Word Processing Programs Contents: -----Word Processors -----Non-English Word Processors -----Special Word Processors -----For Vision-Impaired ==================== -----Word Processors [BREEZE52] Breeze 5.2 (Solway, Kevin; $40) is an easy to use word processor with many interesting features: spell checking as you type or of whole files, pop-up hypertext help system, text-to-EXE file converter, multi-windows/files, clipboard, file selection menu, exploding windows, support for large files, print spooling, mail-merge, scientific calculator, ASCII table, and mouse support. Other unique features include the ability to analyze text readability, sort paragraphs or lines, statistical analysis, automatic line and box drawing, and style sheets. Additional features include find and replace, word wrap, paragraph reformatting, autoindent, autosave, undo, columns, full block operations, macros, text indexing, more on screen in EGA/VGA, line centering, execution of programs and DOS commands from within the editor, place markers, screen saver and more. [EAGLEWRD] Eagle Word (Eagleware; $25) is a word processing program that makes use of all available memory for text editing. With Turbo Lightning loaded as a TSR, you can edit a 370k text file. Features include extensive on-line help, macros, MS Mouse and Logitech Mouse support, support for up to six windows/file open at once with on-screen window resizing, search and replace, multiple font support, a maximum line length of 999 characters, and EGA 43/50 line support. Printers supported (for fonts) are Okidata, Epson, IBM, and HP LaserJet, with provisions included for custom printer definition. [EASYWORD] Easy Word 5.0 (John Turnbull, ASP; $49) is a word processor with spell checker, line drawing, dynamic columns macros, page preview and more. Requires 640K, 1.8meg of hard disk space and a 286-16Mhz or faster processor. [FREEWORD] Freeword (Stilwell Software Products; $49) is a menu-driven word processing program with on-line help. It supports block moves, copying and deletions; search and replace words or phrases; optional right justification; multiple printouts up to nine copies; background printing while editing; plus a `typewriter' mode for typing straight through to the printer, which allows you to send printer code, fill out forms or address envelopes. It also has the ability to change margins and the length of the document. [LTE] LTE 1.9 (Anderson, Richard; $10) combines the capabilities of a word processor, an editor, and a page publisher. Some of it's features include automatic page allocation; downloadable fonts; window frame, fill, and shade; cut and paste; word wrap; and more. Support is provided for the HPLJ and DeskJet. [NOVA] Nova (Omniverse Software Corp. ASP; $80) is a fast, easy-to-use, WordStar compatible word processing program. It features pull-down menus, spelling checker, bold, underline, doublestrike, micro justification, style sheets, multiple fonts, laser printer support, and mouse support. All Wordstar keyboard commands have been implemented. The spelling checker has a 45,000 word dictionary, and a 16k auxiliary dictionary that users can customize. Mouse support has been added allowing you to navigate through the pulldown menu system and switch the display from one text window to another. [PRO21] Galaxy Pro-Lite 2.1 (Starlite Software Co.; $50) is a fast, easy-to-use word processor. It has a very easy-to-use interface, spell checking, macros and many other powerful features, including support for VGA/EGA 50/43 line modes, multiple document printing, optional backing-up of files, mail merge features, and the ability to edit within the dialog boxes. [PCTYPE] PC-Type II (ButtonWare Inc. & WyndhamWare; $75-$105) is a major word processing program with many powerful features. Some advanced writing tools include spell checking with a 100,000 word customizable dictionary, mailmerge, and multiple windows. Equations can be calculated as commands or values in your text, boxes and lines can be drawn, and up to four bookmarks can be placed in any file. Context-sensitive help is available, as well as keystroke macros, move and copy, search and replace, and align and sort. Tabs, margins and indents may be multiply-defined within your files, as well as single, double, and triple spacing. Modified or deleted lines may be recovered, and all or parts of files can be saved during editing. Headers and footers can be modified within the file. Line number and string replication and database and spreadsheet data may be pulled in as required from PC-File+, PC-File:dB and PC-Calc+, or any comma-delimited files. Other features include support for table of contents and index for large documents, print preview, and the ability to print GIF files and graphs. [PCW41A, PCW41B, PCW41C] PC-Write