From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: ** X-Spam-Status: No, score=2.2 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,FROM_WORDY, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,345c9fcf5a67a99f X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2002-05-24 17:42:02 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!feed2.news.rcn.net!feed1.news.rcn.net!rcn!not-for-mail From: "Frank J. Lhota" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: OT: Microsoft takes on history Date: Fri, 24 May 2002 20:41:47 -0400 Message-ID: References: <3CED2E66.DD15C13D@despammed.com> <2TvH8.1710$Np5.1619@nwrddc01.gnilink.net> Reply-To: "Frank J. Lhota" X-Trace: UmFuZG9tSVb5hn7MckzUQeQAdCuCVaJxYVDKbciKUoSCAhF4aLKPJUqg+1b8LoRE X-Complaints-To: abuse@rcn.com NNTP-Posting-Date: 25 May 2002 00:41:44 GMT X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2600.0000 X-Priority: 3 X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:24704 Date: 2002-05-25T00:41:44+00:00 List-Id: For the record, WordPerfect used a different file format than WordStar, and Microsoft Word has a different format from either one of them. The file format issue, bothersome as it might be, is surmountable, as the legions of users who have made the transitions to new word processors can attest. Actually, it is now easier than ever to switch word processors, thanks to the RTF format. Also, the notion that the only way to compete with Word is to look more like Word is completed wrong. MS Word will always look more like MS Word than any other word processor. To take on Word, one needs to do something substantially better than Word. My biggest gripe with Word is performance: when I edit a large document with Word, my PC starts to resemble a 286. The latest version of StarOffice may very well do that by taking on Word on several fronts: lower price (obviously), a cleaner interface, and (thank God!) better performance. If StarOffice doesn't replace Word, I'm sure that something else will. And I am just as sure that once a new company overtakes Microsoft, everyone will be pontificating that the new company will never lose its #1 spot. :)