There may be any number of reasons for the almost fanatical devotion personal computer users develop toward their word-processing programs, but one thing is certain: A good chunk of their fervor has to be attributed to the programs` complexity.
Think about it. You start by plunking down four or five hundred bucks for the program itself. Then you spend weeks, even months, mastering a plethora of commands and idiosyncrasies.
No one likes to think of himself or herself as foolish. So, having made that kind of investment in a word processor, it isn`t surprising that you`d want to convince yourself that your word processor was the best of the lot. Nor is it surprising that you`d be hesitant to switch to another program, even if it were better.
In recent years, developers of high-powered word processors for the IBM PC have knocked themselves silly trying to build the program with the longest feature list.
Now, though, they are finally beginning to understand the psychology of their users. In the long run, features take a back seat to interface-how the user interacts with the program. Even the most powerful of features are worthless unless the user can comfortably get at them.
Two new word processors, MicroPro International`s WordStar 5.0 and Borland International`s Sprint, obviously were designed with that knowledge in mind.
As an aside, it`s worth noting that this problem is almost nonexistent in the Apple Macintosh. Because all Mac programs follow the same basic command structure, Mac users are free to choose a word processor, or any other program, on the basis of how well its features are suited to the task at hand. WordStar has the distinct blessing of being the most widely used word processor of all time. Since its original introduction in 1979, WordStar has been one of the key programs (along with VisiCalc, Lotus 1-2-3, dBase and PageMaker) that moved personal computers from the hobbyist`s garage into the offices of Corporate America. Literally millions of copies are in circulation. MicroPro, however, blew that advantage by allowing the program to languish unchanged for several years. Other programs emerged that far surpassed WordStar in sophistication and ease of use. Today, WordPerfect Corp.`s WordPerfect is the top-selling word processor and WordStar is widely regarded as a quaint relic.
Now MicroPro has introduced an ambitious version of the old warhorse, WordStar 5.0. Though the program boasts a spiffy new pulldown menu system, the familiar WordStar control-key commands still work as well. MicroPro is hoping that this will help bring home the legions of WordStar users who`ve gone on to other programs.
What else does it have going for it? Considering how far they had to come, WordStar`s programmers have done an impressive job.
At long last, WordStar automatically reformats paragraphs as you type. There`s extensive support for laser printers and proportionally spaced fonts. Once you`ve finished editing a document, WordStar 5.0`s Advanced Page Preview will display as many as 144 pages at one time in reduced form so that you can check page breaks and overall layout.
MicroPro has also included a handful of additional modules for outlining, communications, mail-merge operations and disk searches.
Still, I can`t escape the feeling that it`s too little, too late. The program still relies on its infamous ”dot commands” for most of its formatting operations. For instance, if you want to change the right margin setting to 75, you`d begin a new line with ”.rm75.”
The problem with this approach is that in a complex document, your screen ends up being littered with dot commands. That`s not only distracting, but it makes it tough to judge how your finished document will look without taking the time to switch to the preview mode.
Sprint, Borland`s first entry into the word-processing market, ought to be known as the chameleon word processor. Sprint is a perfectly serviceable word processor with a perfectly adequate native command structure.
The catch is that Sprint also comes with a disk full of Alternative User Interfaces that allow the program to mimic all of the leading word processors. If you`re a WordPerfect devotee, simply load the WordPerfect AUI and Sprint adopts all the key combinations. Ditto for Microsoft Word, WordStar, Final Word II, SideKick and Perfect Writer.
Or, if you believe that you and only you can build the ultimate command structure, Sprint allows you to build your own interface from scratch.
Understand, though, that switching interfaces doesn`t mean you get all of the features found in the other program. Sprint merely assigns, say, WordPerfect commands to whatever Sprint features both programs share.
Sprint will likely find its biggest market in offices where different departments have used a variety of word processors. A company can standardize on Sprint with a minimum of problems.
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Questions about personal computers? Write to Daniel Brogan, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611. Letters cannot be answered personally, but those with broad interest will be addressed in future columns.
