WordPerfect, and Then a Word From Microsoft

This is a hot winter for word processing programs. There are a number of new programs for both the IBM PC and the Apple Macintosh, and two leading companies are issuing updated versions of old favorites.

WordPerfect Corp. just released a new version of its word processing program for the PC, known simply as WordPerfect, and it is working on a Macintosh program. Microsoft recently issued Word 3.1 for the PC and is about to release Word 3.0 for the Macintosh.

I’ve evaluated the new version of WordPerfect for the PC and a preliminary version of Microsoft’s Word 3.0, which is due to be released in late January. WordPerfect is an evolutionary improvement in PC word processing. Word, on the other hand, marks a giant leap forward for the Macintosh.

Although WordPerfect’s changes were not major, the new version adds a number of useful features. The program now allows you to enter comments on the text that appear on the screen but will not be printed. That can help writers identify their work or insert comments anywhere in the text, a particularly nice feature when you are working with other people on a document.

WordPerfect has been popular with lawyers, so it’s no surprise that several of the new features are aimed at that market. The program now can print line numbers at the left side of the page, as required on some legal documents. The revised program also generates a table of authorities used in legal briefs to indicate the pages where cases and statues are cited.

Makes It Easier

The previous version of the program had an index feature, but it was necessary to mark words in the text that were to be included in the index. For my applications, it was more trouble than it was worth. The new version makes it possible to maintain a file with words or phrases that you want indexed in any of your documents. The program then searches your file for such words or phrases and automatically adds them to an index. Another enhancement is the preview mode, part of the trend toward “what you see is what you get” word processing software. When you edit with WordPerfect, the text normally does not appear as it will on the printer. The preview mode, however, enables headers, footers, page numbers, margins, line numbers and other printer features to appear temporarily.

There are other changes, including the addition of an on-line tutorial that guides you through the program’s basic features. The program also works with more printers than its predecessor, including Apple’s LaserWriter.

The program will sell for $495. Users of the 4.1 version will be able to update their software for $35.

When it is released, the newest version of Microsoft Word for the Mac will have everything that Word on the PC offers and a lot more. Word 3.0 is the first Macintosh word processing program that I’d be willing to use on a regular basis. It will sell for $395. Users of Word 1.05 will be able to update for $99.

The program operates in two modes. In its short menu mode, it’s as easy to operate as MacWrite, Apple’s rudimentary word processing program. But when you select full menus, you are treated to a powerful program with a host of previously unavailable features.

Like Word on the PC, the new version includes the ability to create styles that allow you to define how you want all or part of your document to appear on paper. Then, if you decide to change the format, you modify the style rather than make changes throughout the file. Styles can be set for all of a document or for quotations, citations, headings and the like.

The new Word allows you to create outlines, perform simple math, number your lines and paragraphs and to sort lines and paragraphs in alphabetical or numerical order. Like WordPerfect, the program also allows you to set up an automatic index and table of contents.

You can edit several documents on a screen, limited only by the computer’s available memory. A window menu makes it easy to move from document to document.

Although it is not designed as a substitute for a full-fledged desktop publishing program, Word goes a long way toward providing the tools needed for high-quality documents with various elements. You can divide your page into columns, draw lines or boxes around paragraphs and change the size of graphics brought into Word from other Mac programs. Unlike the previous version of Word, graphics and text can be placed on the same line.

To an extent, all Macintosh programs offer “what you see is what you get,” but the small Mac screen cannot fully represent what your document will look like on paper. So Word has added a preview mode that shows miniature side-by-side views of the final pages.

Unlike WordPerfect on the PC, the new versions of Word do not offer macros. A macro enables a user to program keys to reproduce any sequence of keystrokes or commands. Word does, however, have a glossary function that allows you to save frequently used text for inserts. What’s more, the new program gives you the ability to customize menus. You can create your own work menu that includes frequently used glossary items and styles. You also can customize the font menu and the format menu to feature the commands you use frequently and hide those you rarely need.

The program now includes an 80,000-word spelling checker. It’s not as fast as WordPerfect’s, but it’s the best I’ve used on the Mac.

In my opinion, the most important change is the ability to use the keyboard, rather the the mouse, to enter commands and move on the screen. Microsoft listened to the complaints of secretaries, professional writers and touch typists who prefer to keep their hands on the keyboard.

While the mouse and the pull-down menus make it easier to learn new Macintosh programs, they add an extra step. Some people who know their way around a keyboard resent having to use the mouse for simple operations. As far as I can tell, the new Word makes the mouse optional.

Microsoft uses the numeric keypad on the Mac Plus so that it functions much like its counterpart on the PC. The “clear” key on the Mac’s number pad works like the “numlock” key on the PC, allowing the pad’s 17 keys to be used to move the cursor on the screen. The final product, says Microsoft product manager Jonathan Prusky, will include keyboard stickers indicating arrows and key functions.

Word also can be used with other keyboards. Tangent Technologies of Norcross, Ga., makes a PC/AT-style keyboard for the Mac that works well with Word.

In addition, Microsoft has entered into an agreement with DataDesk International of Van Nuys, which will introduce a Word-compatible keyboard styled after IBM’s newest AT keyboard. It will allow Word users to use function keys to implement some of the program commands.

Computer File welcomes readers’ comments but regrets that the authors cannot respond individually to letters. Write to Lawrence J. Magid, 100 Homeland Court, Suite 100, San Jose, Calif. 95112.