From: "Bob W"
DoD mandated Micro$oft Word, but I'd have to actively FIGHT
> the auto-formating features to create a training outline that
> met Army Standards for the document. I'd turn auto-format
> functions off, and with every new paragraph Word would turn
> them back on. Not only turn them back on for the new
> paragraph, but it would go back and reformat paragraphs I
> already had completed & formated the way I wanted them.
>
The problems with Word are twofold: first, it suffers hugely from an excess
of 'features' which people don't need and will never use, and second, people
never actually learn to use it, treating it as a typewriter. I struggled
with it for years before deciding to do something about it.
First, I ignored Word and learned something about typography, layout and
document design. Then I figured out what I wanted to do, then I found an
excellent document which explains how to use Word to achieve what I wanted.
That document is here <http://www.jeanweber.com/newsite/?page_id=94>. It was
a free download when I got it.
I've never had any problems with Word since, and can apply the same skills
to other WPs quite proficiently.
There is an excellent book around too called The Mac Is Not A Typewriter,
which applies equally to PCs.
Bob
Works great except for one thing ... a typewriter is exactly what I
wanted and needed. Unfortunately, I was required to use Word instead.
I can do the document design page layout thingy when I want to.
In this case, I already had a document standard specified that I wanted
to follow. But M$ Word would not allow me to format my document to that
standard without a constant battle.
Why should they get to dictate how I format my document? I'm paying for
the software, shouldn't I be allowed to create the document I WANT TO
CREATE?
I'm now using Open Office, and haven't had any hassles getting documents
formated the way I want them formatted. Can't think of a single instance
where Open Office has changed the formatting of something after I've
formatted it the way I want it.
Seems like if a bunch of guys giving their time voluntarily to create
FREE software can get it right, a multi-billion dollar corporation ought
to be able to figure it out.
Actually, my favorite Word Processor of all time was Professional Write
for DOS. Not a lot of gadgets, not really WYSIWYG, but it was simple and
it left it to the user to decide how they wanted to format the text. You
set it and it stayed set that way until you changed it.
The free mini-WP "Windows Write" that came in 3.1 and maybe 95 was
almost as good ... basically Notepad with user definable tab stops &
fonts and a distinct lack of auto-formatting.
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