Advanced Level 4.1 (Starlite Software; $69) is a full-featured word processing program in an easy-to-use package, thanks to its system of pull-down menus and help screens. There are over 200 extensive customization options, and only the features you choose appear in the menu system. The help system will also display features not currently included in your setup and if you decide to add a new feature you can do it on the fly. The program runs well within Windows, works on laptops, supports over 900 different printers, including PostScript. A 50,000-word spelling checker and a thesaurus with 500,000 synonyms is also included. PCW converts documents to and from other formats, such as WordPerfect. Other advanced features include sophisticated mail merge, up to 10 different windows open at once, auto-save, extended directory listing with file descriptions, pick-list of recently edited files, up to 10 columns, left/right page layout, portrait/landscape printing, orphan control, proportional spacing with microjustification, graphics support, envelope printing, and much, much more. [FOLDPCW] Folder System for PCWrite (Elbee Enterprizes; $30) lets you assign descriptions to PCWrite and PCWrite Lite files so that you do not have to try to determine from the eight-character file name what the file contains. The maillist portion of the program is an indexing system that can rapidly locate records allowing you to have an unlimited number of files that may be used for various lists. [PCW_FONT] PC-Write Font Selector (Quicksoft ASP; $29) is a program that lets you customize a PC-Write print control file for HP LaserJet and compatible printers that use downloadable soft fonts. [PCW_LIT1, PCW_LIT2] PC-Write Lite (Quicksoft ASP; $54-$79) is a trim version of PC-Write without all the advanced formatting features. Support is provided for Cyrillic, the Russian character set. Character set customization is also provided. [PCW_MAC1, PCW_MAC2] PC-Write Macros (Simple Productions; $5/set) is two sets of 100 advanced commands each for PC-Write, including an envelope address printer, reverse video to show dark text on a light background, Instant Print, delete or transpose sentences and paragraphs, page format macros, and more. The second set can speed up PC-Write, call up a Notepad for sending notes to printer or file, convert your documents for WordPerfect or Macintosh, instantly set up page formats for elite fonts, adjust page breaks to avoid splitting paragraphs, triple-space in a double-spaced document, experiment with a Dvorak keyboard, test and install macros without leaving your document, and much more. [PCWTODCA] PC-Write DCA Conversion (Starlite Software; $10-$20) converts files to and from DCA format and PC-Write format. This allows you to transfer documents between an IBM mainframe environment and a microcomputer. It also allows microcomputers using different word processors to share formatted text. They filter the formatting commands of a word processor into standard commands that can be interpreted by the DCA conversion program of another word processor. The end result is a translation of one system's commands to another's. [SAGEWORD] SageWords (Phipps, J. Keith; $25) is a word processing program that features pull-down and pop-up menus, context-sensitive help, a macro editor, multitasking capability, unlimited file size, quick-key commands, printer customization plus all standard fonts, right and left justification, definable tab positions, and up to six windows of text. Files are stored in straight ASCII text, so it can also be used as a programmer's editor. It supports 43/50 lines on EGA/VGA monitors. (The author can no longer be reached at the address provided in the documentation.) [SUPER_WP] Super WP (Viking Research, Inc.; $99) is a word processor which can be configured to perform like several well-known word processors. It has a default configuration of WordPerfect 5.x and can read and write WordPerfect file formats. Features include cardfile and mailmerge, mouse support, and a personal manager with a full-size calendar, calculator, day planner and more. [WF_V31A, WF_V31B, WF_V31C] Word Fugue 3.1 (Fugue Software ASP; $45-$84) is a powerful word processing package. It features a WordStar compatible interface with pull down menus. Up to eight editing windows may be open at one time, and the program can easily generate an index or table of contents. Other features include macro facilities, automatic reformatting of text, DOS shell, pop-up calculator with 16 functions, support for box and line drawing, optional on-screen display of fonts, multiple headers and footers during printing, and automatic hyphenation, and save options. A 100,000 word dictionary is included, along with a utility that