Final Writer 5...Revisited

Some clarifications and additions

I'm glad to know I can count on our readers to keep me on my toes. Shortly after publication of the first issue, I received email messages from Nathan Morse of Columbus, Ohio, USA, and Allan Odgaard of Mayland fame (we will be taking a look at this new calendar/reminder program in an upcoming issue) informing me that I was wrong about some things.

Seriously, though, I am very thankful to those two for taking the time to point out my oversights. It is, after all, our job to convey correct information, and it's good to see the readers raising their voices when we don't exactly do that. I thereby extend the invitation to all of you to feel free to notify us if you detect an error.

Without further ado, let's get down to business.

The following clips are from the Final Writer 5 review in Volume 1 Issue 1 (August 1996) of The Amiga Monitor:

• Multiple alignments on one line
  Back, years ago, when I used WordPerfect for the Amiga, I remember frequently using left-aligned and right-aligned text on the same line in order to construct headings for school papers. Unless I have missed something obvious, I have not found any way to do this with Final Writer, or any other word processor, for that matter. I realize FW is a paragraph-oriented word processor, but it would be very convenient if it allowed multiple justifications of text on one line.
• Autoscroll Virtual Screen
  Final Writer should be able to open on an autoscroll virtual screen, just as the Workbench can. It would be very convenient, especially for those of us for whom resolutions higher than 640x480 are still a dream...

What I said wasn't exactly wrong, but it did represent some glaring omissions.

• Multiple Alignments on One Line: This is a simple matter of choosing the right-align tab stop from Final Writer's choice of several. You can then use the Tab key to move from one to another. Still, however, my original point stands, that compared to WP, this method is somewhat indirect, and it would be easier if the user could simply select a given alignment from the Left, Center, and Right choices for different parts of a line. Just my opinion, however, I suppose.
• Autoscroll Virtual Screen: There are actually two ways to do this. The first is to adjust the virtual screen settings on your Workbench, and then open Final Writer on the Workbench. I was aware of that, but should have made my point clearer. The second method also involves setting your Workbench to the desired size, and then select the "Same as Workbench" item in the Final Writer screenmode requester. Neither method addresses the situation perfectly, however, as both can result in the colors getting messed up, which can make a visually complex program difficult, not to mention unsightly, to use. It would still be best if Final Writer allowed the user to set the screen dimensions right in the opening requester, however.

There you have it. The record has been set straight. In addition, I'd like to supplement the review with one additional complaint: Final Writer seems to have a nasty little bug that freezes the machine if you click the resize button during, or just after, opening another document once one is already open. In other words, if FW is already running and you open an additional document window (and it comes up smaller than, and offset from, the first document window), and you click the resize gadget, your Amiga is likely to freeze right then and there. No "Software Failure" requester, no "Guru Meditation" alert, just motionlessness. Until this problem gets fixed somehow, I would advise you to wait until a document is fully loaded before resizing the window, and even then, save anything important before opening another document window.

So that (seemingly!) ends the ongoing saga of The Amiga Monitor and Final Writer 5. I hope that, this time, we can put this whole affair (ahem!) behind us...and, incidentally, my recommendation for Final Writer 5 remains the same: it's one of the best things out there for Word Processing and Desktop Publishing...and it ain't too bad a text editor either...after all, you're reading this document, aren't you? ;-)

Some Key Amiga and Amiga Monitor-oriented links:

Amiga Monitor Main Index Amiga Web Directory

• The Webb Site, Home of The Amiga Monitor