[ale] Google to distribut StarOffice for free

[Watson, Keith R.]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: ale-bounces at ale.org [mailto:ale-bounces at ale.org] On Behalf Of
Warren
> Myers
> Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2007 09:32
> To: Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts
> Subject: Re: [ale] Google to distribut StarOffice for free
> 
> makes sense :)
> novell owns wordperfect
> 
> <jacket don="firesuit">
> my question, though, is why people are still using wordperfect - with
all
> the *SO* much better alternatives (like word, OO.o,  rtf editors,
etc)?
> </jacket>
> 
> WMM
> 
> 

Warren,

If I recall correctly WordPerfect was the de facto standard for word
processing when Novell bought them for around 800 million. The
uncertainty of its future in Novell's hand and the arrival of Microsoft
as a competitor a few years earlier lead to the decline of WordPerfect
and its eventual sale for pennies on the dollar to Corel where it
resides to this day.

Corel was one of the first companies to port a major word processor to
Linux and it was distributed for free. I think the Linux version was
eventually dropped but WordPerfect is still being produced by Corel.

This could easily devolve into a religious war. In light of that I'll
refrain from claiming any one word processor is better than any other.
Suffice it to say that I have used and supported virtually every word
processing program since WordStar on CPM. Most of today's word
processors use the Microsoft Word word processing paradigm. WordPerfect
doesn't, it uses a typesetting paradigm. To this day I still prefer
WordPerfect to any of the other word processors I have used.

And before Charles points out that I'm older than dirt let me remind him
that he is technically correct as rocks don't even live as long as I am
old. Also for any of you other old guys/gals WordStar is still
available.

http://www.wordstar.org/


keith


-- 

Keith R. Watson                        Georgia Institute of Technology
Systems Support Specialist IV          College of Computing
keith.watson at cc.gatech.edu             801 Atlantic Drive NW
(404) 385-7401                         Atlanta, GA  30332-0280