can add or delete words from the dictionary. You can set up auxiliary dictionaries in each directory containing words specific to particular projects. File names can have up to 65 character descriptions added to them. Additional features include support for footnotes, laser printers, and a mouse. [WDMSTR] WordMaster 1.81a (MasterWorks, reg. fee: $30) is a word processor with all basic writing and editing functions available through a simple pull-down menu system. It includes macros, search and replace functions, automatic page numbering, an on-screen tutorial, and examples to help you get started. [WORDRITE] WordRight & DataRight (SoFt-Flex Company; $95) is a character based, full featured word processor. You can create, revise, view, print and index documents. It also features line graphics, a 400,000 word interactive spelling checker, document directory, a calculator, phrase library, on-screen display of styles, automatic pagination, headers, footer and footnotes, form fill-in and more. It can also do mail merge with then included program DataRight. Requires high density or large disk and 640k RAM. DataRight is a data manager that can be used by itself or integrated with WordRight for customization of letters reports, labels and more. It can handle up to 64 fields per record, with 12 different field types, all of which may be sorted except text fields. Records may be edited, deleted, or merged to another Data Base. -----Non-English Word Processors [FWT45X] FW-Text 4.50 (Frank Wolpers, Germany; $45) is a word processing program. Error messages and some prompts are in German. [HEBRW_ED] Hebrew Edit 1.0 (Right to Left Software ASP; $19) is a Hebrew text editor. It supports Hebrew vowels (Nikud), script and block letters. Large characters can be printed with LaserJet and Dot Matrix printers. Requires 640K RAM, DOS 3.3+, and EGA/VGA. [INTEXT] InText (Intex Software Systems; $49) is a multi-lingual word processor. Languages supported include Arabic, Farsi, Gaelic, Greek, Hebrew, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Urku, and Yugoslav, in addition to English. This unique program displays all the special characters of these languages on your monitor and will print to an Epson FX, LQ, or IBM Proprinter. A chart is available for each language configuration, showing corresponding English characters. This is a full-featured word processor, supporting word wrap, block text commands, search and replace, text formatting, and more. [NJS_CHIN] NJStar Chinese Wordprocessor 2.1 (Ni, Hongbo; $79) is a full featured Chinese word processor. It provides the same capabilities as the Japanese version in addition to such special features as intelligent PinYin input and 20 other popular Chinese character input methods; ability to input Chinese character word by word without selection; dynamic PinYin and LianXiang table sorting/optimsation for easy selections; ability to provide Chinese character pronunciation in PinYin; and support for 7000 GB character set with simplified and unsimplified characters. [NJS_JAP] NJStar Japanese Wordprocessor 2.1j (Ni, Hongbo; $54) is a full featured Japanese word processor. NJStar features configurable key strokes; block operations, undeleting, search and replace; multi-file editing; support for most dot matrix, HP, Canon, and Postscript laser printers; ability to generate PCX files for FAX transmitting or for importing to desk publishing software; and support for German and other European Language characters. Special features include automatic Romaji to Kana/Kanji lookup with user definable dictionary; the ability to read Kanji and provide an explanation in English; and support for JIS standard, read/write EUC-JIS, News-JIS, Old-JIS, NEC-JIS and Shift-JIS. Mouse support is included. Requires 500K RAM, EGA/VGA, and 2 MB disk space. -----Special Word Processors [COLOR_ED] Color Edit 1.03 (Brown, Robert B.G.; $30) is a full-screen text editor that lets you easily change the color of text as you type. For example, if you want a word to stand out, you can press Alt-R for red. If you really want it to stand out, you can prefix the R with Alt-I for high Intensity (bright) red. Editing features include block functions, auto-indent, multiple undeletes, search and replace, box/line drawing, and the ability to save files in ANSI format or with the color codes in separate files from the text. [EZXW30C] EZX-Word "Laptop" W30c (EZX Corporation; $55) is a full-featured, WordStar compatible word processor. Features include a spell checker, background printing, pull-down menus with on-line help, macros for recording repetitive commands or boilerplate, print spooling, DOS shell, lightning fast search and replace, point-and-shoot directories, automatic file backup, block functions, and more. You