-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Hi people, Lots of folks seem to be missing Word Perfect 5.1 pretty badly. I was going to say they seem to pine for it, but that would be too bad!!! What many Linux users do for "word processing" (as opposed to just plain old "editing") is to use a markup language like XML, where the fancy stuff is identified in your file by the appearance of tags, much like those in an html file. In fact HTML is just another markup language when it comes to that. So you would prepare your document using a plain text editor, my favorite is "nano", and then use Latex or TeX to render your material for fancy printing. Using this method, you can get all the features of WP while sticking to a plain text console editor. You do not have to "reveal codes" because they are right there in front of you, set off by angle brackets or whatever. Nano supports most of the editing convenience you would need, such as marking a block and copying or deleting it, global replace with or without regular expressions, file insertions, provisions for a spellchecker, paragraph reshaping, and the like. The TeX facility is topnotch, and will satisfy the most demanding wordsmith, with a zillion font styles to select in many languages, including Klingon! And yet you are ALWAYS working in a plain text environment with files that are readily sharable and mailable, and are NOT proprietary. In fact one wonders why word processor users don't voluntarily scrap those dinosaur applications for the Linux strategy. I guess it is really difficult to abandon an old friend, especially when it has served so well, but there is a better alternative just sitting there waiting to be used. Another advantage of sticking with a plain text editor such as "nano" is that it serves multiple purposes. In my case it is my default composing editor in Pine, replacing Pico. I also use it for a general purpose programming editor. Lots of power users would choose emacs over nano, but still rely in placing tags in the file to mark off words, phrases, or passages for special presentation effects. Either way, you can get along quite nicely without Word Perfect and still produce world class documents. The only thing you may need WP for is to convert other people's old fashioned WP files into a more modern form! <smile> Chuck PS: My apology to Charlie C., whose vote would probably be for WP anyway! It took me forever to give us WordStar, so I know whereof I speak. It ain't easy, but it's well worth it. - -- The Moon is Waning Crescent (1% of Full) In a world without Fences or Walls no one needs Windows or Gates. My home page is now at http://www.mhcable.com/~chuckh -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.3 (GNU/Linux) iQCVAwUBQFuXIDVdG8M9x9tGAQKlxwQAsXuep+n1xmvSKOnEE5T4ekQVBOh/333u i9hzhbMiTF/QU/SyZl4fNqdFHWnZlLqUOVL9Kp8Tdl6aaai74k0jdXFBZz/z8acv 4luSQQ5IwklvvVtZ8uMSY/7dBalZp0c0sGXLZpbZtEjNVS9jxiXKBO20qxxzohfD hSE2akks8gY= =hp62 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
