On 6/26/2010 2:43 AM, jack wrote:
> sf wrote:
>> On Fri, 25 Jun 2010 14:53:20 -0500, Janet Wilder
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> My guess is that you only need a very basic word processor. Open
>>> Office and Word Perfect are more sophisticated and do a lot more
>>> things, but they do require a learning curve.
>>>
>>> I have used Microsoft Word on other people's computers and I always
>>> get so frustrated because the tools I normally use just aren't there.
>>
>> Your feelings about Word are mine toward the other two. They simply
>> can not do what Word does.
>>
> All the major word processors now have roughly the same functionality,
> it's just that the controls to accomplish it are different. If one is
> used to WordPerfect, working with Word becomes a prolonged 'it should be
> able to do this, but where the ^&$@ did they hide that function?'
> experience and vice versa.
>
> That aside, like or dislike for one of the other probably goes back to
> the philosophy behind them - WordPerfect started out as a no-frills word
> processor for writing structured content (legalese, manuals etc.) and
> Word started out as a 'we can make your letter look sooooo pretty, look
> we can use 17 different fonts in one paragraph' thing to compete with
> MacWrite. Which functions are 'easy' and which ones are 'there, but you
> have to look for it' is still a legacy of that difference.

The big thing with Word is the style sheets, which, if you know how to
use them, are wonderful and if you don't then you struggle with it.
That's one of the things that makes it popular with the corporate
types--the marketing weenies can define a style sheet, the IT department
can promulgate it, and everybody's letters have the corporate "look".
If they decide to change the "look" they just change the style sheet.