The evening I spent in the Richard-Wagner-Festspielhaus in Bayreuth was perhaps the best ever from that angle. It was really lovely - perfectly silent in the auditorium, and not a single mobile phone going off... <sigh>
Per a Duck Duck Go search on "Word Perfect emulator" , there are many versions of WP that you can still download for free. (Tangent: there's even a Windows Vista emulator listed, separately.)
I'm not sure if I ever used WP, but I know that many users were/are extremely attached to it. IIRC, law firms kept using it for a long time.
Anyway, maybe there's something there that can help. Good luck!
Thanks, all! I've done what I could with it, and given it to the author, who has looked at it and is happy with it. If she's happy, then so am I.
Re: Clippie, I found it a bit creepy, and didn't like it at all, but there was a very cute wee dog (Rocky?) who I didn't mind getting advice from!
The Cathedral office here uses WP for doing orders of service: its formatting is vastly superior to Word, as any traditionally-trained typist would tell you.
I liked the dog and the cat versions of Clippy. I had a boss at the time of those help assistants whose husband had just walked out on her, again, and she like the cat for company when she was working on her own in the evenings.
I used Publisher to produce orders of service as the only way to get the things formatted properly.
I use MS Word 7 for work. . . . Microsoft is preparing to dump even the office version of 7 (oh, please, don't let them inflict Word 10 on me. . . .)
I still use MSWord 2003, along with the rest of the Office 2003 suite, and am proud of it! With the Office 2007 Compatibility Pack installed, it can read uplevel files (e.g. the .docx formatted Word documents) just fine.
I know the day will come when the latest version of the Microsoft suite, which everyone will be using at that time, will no longer be able to read downlevel files. But I'm hoping and praying that I'll be too old by then to be using the computer at all anymore.
I was also a WordPerfect fan, and used the DOS version of WordPerfect 5.1 for as long as I could. I was also dragged kicking and screaming from DOS to Windows.
An alternative might be Open Office, which is a free, open-source version of the same kinds of apps that are in Microsoft Office.
There's also Libre Office, which "forked" off from OO, and is its own thing. I switched from Word to LO last year, when I bought a new computer that only came with Windows 10. (I was still on Vista! ) I did not like the way Win10 is so enmeshed with Microsoft, puts things in the cloud, etc. Plus I was having some difficulties doing particular things in Word.
Open Office is lovely if you're only going to use Open Office. It stops being so lovely when you want to use formatted Microsoft documents, particularly tables.
Yes, but when you use said Word document on a Microsoft programme the formatting fails, believe me. I ended up converting everything to pdf because it was quicker than reformatting everything repeatedly. Also if you want to use a Microsoft software generated application forms on Libre, dream on.
I have to use Word, because work. I did look at the non-Clippy "helpers," and decided I could live with the cat - but, somehow, that's not an option either. I suspect that this computer will have to be updated with changes I dislike, and pretty soon, at that: Microsoft is no longer going to support Windows 7.
I've just been spending time converting Works files, possible through LibreOffice, though oddly, some files will open with a click, once the files are identified with that as default, but others can only be opened from within LibreOffice. Open Office won't work. Some of the files were probably best left! It's a very tedious task.
When's the last time you had to contact Microsoft over a support issue for Windows 7? So what if they're going to stop supporting it? That doesn't mean it'll stop running all of a sudden.
I used Windows XP until the computer it was running on died and had to be replaced. (That computer had come with Vista but I reformatted it with XP.) The only reason I'm using Windows 7 now is because that's what the replacement computer came with. I would have reformatted it with XP too but I wasn't sure I could find drivers for all the hardware.
I'll continue using Windows 7 until my present computer dies. I really don't care what Microsoft decides to do vis-a-vis support. I'll also continue using Office 2003 until I can no longer access files that people send me.
Our home computer (which is very old and so slow it goes backwards) has Open Office (because we couldn't afford Word or WP). I find it's OK for the odd bits of typing I do, but as others have said, it's no use for sharing with anyone else, and I've never tried doing anything really fancy on it.
