RE: Open door for Word flames...

[kcronin -at- daleen -dot- com]

In defense of the much-maligned Word:

Most if not all of the problems you describe can be solved or simply
avoided by spending some time setting up how Word works for you. Its GUI
is highly modifiable; moreso than just about any program I've used. One of
its biggest weaknesses is in the confusion it creates by trying to be all
things to all users. If you know what you want to do, there's almost
always a way to get Word to do it. You just need to make sure it's not
doing some other things you don't want it to do. Half of setting it up
(for me) is turning a lot of its features OFF.

Also, most of its other quirks are things that once you learn the way to
solve them, you're set. Page numbering, headers, whatever - once you learn
the trick, you know the trick.

I like FrameMaker a lot. It's great. But let's be honest - how many people
can sit down at a computer, NEVER having used Frame before, and
successfully create a satifactory document? I'd say virtually nobody. You
have to LEARN how to use Frame.

Word is dangerously easy. By that I mean, you can sit down and create a
pretty decent document knowing virtually nothing about how Word works. And
that's the danger - you get spoiled, and want to create flawless documents
with little or no effort.

But when you want to get professional results with ANY tool, you need to
spend a little time becoming a professional user.

</STEPPING DOWN FROM TOOLBOX - ER, SOAPBOX>



 - Keith Cronin

_____________________________________


 Technical writing is easy. Except for GOOD technical writing, which is
like, kind of hard.



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