BTW, here is my phone I still use;
Posted on 01/18/2017 2:03:40 PM PST by rey
Years ago, I used WordPerfect for all my academic papers. I felt the program was more friendly toward that type of writing, easier to cite, create footnotes, end notes, bibliographies, etc. As Microsoft Word no longer comes as part of the operating system package, I have been considering my options.
My question is two-fold; is WordPerfect still a good product? Is it superior to Microsoft Word? What do professional writers prefer and why? (Yeah, that's three. I guess I'm a heavy tipper.)
Thanks.
Good Answer!
I loved WP and used it for all academic papers during two MA degrees, the beginnning of a 3rd and lots of short stories and a couple of novels.
I was a very well-mannered user friendly program I used up through WP11. It never had any of the “I know better” formatting problems I ran into with Word. I know legal secretaries loved it because it had some special set-ups for legal work.
However, I kept running into problems when trying to communicate the manuscripts with everyone else who were on Word. I finally gave up and converted. Just shows the power of Microsoft to take an inferior program and force it down the public’s throats by virtue of volume sales.
I’ve used Libre Office, Linux version, for years. Could read and write MS Word and Excel files for work projects just fine.
“If you’re in University, you can probably download Microsoft Office for free.”
If you’re in a university, your copy of Word will auto correct “Trump” to “satan”......
I remember using Samna. Heck, I remember when the typing pool all got Wang word processors.
Can’t teach an old dad new tricks.
Back in 286/386 days I used to like WP 10x as much as Word.
However, WP did an upgrade (this is a lot of years ago) and I HATED the upgrade.
Over that same period, Word became much easier to use, and lots more flexible. IMO.
I still prefer Word Perfect, though I use both.
“Back in 286/386 days”
You think YOU are old? Well, I used to work for a Company called Wang Laboratories, generally credited for inventing Word Processing, years before the advent of the personal computer. I remember the when the 286/286 revolution spelled doom for Wang..... I’m not boasting, my arthritis flares up when I boast......
You can get Word, Excel and various other parts of the Microsoft Office suite as a package and then be compatible with 90% of the business world. It will cost something but it will let you stay compatible with all the PC world.
I’m retired and use a free Apache product on a Mac but that is just because I don’t want to do the maintenance on a Windows system.
Loved reveal codes! I used them in search/replace for formatting an also with macros, back in the 5.1 days.
My wife still misses WP as it is no longer available for Mac. Word won’t handle parallel columns, short of a complex setup of text boxes. She writes scripts for stage plays occasionally and it’s a pain to get left/right stage notes/dialog columns to remain lined up.
A Wang 2200 got me into the IT biz, 36 years ago. I wouldn’t worry about this “microprocessor” fad, I don’t think it has much of a future. Dang whippersnappers.
I have a friend who still uses WordPerfect for Dos in his law practice for all documents.
If you are most familiar with WordPerfect and can get a reasonable price for new software, go for it.
I used to use a product called Micrografx Designer 4, for business and new computer operating systems rendered it obsolete. My wife purchased for me the newest Designer Suite Technical edition for $99 with her student status versus the regular $1200 cost.
So I like what I already know when it comes to ANY software.
BTW, here is my phone I still use;
Wordperfect? cool
Lightning fast back in the Blue Screen days.
Hand coded mailers and flyers WAY back when, earning cash in HS.
COREL versions were even groovier.
Now it’s Word, cause everyone else is using it.
‘Round here, Law firms were the last holdouts with WP.
Open and Libre, tried em on my Linux boxes.
It was just too . . . weird.
Wow, a blast from the past! I didn’t know Wordperfect was even still around. I may check it out just for old times sake, or when Microsoft makes Office such a convoluted mess that I have to switch to something else.
LOVED the 2200! Lets’s see, 26 years ago would be 1981....that’s an early 2200! Maybe a “VP”? I arrived in the mid eighties. Loved booting those machines up, went right to the Command Prompt about two seconds after powering up, if I remember correctly. Back then we wrote our own “diagnostics” in Basic.....
Documents can still be shared by always converting a copy to Word.
Word main selling point is community editing, redline edits and hidden comments, if you need that.
The disadvantage of Word is it is now a “Rent Seeker”. You keep paying but never own it. For that use Word 2000, it has all the features you ever need and you own it.
Last alternative is Apple, designed for publishing.
I use Word Perfect at the office and at home. It will not work on a Mac so if you use a Mac, forget about it.
I’m using Word Perfect X3 right now. I love Word Perfect. MS Word is too clunky and glitchy, IMO. Also, anything you create with Word Perfect just looks better.
What’s the last version of Word Perfect you’ve used? Was it DOS? If so, they’ve come a long way, baby. I still have some DOS floppy disks around somewhere. I actually preferred the DOS version to the Windows version but had to move on with the times.
I highly recommend word Perfect! Love, love, love, its reveal codes!
Why don’t you go to the corel website and see if you can get a trial version to try it out?
Yes! A VP. That stuff was pure magic, a feeling I don’t think anyone gets these days and it’s too bad. We hooked the thing up to a Starwriter typewriter and the thing typed all by itself! Unbelievable.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.