Wordpad annoyance

[Gene E. Bloch]

Although we often agree on things, in this case we are diametrically
opposed. To me WordPerfect is, and has always been, by far the best
word processor.

Okay by me - I don't mind

For one thing, I did manage to use it to good effect before I dumped it.

BTW, that doesn't mean I understand your attitude. Even so, maybe if I
had used later versions I might possibly like WP!

But by all means leave me to my ignorance^b^b^b^b^b^b^b^b^b bliss.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

As Char Jackson pointed out, it is the same as in XP; also, I replied to
what you wrote, not, apparently, what you meant, when you said "I had to
do a lot of extra typing until I found a utility that could set up the
environment variables, because W7 doesn't let you do it by hand".

But if you want an easy way, do what I do:

In a command window, run
echo %variablename% > env.txt

Now edit env.txt to your heart's delight, then copy the text (you know,
Ctrl-A, Ctrl-C) and go to the place I told you about. Highlight
(Ctrl-A) the environment string there and paste (Ctrl-V) the new one
over it.

Do be careful

I will more often create just the new environment variables in an editor
and paste them into an appropriate place within the existing string,
since that is safer (IMO).

E.g., I might paste a string like ";C:\Other Programs\" (no quotes) at a
good place in the existing path variable (the most common change I
make), or I might create a whole new environment variable and paste it &
its name into the New dialog.

I'll try to remember to see if I can make changes done in batch files
stick, but that will require a reboot, so I won't do it now.

That didn't work for me, but I stumbled across a site that pointed me to
another.

The first one was:
http://tinyurl.com/3xqltun

It's a site called Windows 7 Hacker, and that entry led me to the second
site:
http://www.rapidee.com/en/about

At a glance it looks quite useful, but I haven't looked in depth yet.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

That didn't work for me, but I stumbled across a site that pointed me to
another.

The first one was:
http://tinyurl.com/3xqltun

It's a site called Windows 7 Hacker, and that entry led me to the second
site:
http://www.rapidee.com/en/about

At a glance it looks quite useful, but I haven't looked in depth yet.

It seems to be OK (I installed it and looked at it). A bit confusing,
but I didn't spend any real amount of time in it.

However, it looks like in this registry key:

"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session
Manager\Environment"

the environment can be edited fairly easily without external tools.

I find that and a couple of other entries by searching for an unusual
value in my environment, so any hit would be likely to be what I wanted.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

It seems to be OK (I installed it and looked at it). A bit confusing,
but I didn't spend any real amount of time in it.

However, it looks like in this registry key:

"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session
Manager\Environment"

the environment can be edited fairly easily without external tools.

I find that and a couple of other entries by searching for an unusual
value in my environment, so any hit would be likely to be what I wanted.

OK, I was able to edit the environment easily in my Registry editor tool
(I use Registry Workshop, because it's much easier than regedit).

When I rebooted, the variable was there, both in the control panel and
in the command window. I deleted it in the control panel and it was then
gone (no reboot needed) in the registry.

By Control Panel, I mean the same place you get to by my method I gave
earlier,
"One way to get there: Right click on Computer, choose Properties,
Advanced System Settings, Environment Variables".

 

[thanatoid]

I googled "Word Magic" and found references to current apps
for various smart phones etc but nothing re 30 years ago.
Maybe in days of yore I worked on cataloging graves in
Arlington Natl Cemetery. Whatever its name, it was so far
ahead of its time compared to other WP programs that it was
no contest. If I ever come up with its proper name I'll
post it so that, unlike those suddenly anonymous veterans
in Arlington it can have a proper gravestone.
Allen

Are you sure you're not talking about WordStar?

Or maybe this was it?

http://www.nadbor.pwr.wroc.pl/yesterpc/Software/MagicWand/item.h
tm
http://experts.about.com/e/m/ma/Magic_Wand_(software).htm

 

[Steve Hayes]

I had totally forgotten about XyWrite - thanks for the reminder.

I might have even used it for a while, but recollection is fading

It was the best word processor there was (and still is).

It was wrecked by two things:

1. I'BM made it their replacement for their clunky DisplayWrite, but insidted
that a lot of awkward key combinations be used for various fuinctions, to slow
things down.

2. Computer keyboards began to be made with function keys on the top instead
of on the left, where God intended them to be. That was an ergonomic disaster,
which also slowed things down. I think it may have been done deliberately by
Microsoft -- they couldn't make Word as fast as XyWrite, so they designed
keyboards to slow XyWrite down. And XyWrite still runs slower under Windows 7
in my 2 GHz computer than it did on an 8 MHz XT which had function keys on the
left.

 

[Steve Hayes]

As Char Jackson pointed out, it is the same as in XP; also, I replied to
what you wrote, not, apparently, what you meant, when you said "I had to
do a lot of extra typing until I found a utility that could set up the
environment variables, because W7 doesn't let you do it by hand".