can use bold, italics, underline, super/subscript, and alternate fonts with any printers that have these capabilities. It requires only 256k RAM and one disk drive (hence the "laptop" in the name). [H_KEY] H-Key (Fried, Robin; $?) is a word processing program intended to be used by people of average or better intelligence who have poor or no control over hand and finger movement. The program works by displaying a matrix of letters, numbers, cursor control words, or program commands on the screen. A cursor moves repeatedly down the screen until a key is pressed to select a row, then the cursor moves across the screen until a key is pressed again to select a letter (or whatever) on that row. The letter is added to the body of text displayed on a part of the screen. This all works much easier than it is to describe and seems like it could be a real boon to people with restricted movement. [KWIKWRIT] KwikWrite (Elliott, Alan C. ASP; $39) is a word processor that saves files in straight ASCII, so while it can be used for letters and such, it can also be used for applications that need files with no word processing control codes in them, such as Email, programming, batch files, etc. The feature that differentiates a word processor from a simple text editor is generally the ability to have extensive control over printed output, such as the use of italics, bold print, justified text, etc. Most word processors do this by inserting non-text control codes in the file, making the files unusable for applications that require straight text files. KW compromises by using text codes in the document to control the printer. If you already have a favorite text editor, you can achieve this same result with a utility such as PrintSelector (see the Printing section). KW will also do mail-merge with dBase III compatible data files. [MINDREAD] MindReader (Brown Bag Software; $95) is a word processor for those who cannot touch-type. It uses an artificial intelligence-based engine to learn the way you write and who you write to and it suggests words and phrases as you type. You can complete words by pressing a key. The more you use the program, the smarter it will get. [RGB_TECH] RGB TechWriter (Basore, Paul A.; $20) is primarily designed for scientific/technical writing which uses super- and subscripts for formulas, Greek or other special symbols. [WPK] Word Processing For Kids (Sidney D. Nolte; $10) is a simple, large print text editor. It uses icons for menu selections, which is cute, but you have to use the cursor keys to move a pointer through the menu to make a selection, which is awkward. Some people have touted this program for use by the vision impaired because of its large fonts, but the quality and clarity of the large fonts in BEdit are much better for that purpose. -----For Vision-Impaired [BEDIT] BEdit (Hexagon Products; $39) is a text editor that uses large characters for vision-impaired users. It has many of the powerful commands of regular text editors, such as block copy and moves, windows for editing two files at once, search and replace, automatic word wrap, and much more. Bedit is not just for vision-impaired users, however. It is also useful for laptop users who have trouble seeing the screen. With CGA-compatible video, you can toggle four different print sizes from normal up to large block characters that each take up 4 standard rows and 8 standard columns. The characters in the largest size (pictured) are formed with blocks from the IBM extended character set. They will work with any kind of monitor. The next two smaller sizes are created with graphics, so they are smoother, but require CGA-compatible video. The largest size only allows a few characters on the screen at one time, but the horizontal scrolling is so fast and smooth that writing lines longer than the screen display is no problem. In fact, the fast screen scrolling makes this a good choice as a large-character file reader even if you do not need the editing features. The program includes a 12-bit font to give 53 and 58 character lines on supporting hardware. 640x350 mode is supported on EGA monitors, and over 50 WordStar-type commands are included. A 60,000-word spelling checker is also included. [FRED] FRED (Floody, Dale R.; $0) is a word processing program for children. It has large letters for easy reading with word wrap and pull-down menus. It includes features such as search and replace, block operations, several internal help screens, printer support, text enhancements, paragraph reformat, and standard movement keys. Although the author says the program was written for children, there is nothing overtly childish about it (unlike a similar program, "Word Processing for Kids"), and it should be of interest to vision impaired users as well.