Five new Windows word processors compared - Software Review - Microsoft Corp.'s Word for Windows 2.0, WordPerfect Corp.'s WordPerfect for Windows, DeScribe's DeScribe 3.0, WordStar International's WordStar for Windows, Symantec's JustWrite - Evaluation

Home Office Computing, May, 1992 by Kay Yarborough Nelson

Word processors, especially Windows word processors, aren't just for writing anymore. These days, most let you create detailed page layouts, add graphic elements, import spreadsheet data and charts, and even use sophisticated typesetting effects such as kerning and letterspacing. The more feature-laden Windows word processors even check your grammar, allow you to manipulate data from other programs while you're in the word processor (more on this later), create drawings and charts, and rotate text for special effects. This is all, of course, in addition to basics like checking spelling, making hot links, and doing complex mail merges.

In this month's software guide, we'll take a look at the latest word processors for Windows: Microsoft Word for Windows 2.0, WordPerfect for Windows, DeScribe, WordStar for Windows, and JustWrite. They all have a suggested retail price of $495, except for JustWrite, which carries a bargain list price of $199.

Should you upgrade to a Windows word processor? Which one should you get? Before we look at what these packages can do, let's take a peek at some things you'll need to take into consideration before you buy. These hot-off-the-shelf word processors can give you capabilities that you never dreamed of. But you may be surprised to find out that you don't necessarily want--or need--the biggest and the best of them. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Do you have what it takes? Any way you cut it, Windows word processors are slower than character-based (DOS) programs. That's the price you pay for the graphical interface. If you're a speedy touch typist who zips right along at 80 or so words per minute, you may find that these programs are slower than you are. I tested all the packages on a 25-MHz 386 machine with 8MB of RAM, and they were fast enough for me, but I'm only a little faster than Doogie Howser, and not by much. If straight typing speed is important and you don't need the other capabilities, a Windows word processor may not be right for you. Or if you have a 286 machine and aren't planning to upgrade to a 386 soon, stick with your DOS word processor for now.

Using icons. Interacting with your word processor using icons or buttons is another Windows feature that plain-vanilla DOS-based programs lack. Since icons represent common tasks, you can execute a command or even a complex set of commands with one click of the mouse instead of having to hunt through menus or memorize complex command shortcuts. So, even if you're only an occasional word-processor user, composing just a few letters a week, you may prefer a Windows program for this feature alone.

Page layout. If you plan to create newsletters or brochures or do any other type of desktop publishing (which can mean just about anything from putting your logo on your letterhead to churning out pages for a book), you'll probably want to check out a Windows word processor. The top-of-the-line programs we'll look at here display fully formatted pages, and all but one of them (WordPerfect) give you zoomable editing views so that you can see parts of pages close up. All of them let you switch between a text view and a WYSIWYG view showing headers, footers, and footnotes, so you can see what you'll be printing.

Graphics editing. If you need to work with graphics and produce special effects, such as rotating and inverting images, these word processors will give you that capability. Two of the programs (Word and DeScribe) come with their own drawing modules. All of them will let you crop and scale graphics.

Exchanging data between programs. You may be familiar with DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange), which lets you create hot links between, say, budget data in a word-processing document and the spreadsheet program that created the data. As you edit the data in the spreadsheet, you can update the link so that the budget is updated in your word-processing document, too. All the word processors reviewed here support DDE. But the newest version of Word also supports OLE (Object Linking and Embedding). With OLE, when you click on an icon that represents an embedded "object" (text, graphics, spreadsheet data, or just about anything from another program), you'll be placed in the program that originally created the material so that you can edit it there, using the proper tools from its native program. If you often work with documents that contain material from other programs such as databases and spreadsheets, Word can give you a lot of flexibility.

Macro making. The high-end Windows word processors also have macro-making capability. If you pick a program that supports macros, you can automate routine jobs for yourself and even create custom-tailored word-processing applications for other users. Say, for example, that you have someone who comes in once or twice a month to help you with billing or to send out mailings. With a macro language such as WordPerfect's or Word's, you can set up prompts and dialog boxes to help you part-time person perform those tasks.