Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Re: Tools for writers

Author:David Valentine
Posted:4/21/2000; 9:17:30 AM
Topic:Tools for writers
Msg #:16504 (In response to 16489)
Prev/Next:16503 / 16505

There are no real companies for writers because the wordprocessor has been around for so long. There is a barrier to entry. You need to get people to switch from what they know. Instead, we learn to fit your work to a wordprocessor, instead of a finding a word processor to fit our work. Also, word prcessors were flexible enough to fit many of the needs, and could evolve feature sets to fit those needs.

The reason why graphic programs sprung up was that CAD programs were not flexible (or simple) enough to evolve into technical drawing programs (in addition to be absurdly expensive). The first basic drawing program was MacDraw. MacDraw was not enough, so Illustrator came along, and exploited postscript. Illustrator had the technical market to itself for a few years. It still only shares the market with Freehand.

There are scriptwriting tools, and technical writing tools. Here is one that was mentioned on MacNN http://www.screenplay.com/products/mmscreenwriter/index.html

Adobe holds one of the best the tech writing tools, framemaker. That and suppossedly learning TEX. Convincing your boss that you need a $800 for framemaker would be hard. $1400 for concurrent licenses, to equip an office, forget it (I tried). MS Office comes with the computers as far as the boss is concerned.

Ask the boss for $700 for photoshop and $700 for illustrator, no problem. Say eveyone in the office needs to learn and have access to a $1400 program, and you'll be out the door. Even if it could shave the report and proposal writing time.

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