Re: Any Word on Word?

Subject: Re: Any Word on Word?
From: Andrew Plato <aplato -at- EASYSTREET -dot- COM>
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1998 19:06:58 -0700

> At 10:53 PM 10/15/1998 -0400, Al Brown wrote:
> >My department is wondering whether to consider using Word 97 instead of
> >PageMaker for our major documents. We're being encouraged to do so by our
> >translation agencies, who claim we'd save on costs, but the people who
> >broker our printing don't want us to, for reasons that they aren't too
> >specific about. Our manuals are about 50-100 pages and up, with a
> >substantial number of graphics.
> >I'd be interested in hearing from anyone with experiences to>
share--positive
> >or negative.

Holy wars and other emotional reactions aside, here's a fact to gnaw on:

Does your company want a tool that is known by all or a tool known by a few?

There are more people comfortable using Word than there are people using
Frame. Word is a pretty universal tool while Frame is limited to tech
writers and publisher types. Let's face it, the learning curve on Frame is
wee steeper.

Dice this argument up any way you want, but the numbers come down to that
cold, hard, crusty fact. Stomp your feet, cry bloody murder, cite
irrelevant personal anecdotes, have a heart attack, get crowned Queen of
Norway - this is a non-debatable fact: Word everywhere, Frame not.

<SATIRE>

However, I strongly suggest you for an oversight committee about this
extremely important issue. Gather all the writers and hold four-hour panel
discussions about the benefits of Word vs Frame. Allow for lengthy,
personal opinions and ravings to consume the meeting. When people cry,
encourage them to share their real feelings about FrameMaker. Badger people
with opinions different than your own. Cite irrelevant features, such as
the ability to see through underwear, as a reason to purchase Word.

Contact the local chapter of the Revolutionary Brotherhood of FrameMaker and
the Society for General Protection Faults to come in and give a PowerPoint
demonstration on why bullets and bold text are good. Don't forget to create
a few committees to study templates and font styles.

Also, encourage a lively debate on one space or two after a period. Make
sure to provide baseball bats and small firearms to the participants.

After six months of discussion and fretting, issue a 10,000 page report
which no one reads. In the report, recommend staying with the same tool and
using one and one half spaces after the period. Make sure that everyone is
laid off because no work was done. If you're lucky, you can all get jobs
scraping bugs off semi trucks at the truck stop outside of town.

</SATIRE>

Sheesh, pick a tool and be done with it. Who cares what tool you use.
They're all the same and they all suck in different ways.

:-)

For those of you have strong feelings about my opinions, here's some other
facts about me to help solidify your feelings:

I am ugly, stupid, and incompetent. I enjoy kicking puppies and misleading
young, virginal, Christian women into a life of sexual deviancy, alcoholism
and petty crime. I drive a huge, American car that guzzles gas and widens
the hole in the ozone. I shot JFK. I am the Smoking Man. I have rabies,
herpes, and cat scratch fever. I eat soft, cute bunnies and duckies alive.
I am a communist. I snarl at children at the playground. I watch
pornographic movies night and day. I sell crack to children at Bible study.
I send spam to old ladies asking for their credit card numbers. I pick my
zits. And I LIKE WORD!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Andrew Plato
President / Principal Smart-ass
Anitian Consulting
www.anitian.com
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From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=



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