But if you want an easy way, do what I do:

In a command window, run
echo %variablename% > env.txt

Now edit env.txt to your heart's delight, then copy the text (you know,
Ctrl-A, Ctrl-C) and go to the place I told you about. Highlight
(Ctrl-A) the environment string there and paste (Ctrl-V) the new one
over it.

Do be careful

That sounds hard to me!

But I found a Freeware utility that came on one of this discs you get with
magazines that did what I wanted, and it worked. It is something I only want
to do once, when setting up a computer -- to make sure that the directory with
my batch files is in the path, so I can type them from anywhere, and to make
sure that the utilities called by those batch files are in the path, so that
the batch files will work.

I mainly use the batch files for backing up data to CD and DVD drives, and for
transferring frequently used data files between my laptop and desktop machines
using a flash drive.

So once the path is set, I don't need to fiddle with it again.

I will more often create just the new environment variables in an editor
and paste them into an appropriate place within the existing string,
since that is safer (IMO).

Yes, that's what I did with XP, where they were in the autoexec.bat file.

 

[Steve Hayes]

OK, I was able to edit the environment easily in my Registry editor tool
(I use Registry Workshop, because it's much easier than regedit).

When I rebooted, the variable was there, both in the control panel and
in the command window. I deleted it in the control panel and it was then
gone (no reboot needed) in the registry.

By Control Panel, I mean the same place you get to by my method I gave
earlier,
"One way to get there: Right click on Computer, choose Properties,
Advanced System Settings, Environment Variables".

I don't understand the registry, and so am dead scared of fiddling with it.

That little utility I mentioned earlier did the trick for me -- I don't know
how, but it worked.

 

[Miles]

* Miles wrote, On 09-Aug-11 12:31:

* Allen wrote, On 09-Aug-11 11:51:

Interesting info, thanks. And to correct my previous statement, it's
the Reveal Codes area I keep open at the bottom that allows one to see
*all* of the codes and simply drag out the one (or more) that is
causing problems -- not available in OOo or Word. And it's been owned
by Corel, southeast Canada, for many years.

Had been using WP for 25 years to take care of my small business.
Even set up several invoices and statements in WP with a button to
open each and it worked like a charm. Too many templates and formulas
that stretched onto the next screen to remember. Couldn't begin to
count the zillions of times I located and dragged out an error when
seen that a formula didn't work out and the proper results weren't
seen, or simple things such a text size change, etc., etc.

Faintly recall trying Word Star prior to settling on WP, that's too
long ago to recall why it didn't win out.
Miles

 

[charlie]

Okay by me - I don't mind

For one thing, I did manage to use it to good effect before I dumped it.

BTW, that doesn't mean I understand your attitude. Even so, maybe if I
had used later versions I might possibly like WP!

But by all means leave me to my ignorance^b^b^b^b^b^b^b^b^b bliss.

Anybody remember a program for the apple II called "Executive
Secretary"? Then there was Word Star, running under CPM.

I still remember having to write what now might be called a "minidriver"
for an Epson MX-80 with a graphics ROM, and also one of the early dot
matrix (3 color ribbon) color printers whose name escapes me.
Conversions of IBM Selectrics into printers were also popular at the
time with those who needed "office quality" correspondence.

DOS, MSDOS, and CPM ASCII printer drivers were simple, compared to
today's drivers. I even wrote an MX-80 utility driver supplement that
printed the output of a Tektronix Digital Sampling Storage Scope in
graphics format, showed pass/fail, and the limits graphically.
Those were the "good old days"!

 

[Steve Hayes]

DOS, MSDOS, and CPM ASCII printer drivers were simple, compared to
today's drivers. I even wrote an MX-80 utility driver supplement that
printed the output of a Tektronix Digital Sampling Storage Scope in
graphics format, showed pass/fail, and the limits graphically.
Those were the "good old days"!

I mentioned XyWrite elsewhere, but that reminds me of something.

I have recently acquired Word 2010, but I haven't tried printing with it yet,
so it may have caught up with where XyWrite was 24 years ago.

XyWrite could do microjustification, Word couldn't.

XyWrite could do microjustification on my old C Itoh 8010 dot matrix printer.

Word couldn't do it on the latest laser printer.

In 1991 I wrote a book in XyWrite, and the final copy from the laser printer
was camera-ready, no further typesetting needed, fully justified, without
those ugly extra spaces between words.

As far as I know, Word still can't do that, though I must play a bit more with
2010 to make sure, and also to see if it can delete redlined text (Microsoft
keeps changing the name for that in Word - some versions call it "track
changes", other "revision marking").

 

[Allen]

Faintly recall trying Word Star prior to settling on WP, that's too long
ago to recall why it didn't win out.
Miles

Miles, I can't find the post from you (or someone else) who mentioned
WordStar. After checking w/ Google I'm almost certain that it was not
the program that we used. I will always wonder why in the world the
developers of whatever it was sold it to S&S; that was almost like
selling a patent on some great innovation that improved immensely the
making of wedding dresses to a farm and ranch supply business. The
WYSIWYG feature alone was immensely valuable--WYSIWYG has become such a
part of our lives at the keyboard that I wonder how many younger folks
even know what it stands for. I do remember one thing: in early 21985 WP
hadn't added menus, but the deciding factor (no contest) was LJ
support--and MSW was the first one there.

