the ridiculously cheap lexmark inkjets I've had from time to time (cheaper to buy a new printer than a new ink cartridge!) get the output in the right order.
posted
WordPerfect has a far superior grammar checker, a better spell checker, and a feature that Word will probably never have: reveal codes. I can't count the number of times that I've been frustrated while trying to fix screwy formatting in Word.
Word does have nice tracking tools, though. That's one thing that I really like about Word. But I hate how it always tries to autoformat everything. I also find it harder to find all the formatting options I want, but that could simply be a result of my being more familiar WordPerfect.
And here's one of my favorite bits:
OEM version of WordPerfect Office 11 Professional: $18.
OEM version of Microsoft Office XP Professional: $200.
quote:I can't count the number of times that I've been frustrated while trying to fix screwy formatting in Word.
I don't know if this deals with exactly what you mean, Jon Boy, but a help technician told me that Normal acts as a virus sometimes. When my Word starts doing stupid things -- actually I try to do this with some regularity to try to keep Word from acting badly -- I do a Find search for Normal.dot, delete it, empty the Recycle Bin, and everything's fine for a while. I have no idea how this works, but it does.
Posts: 1810 | Registered: Jun 2002
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posted
I don't think I've had problems involving normal.dot. I just mean basic formatting issues like changing a word or a block of text to a different font size, typeface, weight, and so on. WordPerfect works more like HTML, where changes from the default have a start and end point. Word, on the other hand, assigns attributes to every word (which is why WordPerfect files are smaller, I believe). But I've often found that if I make changes after I've altered the formatting, it changes the formatting. I seldom have this problem in WordPerfect, and when I do, it's much easier to untangle it because of Reveal Codes.
Office XP has a "reveal codes" thing, but it's pretty useless compared to WordPerfect's. In a pane on the side, it shows you the formatting of whatever your cursor is on.
[This message has been edited by Jon Boy (edited March 03, 2004).]
posted
I know I don't exactly know what I'm talking about, but it sounds like what you're saying, Jon Boy. Word goes screwy after I've been making any formatting changes, and sooner or later I get boxes asking me if I want to keep the changes made to the global template, which are always accompanied by boxes with questions about Normal. Then I KNOW I'd better delete Normal.dot because I'll start getting Illegal Operation boxes and threats to shut me down and often actual shut-downs and all the recovered file bother that goes with them. If WordPerfect avoids all that, I'll have to remember that for future purchases.
Posts: 1810 | Registered: Jun 2002
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posted
It sounds like normal.dot is a log of changes made to your default template. I can see where that would cause problems.
Wordperfect deals with only it's own built in template. Sure, you can load additional templates, but it will always return to the default. It sounds to me like Word allows changes to be inadvertantly made to its default template. I can imagine that unless you are a "power user" you could come across many problems.
Basically, for those of you who don't know, "reveal codes" allows you to see ALL formatting changes that have occured from the beginning of the default document: every page break, soft return, hard return, bits of formatting, etc. It doesnt' sound that helpful, but it REALLY is.
Honestly, WordPerfect has a lot of function beyond word, but most users won't see beyond the basics, like the better spellcheck/thesaurus/grammer check, etc. There are some HARDCORE advances made with the author in mind, though. There is formatting that is specifically for writing novels, allowing breakup and management of chapters and much more. Really, you'd be fine using anything, but sometimes the extra features can you a LOT of time.
posted
I don't exactly know what I'm saying, either. I had to use Word quite frequently at my job last summer, and I felt like I was always wrestling with it. I can't remember any really specific problems that I had, though.
Posts: 83 | Registered: Sep 2002
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quote:t sounds like normal.dot is a log of changes made to your default template. I can see where that would cause problems
Normal.dot _is_ the default template. If you delete it, it recreates a default default for you :-)
quote:Basically, for those of you who don't know, "reveal codes" allows you to see ALL formatting changes that have occured from the beginning of the default document: every page break, soft return, hard return, bits of formatting, etc. It doesnt' sound that helpful, but it REALLY is.
Word can be made to show page break, hard line breaks and paragraph breaks symbolicaly. It can't show formatting codes though, only the breaks.
One thing I learnt about Word that helps a lot when formatting stuff - it stores the paragraph settings in a marker at the end of the paragraph, so if you delete this, the formatting of the following paragraph will get applied to your current paragraph. This is rather bizarre, but once you know what it's doing, it becomes much easier to predict what will happen...
posted
Ah. That's probably where my problems were coming from. Not that it really matters, since I don't use Word anymore. But thanks anyway, Jules.
Posts: 83 | Registered: Sep 2002
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posted
I was a die-hard Wordperfect user before I ran into 2 things. First, at work we use Word exclusively, which makes it harder to switch back and forth. I was willing to do that however, until I got my copy of the latest version of WP (2000 or 11 or whatever it was) and I had MAJOR installation problems with it. I lost whole blocks of files, got shut down nearly every time I used it, etc., and it ended up being the entire suite, not just WP. I wrestled with CS for a while, and finally gave up and went with Word. I must say however that I HATE HATE HATE word with a passion. Even something as basic as the ruler and tab stops are very difficult to work with. It constantly tried to decide what I want to do for me, even after turning off every instance of the "predict changes" crap everywhere I could find it. Word it such a pain, I am going to switch back as soon as I can get the money to buy the next version of WP.
By the way, WP is owned and operated by Corel, who also produces CorelDRAW, which I highly recommend, having used it since it was CD version 2. I think the Corel people did some great things for usability and friendliness I had already viewed in CorelDRAW before they acquired WP.
Did I mention that I HATE HATE HATE word?? Just checking. =)
posted
I'm from Utah, and they DID always teach us on WordPerfect . . . then again, the company's based in Utah. . . .
Posts: 12 | Registered: Feb 2011
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posted
The company was based in Utah, but that was years ago. It hasn't had a real Utah connection since Novell sold it to Corel.
Posts: 1517 | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I had thought WP had died and just refused to lay down. But after another discussion here that either had the same theme, or migrated to it, I decided that WP might be worth a try. $40 later I had wp office 11. Now for those of you who are an expert in grammer, I'm happy for you. For those of us that need a bit of help, WP makes Word look sick. I tried an experiment with two of my stories, after repetitive grammer errors in word which at best told me to revise the sentance, but not why, I ran it through WP. I was shocked at the things I could get it to do. It first gave me a reason for the complaint, even if (at the time) I didn't understand it. I could break the sentance down into it's parts (parse sentance). It would give me the basic parts of the sentance and thier relation to each other.
If Word could even concider the ammount of detail I can get out of WP I might keep using Word for writing, but Word just doesn't have it.
Now I will pop open word for a quick letter, or use it for a quick items that I need. But for writing, WP is just better.
There are a few other reasons that makes me like it better, but the grammer and built in dictionary/thesarus (any chance of a built in spell checker in the forums Kathleen?) made it clear.
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I had to use Word quite frequently at my job last summer, and I felt like I was always wrestling with it. I can't remember any really specific problems that I had, though.
