[softwarelist] Re: O-Pro's future - (Word v EW sideline)

In message <4fb6276344john@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
          John Harrison <john@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:



<snip>

> But this thread was about the future of O-Pro.  I bought O-Pro to write a
> book that would have been impossible with either EW or Word, because of the
> way we wanted to organise the content.  (Actually I might have bodged it
> with Word, but it would have been a nightmare to manage).  O-Pro is not
> 'better' than EW; it is different.  I would not dream of using it for the
> things I use EW for.

I spent several years producing a magazine with Easiwriter, then 
switched to OPro. The difference it made in easy of use was enormous - 
not because of inherent difficulty in Easiwriter, but because I was 
trying to make it do what it wasn't designed for - put things in an 
exact position on the page and have them stay there, which is the 
biggest single gripe I have with Word also.

On the other hand if I was writing a book, and wanted text flow 
throughout the document to be automatic, styles to be constant 
throughout, footnotes etc...  Easiwriter would be a better choice.

(I would probably use OPro however because these days I know it a lot 
better.)

In the course of my work I've had occasion to demonstrate OPro to 
several teachers, usually just after they've been struggling to teach 
DTP using Word. They are delighted, until it comes to the price.

Office Pro costs a school about 40 pounds a copy - educational 
discounts - and OPro costs 100 pounds IN ADDITION, as they cannot be 
without Excel and Word. The price these days includes Publisher, which 
is bundled with Office PRO in 2003 and later editions, so if they want 
to do a proper job on DTP they have the tools already.

Nobody should underestimate the value of educational discounts - what 
people use in school and college they will demand at work as well, 
which is where the real money is made.

-- 
Alan Adams, from Northamptonshire
alan.adams@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.nckc.org.uk/
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