I want to throw in a comment about that first Laser Jet. We had it
networked and it ran at around twice its rated capacity. We replaced it
when the LJ2 came out; in the time it was overworked in my department
(accounting) the total number of service calls was 0--yes, zero. When we
replaced it we gave it to another department; when I retired that
machine was seven years old and there still had never been a service call.
Allen

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

I will always wonder why in the world the
developers of whatever it was sold it to S&S; that was almost like
selling a patent on some great innovation that improved immensely the
making of wedding dresses to a farm and ranch supply business.

OT, but you reminded me of when Mad Comics often used Mama
Veeblefetzer's Storm Door and Pizza company as a typical illustration of
a business.

Not sure about the proprietor's name after the long lapse of years, but
that doesn't change the idea.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

I don't understand the registry, and so am dead scared of fiddling with it.

That little utility I mentioned earlier did the trick for me -- I don't know
how, but it worked.

That's good. Or great.

But "that little utility" was in a post that was at the end of the
thread, where I hadn't navigated yet, and only 12 minutes before the
current post - it took me a while to find it. But you didn't mention the
utility's name. There might even be a URL in its Help - About.

I say that because maybe some people here would like to use it - you're
by no means the only one uncomfortable with the process

For instance: I'm very comfortable with the registry, but I still get a
twinge every time I go in there...even though the tool I use has an undo
function.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

I don't understand the registry, and so am dead scared of fiddling with it.

I meant to also add the remark below to my previous reply to this post,
but I seem to have found a new way to screw up a post

OK, that's very prudent. There's no way I can argue against your
decision ;-)

 

[Steve Hayes]

That's good. Or great.

But "that little utility" was in a post that was at the end of the
thread, where I hadn't navigated yet, and only 12 minutes before the
current post - it took me a while to find it. But you didn't mention the
utility's name. There might even be a URL in its Help - About.

Goes to laptop in other room, looks...

http://www.rapidee.com

It is "Rapid Environment Editor"

Sorry about the posts being disordered. I'm not sure why that happens.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

Goes to laptop in other room, looks...

http://www.rapidee.com

It is "Rapid Environment Editor"

Sorry about the posts being disordered. I'm not sure why that happens.

Actually, I had found and downloaded - and tried - the same program
while playing with this problem.

As for the disordered post, it's not really disordered, nor is it
anything to be sorry about. It was farther down in the tree (in my
newsreader) in a separate branch, so it was really an artifact of the
order in which I read things.

I suspect most people, including you, read things in the same order as I
do in a threaded layout, so it's most likely unavoidable - for most
people.

I'm trying to recall the names for the two ways of traversing trees. AH!
Depth first and breadth first, IIRC. And I'm a breadth first kind guy


The newsreaders I've used all do it that way automatically; I don't even
know if there's a newsreader anywhere that can to do it depth first.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

Actually, I had found and downloaded - and tried - the same program
while playing with this problem.

As for the disordered post, it's not really disordered, nor is it
anything to be sorry about. It was farther down in the tree (in my
newsreader) in a separate branch, so it was really an artifact of the
order in which I read things.

I suspect most people, including you, read things in the same order as I
do in a threaded layout, so it's most likely unavoidable - for most
people.

I'm trying to recall the names for the two ways of traversing trees. AH!
Depth first and breadth first, IIRC. And I'm a breadth first kind guy


The newsreaders I've used all do it that way automatically; I don't even
know if there's a newsreader anywhere that can to do it depth first.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_traversal

Looks like I got the names right. Wow!

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_traversal

Looks like I got the names right. Wow!

But maybe I didn't get the algorithms right

From the Wikipedia article, it looks like what I do is a depth first
preorder traversal sequence using a mirror image of their diagram. Foo.

Aren't you glad I told you this?

 

[Kobac]

For a few years (up until early 1985)I used a program whose name I
_think_was Word Magic, if the dim resources of my mind are to be
trusted. This was a wonderful program for its time; it was WYSIWYG and
had a few other features that were extremely rare for the time
(pre-Windows). It was recommended by Jim Seymour, later of PC Mag but at
the time the author of a computer column in the Austin TX newspaper.
Everybody in my organization who saw it switched to it. The two people
who wrote and maintained it made the mistake of selling it to Simon and
Schuster, which knew a great deal about books but almost nothing about
software. (We bought our copies at a local book store; not available in
any of the software shops.) Its downfall for us was that my department
bought a HP Laser Jet in August 1984 and early in 1985 MS announced that
they had put LJ support in Word. I immediately bought a copy and let
people know that I was through with Word Magic; if you ever wrote any
escape codes for those early HPLJs you won't have to ask why. Those
codes used zeros and Capital Os, numeric ones and lower case ls with no
help from graphics. I believe that if WM had been sold to a software
company it would have taken over the word processing market.

C'est la vie.

Allen

I believe you are thinking of Wordvision.