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|--- Document Filename = WSBOOKS.ART | published 05/26/85 | 91 lines 5k ---|
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WSBOOKS -- Originally published in
Comments on two oracular publications. ARTICLES
by The KAY*FOG Online Magazine
Byron Davies P.O. Box 11135
San Francisco, CA 94101-7135
Reading Dick Ezzard's review of the Underground WordStar prompted
two responses -- I ordered the book, and I offer these reviews of
two more books whose contents address a similar audience:
"Practical WordStar Uses," Julie Anne Arca, Sybex Inc., 1983,
price unavailable, and
"Getting the Most from WordStar and MailMerge," M. David Stone,
Prentice-Hall Inc., 1984, $14.95.
I bought the Arca book some time ago to supplement the blue OCC
manual and the well-known Naiman "Introduction to WordStar" as it
looked to be a cookbook with well-defined procedures to carry out
specific tasks. It is that, but I found many of the tasks too
specific for my purposes, and making them more generally
applicable requires referring back to MicroPro documentation
(fortunately not OCC's since I upgraded to 3.3) and/or to Naiman.
One of the reasons that Rombauer's "Joy of Cooking" has remained
popular for so many years is that is is full of flexible recipes
that allow for individual preferences but with descriptions of
the likely consequences if the user tries this or that
alternative; Arca is more rigid, and does not offer similar
choices.
That format, of course, results from an editorial decision, and
is aimed at the user who doesn't need or want the flexibility;
that user will be delighted with the layout of the presentations,
a typical series of headings being:
Ch 8 Boilerplate Paragraphs
What is a boilerplate paragraph?
When to use boilerplate paragraphs
What you will do (here follow keystrokes and displays)
How to create a master list of boilerplate paragraphs (more)
What you just did (recap)
How to use boilerplate paragraphs, and How to customize
boilerplate paragraphs (each with a recap).
It includes a large poster cheat sheet that I don't have room for
but that others may find helpful.
"Practical WordStar Uses" is practical, within limits. One
serious limit for some readers would be its lack of mention of
dot commands and other relatively esoteric wordStar features;
before buying it make sure you're part of its addressed audience.
The Stone book is the other side of the coin; it addresses the
experienced and perhaps blase WordStar user, like Ezzard
describes himself in his Underground WordStar review -- is this
the Power User (hateful term!) we've read so much about recently?
All seriousness aside, Stone addresses a different group than
does Arca. Some of his chapter headings suggest his approach:
WordStar's Unsupported Proportional Space Print Feature;
A Hidden Twist on Two-column Printing;
Conditional Printing;
Creating a Data Entry Screen with MailMerge;
Using WordStar/MailMerge as a Data Base Program;
Using MailMerge as a Report Generator;
And so on. His last chapter on ancillary programs critically
discusses some available spelling checkers, writing style aids,
and indexers; his introduction includes an excellent comparison
of different WS/MM releases.
Some books, like some programs and some people, go "Click!" right
away. This is one of them. It may be more widely available now,
but for a while Spite Software, 4875 SW 19th Drive, Portland OR
97201 seemed to be the only people who stocked it, and they
couldn't always get it.
And this is an additional unabashed plug for Spite, while we're
on the subject -- any CP/M operator not on their mailing list is
an ostrich.
Byron Davies May 85
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