WordPerfect Feedback and Useful
Addenda
Last week's column, High-End Word Processing
for a Low-End Price: Free, was the second most popular
Miscellaneous Ramblings since the column moved to Low End Mac in September 1999.
Subject: re: WP
From Scott Atkinson
Charles;
As usual, very, very good.
I use both Nisus and WP, and prefer both to Word.
Best,
Scott Atkinson
Subject: WordPerfect article
From John Rethorst
Hi Charles,
Thanks for your article about WordPerfect on Low End Mac. Nice to
help spread the word. I wanted to point out a few inaccuracies in this
paragraph:
Missing in WordPerfect are integrated outlining,
character styles, and the extremely useful true glossaries found in
Word and Nisus Writer.
The last version of WP has an integrated outliner, one that's been
called the best outlining available for the Mac, equaling More 3.1.
This began as a set of freeware macros I wrote for earlier program
versions; in version 3.5e they were integrated into the program by WP
development in Utah. When Corel in Ottawa subsequently released the
free download, they made the mistake of adding back the macros from an
earlier program release. The Outlining Fix that accompanies the OS 8/9
updater just deletes the macros, removing the conflict (i.e., same
keystrokes) with the integrated commands.
It's still not an integrated outliner in the sense that one document
can be moved back and forth from outlining to text mode, as does MS
Word. A WP outline can automatically be converted to text, though.
Since it's a later addition, the enhanced outliner did not replace
the primitive paragraph-numbering feature found on the Tools menu.
Instead, it's available on the Outlining Button Bar - not a menu bar as
shown in your screen shot, but the kind displayed when you choose Show
Button Bar from the Layout menu. Then from the popup menu at the icon
at the top of that bar, showing up and down arrows, choose Outlining
Bar.
For a quick overview of the enhanced outlining commands, click the
Help button at the bottom of the bar, and choose Quick Start, Ready
Reference, and Command Overview. Full documentation is available at
Info-Mac's text/wp directory and the ftp site of the mailing list host,
ftp.r8ix.com/wp_stuff.
A large part of character style functionality was added to version
3.5e, called SpeedStyles (on the Font menu bar). These styles apply at
the character level, but existing style applications don't update when
the style definition is revised. That functionality is available,
though, in my Auto Character Styles macro set, free at the web sites
mentioned above. A capable text glossary, UltraClip, is available
too.
Also, while the screen shot shows the full range of tools on the
menu bars, I wonder if it's clear to most users that any or all of the
bars can be hidden with one keystroke for a larger work area and less
cluttered appearance. Any combination of the bars can also be set to
open with each new document.
I hope you can add these updates. Thanks again for your article.
Regards,
John Rethorst
Thanks for your comments, John.
I confess that I was working partly from notes from a
review I wrote of a former version of WP, although I do have a copy of
WP 3.5e on my hard drive and used it for several days while I was
writing the review. Outliners are not something I have ever gotten into
for my own work, although I know that many people swear by them.
Charles
Subject: WordPerfect Patch
From Winston Weinmann
Thanks for the tip on WordPerfect 3.5e. I have been using
WordPerfect for years. I am especially looking forward to getting
scrolling under control on my G3.
Two questions:
1) Why did you not mention the
WP Patch? The abstract sounds like it would be useful. Is this
patch already included in the version at Corel? (Also, the CD mentioned
sounds interesting.)
Abstract of INFO-MAC archived encoded Mac binary file
text/wp/wordperfect-35e-patch.hqx
This patch for WordPerfect 3.5e does three things:
1. makes the application incredibly stable.
2. adds several commands to the enhanced
outlining.
3. fixes every bug that WP and a fine group of beta
testers could find in nearly three months of testing.
It patches WP 3.5e, but not earlier versions (the CD
with 3.5e, several hundred TrueType fonts, a ton of clip art, etc., is
available for about $25 to every registered owner of WP 3.5 and later.
That's available at 800-772-6735).
To install the patch, move or rename your Library
first. Run the patch, and then copy your macros, keyboards, button bars
etc. from the old Library to the new. Do not copy any outlining macros,
as updated outlining commands have been incorporated into the program
itself.
The patch is free.
Thanks,
John Rethorst
2) If I have DataViz's MacLinkPlus (v.10) and also the commercial
version WP 3.5, is there any advantage to the conversions download?
Thanks,
Winston Weinmann
Thanks for the info.
I wasn't aware of this patch.
I'm guessing that MacLinkPlus has most of your file
translation bases covered, but the WP Converter is free, so what the
hey? ;-)
Charles
Seagate Barracuda Hard Drive Woes
From Wilfredo Garcia
Subject: SuperMac Seagate Trouble
Hi.
I saw your posting on Low End Mac and
wanted to respond, because I just added a 4 GB Seagate Barracuda
SCSI drive to my SuperMac C500LT. I
installed externally in a case and could get it to work fine and even
use it as the start up drive until I installed FWB Hard Disk Toolkit 4.0 on
the Barracuda.
Then it would start up, display the desktop and then freeze. As soon
as I uninstalled Hard Disk Toolkit app and extension, the drive worked
fine again. I don't know which software you might've had installed on
the your drive but maybe my experience might help! :-) Good luck!
Best Regards,
Will
Hi Will;
I gave the Seagate to my son for his SE/30 CD burner rig, and replaced it
with a Quantum 4 GB drive. Since then the S900 has been behaving very well. I have to
guess that the Seagate drive was the main culprit all along.
I had it formatted with Apple's Drive Setup.
Charles
Quiet Fans
From Martin
Subject: Quiet PowerMac
Hi!
I was hoping you may be able to assist me. I have a Beige PowerMac G3 with 500 MHz
Newer Tech accelerator card. I want a silent Mac for my Music Studio.
Do you know of anyone who can supply a replacement power/fan unit for
the one inside my Mac?
- many thanks.
Martin
Hi Martin;
Good question. I don't know of any specifically. Fans
are noisy mainly because of their basic function.
Replacing the one you have with a new one might quiet
things down a little.
The current iMacs, iBooks, and Cubes are fanlessly
quiet, and the fan rarely cuts in on PowerBooks.
Can anyone suggest a source of quiet fans for
Martin?
Charles
Cat Haters
From Nick F.
Subject: Cat haters
Dear CW,
People who hate cats are generally those with a need to control
(typically eldest siblings) - and cats are the very embodiment of
uncontrollability.
People who like the toilet paper to hang next to the wall are simply
retentive, in that they don't like "loose ends" just hanging around.
Their retentiveness takes precedence over all functionality
requirements, hence though it is self-evident that having the paper
hanging to present itself to the user (i.e., non-wall side), they would
still rather inconvenience themselves (and everyone else). On the other
hand, maybe they're just thick (as likely).
Regards
Nick F.
Hello Nick;
For the record, I like cats, am not smitten with dogs,
am an eldest sibling, and orient the toilet paper to roll from the
top/outside.
I have control freak tendencies, but life has taught
me to be in control; not striving to control.
Best,
Charles
