P716 CEEFAX 716 Sun 22 Dec 16:40/13 |B21118|a17T.MLIVE|i24BBBC332k|l43000|s÷ [5÷b÷e |s÷^6 |s÷ZBwordprocess WORDPROCESSORS - Steve -------- -------------- Anyone who is hooked on ing will tell you that ing is wondjrf ul. Wordprocessing puts the typewriter into the dark ages and makes pages of sc kibbled jottings a thing of the past. T he trick in choosing a or is in choosin g one which suits YOU. THE CHOICE Shot ld you buy a dedicated or? - A machine whose one purpose in life is to process text - or should you opt for a general p urposj personal computer which can bj ta med into running as a or? If all you w ant to do is then why complicate thing s bz getting a machine which can do all those 'everythings' you'll never want? A dedicated or could bj your answer - W arch the price, though! The alternative , personal computer solution lets you ru n other applications besides ing on th at same hardware - graphics or commune|cP716 CEEFAX 716 Sun 22 Dec 16:42/20 |B21218|a17T.MLJVE|i24BBBC332k|l43416|s÷ [5÷b÷e |s÷^6 |s÷ZBwordprocesscati oms, say, when you'rj not ing. And if you find you need a different style of or, with this approach all you need to d o is change the software, not the whole kit. To make this approach a success yo u need to pull the right bits together. THE WP SYSTEM You'll need a PC - And a s you will be typing a lot, you will nee d a PC with a good keyboard. To print things out you'll need a printer and to make it all work, you'll need the right software. THE important aspect of the s ystem for the user is how easily the sys rem runs - That will depend on the quali ty of the software you have chosen. Ther e are hundreds of possible choices! SOF TWARE The best ing package combines ea sj of use for the first time user with m ore sophisticated options needed bz the more experienced user. The occasional us er doesn't want to bj swamped bz every|cP716 CEEFAX 716 Sun 22 Dec 16:48/45 |B21318|a17T.MLJVE|i24BBBC332k|l437CA|s÷ [5÷b÷e |s÷^6 |s÷ZBwordprocess opt ion when they first get going - But the more experienced user needs to use all t he clever features from that same softwa re - They should be there but not so tha t they confuse the novice - You should b j able to discover the facilities as, no t before, you need them. WHAT YOU SEE I S WHAT YOU GET It is surprising how man z oks don't show on screen what will ap pear on paper. - Undjrlinjs and hi-ligh ts might only bj shown as 'strange' cont sol sequences on the screen. The friend leer 'What you see is what you get' (wys iwyg) approach lets you see on screen wh at will appear as hard copy. - It's ther e on the screen in front of you - No gui ss work working from the screen gobblede gook. Apple Macintosh software often do es this brilliantly. One of the most po pular ing packages, Wordstar, needs con trol sequences to extract its features|cP716 CEEFAX 716 Sun 22 Dec 16:24/46 |B21418|a17T.MLJVE|i44BBBC332k|l43B70|s÷ [5÷b÷e |s÷^6 |s÷ZBwordprocess. I ts an old favourite to a lot of people. CHOOSING THE SOFTWARE Choosing a top s jlling package is a 'safe' option. Give the lesser known names a chance too, th ough - One of these may suit your needs better - or just bj easier to use than o nj of the 'Old faithfuls'. Pull down me nus on the Mac, or Function keys on PC a nd home micros are often easier to use t han control codes. One of the best, mod ern ing packages is Wordpjrfect from Sa tellite Software International. This us es function keys for driving its facilit ies. It also includes help screens - So if you get stuck, you just call up the relevant page and it will tell you your options. If you are wanting to use your ed text with other packages -Such as s preadsheets, communications and