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RE: What Are the Main Problems You Have with MS Word?
Subject:RE: What Are the Main Problems You Have with MS Word? From:HALL Bill <bill -dot- hall -at- tenix -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 29 May 2002 17:49:21 +1000 (EST)
Kim Roper says,
I'd really appreciate something like WP's "Reveal Codes." Please, don't
tell me to use "Show Formatting" as a substitute; it isn't the same thing.
I want something that looks like a markup.
My response,
I suspect Microsoft will never do this, because most of their formatting is
stacked up in hidden tables in the section breaks or at the end of the
document, and to reveal this mess would show what a nightmare the Word
really is behind its gooey interface.
The old WordPerfect (or even older WordStar) had no problems revealing their
formatting codes because they were physically associated with the text being
formatted and worked in a sensible logical way to encode the users
formatting decisions. Word's way of doing this isn't sensible and logical
from a user point of view (and from the evidence, it isn't from a computer
processor's point of view either).
Only a complete reengineering of Word from a blank page would likely solve
the problems, which is one of several reasons why I think XML will rule the
world within a few years. Good XML authoring apps are starting to hit the
road, and hopefully it won't be too much longer before we are free of the
"network effect" that has given Billy Gates a practical monopoly.
With an open standard for exchanging texts electronically (i.e., XML) we
will have real competition between developers of authoring tools. FrameMaker
7, what Corel will be offering when XMetaL is digested, XML Spy, etc. will
be early leaders - and I can't wait....
Bill Hall
----------------------------
Information is not knowledge
Knowledge is not wisdom
Wisdom is not truth
Truth is not beauty
Beauty is not love
Love is not music
Music is THE BEST
----------------------------
(Frank Zappa, Packard Goose)
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