RE: Suggestions for new tool options

Subject: RE: Suggestions for new tool options
From: "Field, Kristin" <KField -at- LSAC -dot- org>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 4 Jun 2001 12:27:33 -0400

<There are NUMEROUS ways to avoid these problems with Word. I've done 10 or
20
500 page documents in Word without any problem. Allow me to elaborate.>

<1. Word is not a desktop publishing tool, its a word processor. You cannot
use
it like Frame or Pagemaker. It will give you problems.>
I understand the difference.

<2. No master documents. Master documents does work, you just have to be
very
diligent in keeping your documents clean. >
I agree. I have tried to use Master/subdocuments with less than stellar
results.

<3. Get Word 2000 and upgrade to SR-2. Many problems are resolved when you
have
the latest version. See www.officeupdate.com to get the latest patches. >
I have Word 2000. Not much help.

<4. Work on Windows 2000 with Service Pack 2. See www.windowsupdate.com to
get
the latest service packs and patches. Win9x/Me is a waste of time. You need
a
real OS that can handle true business applications. You would be WAY WAY WAY
better off to spend $200 to get Windows 2000 then spend $1000 and get Quark.


5. No linking graphics. All graphics should be placed in-line as metafiles.
The
easiest way to do this is to run ALL your graphics through Paint Shop Pro
(PSP)
6.0 or greater. Open them in PSP, copy the portion of the graphic you want
to
the clipboard, then paste the image (IN-LINE!!!) into the document. Don't
put
the images into frames or floating things. These just create problems. Word
loves metafiles. It can eat them very nicely. It loathes linked images and
it
really hates GIF and JPG images. At my office, we library all images in the
native PSP format and copy/paste them into Word as needed. It is hands down
the
simplest and least breakable method to putting graphics in Word. >
Word may love copying and pasting, but it makes the document huge! From
past experience, we found that JPG and GIF keep the file size much smaller.
I don't like managing a ton of linked images, but that's my hang up and
maybe it would help. I can't honestly comment.

<6. If you get images as JPGs, GIF, or any other format - convert them to a
true
color, compressible format. TIF is always good. In general, JPG and GIF are
meant for web sites and you should avoid these formats like a Pauly Shore
movie.

7. Build a bullet-proof template. Word's templates are actually quite
powerful
- once you learn the quirks. Build a template that has adequate styles to
handle all your text. >
I don't believe such a thing exists in Word. Unless you mean bullet-less
because it sure can have a lot of problems with them.

<8. Keep those headers and footers simple. These are the most breakable area
of
Word. Keep them simple. >
They are simple.

<9. Manage those files. Don't allow 97 different versions of a file to
intermingle. Always work from a pure copy of your file. A copy that never
leaves your computer and its environment. When other people open your file,
they can write their own filth into it. After 19 people open it, its full of
macros and crap from other people. >
I am the only person working on the document.

<10. Want to merge data from a database? Access 2000 + Mail Merge is a
beautiful
thing. We use it ALL the time for large collections of data. And it takes
about
3 minutes to set up. Do you're merging off-line in another documents and
then
copy the content over. That way your doc doesn't become diseased with broken
links. >
Irrevelant

<11. No FRAMES! Frames are nice when you're laying out flyers and such in
Word.
But they are worthless in large documents. >
I don't use frames.

<12. NO DRAWING! Word's drawing features are nice for simple documents and
morons that can't use Visio. Use Visio for diagramming. >
Irrevelant

<13. NO EMBEDDED CRAP! Don't embed Visio files, excel spread sheets, etc.
Drop
in Excel stuff as a Word table and make images out of Visio diagrams. The
easiest way is to run all your Visio diagrams through Paint Shop Pro and
turn
them into images. >
Irrevelant

<14. Organize your document. Just because its easy, doesn't mean you can
just
throw text here and there. Use section breaks and headers wisely. >
I consider myself highly organized. This includes my documentation.

<15. Learn to copy/paste. An enormous amount of work can be saved when you
embrace the awe and power of copy/paste. Want to create a new section that's
exactly like the previous - copy the previous section, paste it where you
want
the new one and start changing the text. >
Sage advice.

<A new tool won't make life easier. It will merely give you new problems.

I remember a client who had problems with Word so all the writers went on a
crusade to get Frame. They got it and then spent 9 months farting around
building templates and playing with the tool. All this time they missed
their
deliverables and released crap documents. They would have been a lot better
off
just staying with Word - but that would have meant actual work and not "fun
work" of playing with templates.

FrameMaker, Quark, and PageMaker ALL blow up and GPF too. They just have a
different set of problems. At the end of the day - its all the same. >
So, why do developers bother creating new and improved applications if the
old stand-by will work if you just use it properly? We should all still be
using Word Star in dos.

<I say before you run out and spend a lot of money and time on a new tool,
see
if you can get the old one to work. 99 times out of 100 it isn't the tool -
its
the user and the document.

Andrew Plato >

First, Andrew, let me thank you for your 2 cents. I took the time to read
your rather lengthy reply and thought you were trying to help. Although I
did not agree with most of your suggestions, I appreciated that you were
"giving me assistance." I am new to this listserv, so I am not familiar
with everyone's personality. If you sent your response to be funny as Sean
has suggested in his response, you failed. After reading his comments
regarding your sarcasm, I am feeling rather @#!* off that you wasted your
time and more importantly mine! I subscribed to this listserve hoping to
have some place to get and offer some legitimate suggestions. If you sent
your response as a legitimate answer to my questions, forgive me for not
heeding your well-intentioned advice. Although I do not know you, this
first encounter has caused me not to trust you. In the future, please do not
respond to my posts.



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