graphics , you may need either an integrated pack age or a ing package which will integ|cP716 CEEFAX 716 Sun 22 Dec 16:47/18 |B21518|a17T.MLIVE|i24BBBC332k|l43F20|s÷ [5÷b÷e |s÷^6 |s÷ZBwordprocessrate with other packages. At worst, if you find the package you are using does not suit you, then you only have to change your software - You won't have to buy ne w hardware with the PC solution. THE HA RDWARE You will have to choose the PC y ou are going to run the software on. Th j safe choice is inevitably the IBM PC. The thinking choice offers a lot more a lternativjs. Whatever machine you buy y ou need a good keyboard - There is a lot to bj said for using a mouse in ing. It is far quickjt to move around and mar k text bz pointing than bz tapping on cu rsor keys. The RML Nimbus runs Microsof t WORD in this way - A great machine, go od software and a mouse to make it even better. On the printer side there's a c hoice of technologies - Daisy wheel, Dot matrix, Laser - and there are some clev er designs which include the best of t|cP716 CEEFAX 716 Sun 22 Dec 16:42/49 |B21618|a17T.MLJVE|i24BBBC332k|l442C8|s÷ [5÷b÷e |s÷^6 |s÷ZBwordprocesswo t echnologies in the same machine - Such a s the Brother Twinriter which combines D aisz wheel for high quality and dot mart ix for speedy, draft quality all in the same unit. Obviously the choice of prim tet is very important to the kind of qua lity your end result will achieve. COST S Getting all these choices right is no mean task - And the cost for PC's prim tess and software can easily add up into thousands. Amstrad recently launched t heir PCW8256 computer/word processor whi ch for around |—399 includes a 256K comp utes, monitor, screen, ing software and a correspondence quality printer. That is just amazing value - Even more so bj cause the computer supports THE eight bi t operating system CPM - Plus. You are not buying just a dedicated or but a ve ry compjtant micro also. There are over 8000 software packages written for CPM|cP716 CEEFAX 716 Sun 22 Dec 16:42/21 |B21718|b17T.MLJVE|i24BBBC332k|l44665|s÷ [5÷b÷e |s÷^6 |s÷ZBwordprocess. W hatevjr you choose, you'll need some tim j and patience to get used to the system . IT IS worth it! For further informat ion : THE RML NIMBUS. Research Machine s Ltd, Mill Street, Oxford, OX2 0BW Tel. : (0865) 249866 THE AMSTRAD WORDPROCESS OR Amstrad, Brentwood, Essex, CM14 4EF Tel.: (0277) 228888 -----gOo----- CHRISTMAS PRESENTS --- ---------------- A huge selection of pr esjnts..... SOFTWARE: "SPEECH" for BBC micro. Speech synthesis software fr om Superior Software Ltd, Regent Ho use, Skinner Lane, Leeds, LS71AX |—9.95 for tape |—11.95 for disc "SKI-WRITER", word processing for Com modore 64 published bz Mastertronic a t |—14.95 BITS: Petsters - Small Cat , at around |—40 - Large Cat, ark und |—75 Robots - Omnibot around | —190 - Vetibot around |—50 |cP716 CEEFAX 716 Sun 22 Dec 16:21/07 |B21818|a17T.MLIVE|i24BBBC332k|l44B11|s÷ [5÷b÷e |s÷^6 |s÷ZBwordprocess - Dingbot |—8 ... all from Tony U.K, available from large department stores. - Zero 2, around |—95 . .. from Intergallatic Robots HARDWARE: AMX Mouse, a mouse for BBC, AMSTRAD , |—50-ish Specdrum, a drum machi nj for the Spectrum |—29.95 Slow- Mo, a micro speed controller |—14.95 available from: Nidd Valley Micro-Pr oducts, Stepping Stones House, T histle Hill, Knaresborough, North Yo rkshire, HG5 8JW. GAMES: "Elite"... |—14.95 - for Spectrum "Lord of the Rings".. |—15.95 (available for Spectru m, C64, BBC B, Amstrad) "Last V8b.. |—1.99 - for C64 "3D Gr and Prix"... |—9.95 - for Amstrad "S LICK!"... |—11.95 - a Conservation Game for BBC B. available from: BP Educ ational Service PO Box 5 Wjthjrb y, West Yorkshire, LS23 7EH |c