RE: Re Word/Weird

[Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com>]

Chuck Martin <CMartin -at- serena -dot- com> wrote:

>I find it interesting to see the amount of energy expended on badmouthing
>Word. It's not like other software doesn't have bugs. They do. Plenty of
>them.


Part of the reason for all the curses aimed at MS Word may be
that the limitations are at such a basic level. The most annoying
bugs and limitations (the master document problem, the number of
levels you have to drill down to edit styles, etc.) are hard to
avoid.

Another reason is that they've been around forever, and MS has
made no effort to fix them. I fact, the last time I checked, MS
won't even admit that many problems exist.

By contrast, problems with FrameMaker tend to be a lack of
automating features. However, these problems tend not to affect
basic functionality, and, in some cases, can be overcome by
adding a third-party plug-in that costs $20 or $30. And, the last
time a major bug occurred (I think in Frame 5.5.1), Adobe had a
fix ready in about three or four weeks. As a result, although
Adobe is as much a monopoly in its own fields as Microsoft is,
people tend to be more tolerent. Usually, the major complain on
the Framers' list is a resurgence of the rumours that Framemaker
is going to be discontinued.

-- 
Bruce Byfield, Outlaw Communications
"The Open Road" column, Maximum Linux
3015 Aries Place, Burnaby, BC V3J 7E8, Canada
bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com 604.421.7189

"Reading is the drinking of strange wine."
- Harlan Ellison, "Revealed At Last! Why the Dinosaurs Died (And
You Don't
Look So Healthy Yourself)"