On 2004.01.25 20:32 Dustin Puryear wrote: > > I am going to catch a lot of flack for this, but I'm a sucker so here goes > anyway: Microsoft Office, and in particular, Word. > > Let's use the definition that to be "better" (a subjective term) the program > has to offer the most useful features and successful implementation of those > features. > > I use a word processor much more than the average Joe User because of my > career. While I'm no expert, I do think that I have more "real" experience > in word processors than most, and in my experience there is no open source > word processor that can compete feature-by-feature with Word. A great > example of a feature that Word does better than most is spelling and grammar > checking. > > Don't get me wrong now. I like OpenOffice and even StarOffice. They're > great. But pound for pound Word is a more powerful and comprehensive word > processor, and it can help you work faster if you find yourself in it often > enough. > > On the purely commercial front, Word Perfect Office Standard gives Microsoft > Office Standard a run for its money. > >
I've heard people say that that before but I don't get it. Word annoys me by assuming too much, requiring far too many keystrokes and hiding too much information. I turn grammar checking off and the spell check is no more impressive than aspell. Auto-list is the worst. What particular feature do you really like? I never got over the demise of Word Perfect. It was much lighter, faster and easier to use for people who really need to typeset. They did not shield the user from real typographical and typesetting terms and that was enlightening. I used one of the first versions, 4.1 on DOS and moved on to 5.2 and later the Linux native version. For editing, nothing beat Word Perfect's system of reveal code and preview split screen. The macros and merge forms were also reasonable. It was flexible enough that I used Word Perfect for FORTRAN coding. I used it to get me though a BA, a BS and lots of graduate work. Some of the TeX editors are finally coming up with similar rational GUI's. Today, I make do with vi, gedit, OO, SO, bluefish, kate, kedit, kword, balsa and mozilla's mail client.