When Microsoft stops supporting a product, they stop checking for and patching vulnerabilities to viruses - that's what security updates are. So if you want to use something open to the internet, keep going with Windows 7.
My personal irritation with Microsoft is that having launched into phones, invested in Nokia and set up cross platform compatibility, mimicking Apple, originally on Windows 8.1, support for Windows 10 for phones is being withdrawn early - December this year, and much support has already gone. Normally Microsoft supports for 10 years, for phones it's crashing out after 2 years, which is not going to amuse their business customers either (I had Windows phones for work, have a personal Windows phone).
Groove, the music player went at the end of June - being able to play my own music from One Drive when working late was a joy;
One Drive music streaming went in May 2019;
WhatsApp goes at the end of the year - we use that one as a group contact system for Guides, parents group, leaders group,
Facebook and Instagram apps are no longer available (not bothered about Facebook, but wanted Instagram) as of June 2019.
Microsoft advice is go Android or Apple for phones. Where most apps are anyway.
When Microsoft stops supporting a product, they stop checking for and patching vulnerabilities to viruses - that's what security updates are. So if you want to use something open to the internet, keep going with Windows 7.
I stopped patching Windows 7 when Microsoft made it install the patches upon shutdown (the infamous "Updating . . . do not power off your computer!" message, even if you were powering off because your battery was low and you didn't happen to have your power cord handy). If I remember correctly, XP downloaded patches but didn't install them until after reboot.
And call me blessed, but I have never, ever had a problem with vulnerabilities creeping in via the Internet. Not with Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows XP, Vista (hawk, spit), or now with Windows 7. Of course, silly me, I actually log off and shutdown when I'm done computing, rather than leave it up and logged in all the time. Whatever could have possessed silly old Miss Amanda?
And Wagner audiences are still the best behaved audiences, at least in the U.S. One would be foolish to invoke the wrath of a Wagnerite by whispering or rattling a candy wrapper!
The evening I spent in the Richard-Wagner-Festspielhaus in Bayreuth was perhaps the best ever from that angle. It was really lovely - perfectly silent in the auditorium, and not a single mobile phone going off... <sigh>
Ah yes... but Mozart is better! We once went to a performance of Don Giovanni in Hamilton, Ontario. It's a steel town with a lot of Italian people. It was the best audience ever - the enthusiasm was wildly infectious and the cast must have loved it. But everyone listened - no idiots discussing what they were missing on TV at home that night. Much better than a stuffy Toronto audience, too.
It depends on the complexity of the formatting. Tables don’t always transfer well, and (IIRC) Word documents which use frames significantly can be problematic.
...Of course, silly me, I actually log off and shutdown when I'm done computing, rather than leave it up and logged in all the time. Whatever could have possessed silly old Miss Amanda?
I do the same. Aren't we the old-fashioned ones?
I also hate the having-to-wait-while-an-update-is-installed thing; still worse is coming back to the computer to discover that it has updated itself whilst one was in the midst of a project, and all the tabs and whatnot are lost.
But I'm stuck with Windows, because (again) work. And who can afford an entire array of Apple products?
On the Word vs WordPerfect issue, the reason for the differences (and user friendliness) is simple.
WordPerfect was developed originally for standalone machines used by typists/ secretaries - people who were used to doing a lot of bulk typing that had to be well and cogently presented.
Word was lashed together as a bolt on to a spreadsheet package for accountants after it was realised that some might need to add a small volume of accompanying notes to things like company annual accounts.
I still have old files written in WP 5.1, many of which I still need. If I need any of them in MS Word, the text can usually be carried over in one big cut and paste, and it's easy to save them as .pdf files too, using a free converter. The reality is that Word and Excel are the standards for work, like it or not, and I like it not. I've kept WP8 (cut price edition, thanks to then student daughter) on every computer for years, and it seems to be able to read anything. For user-friendliness and absence of obstinate features and bad habits, WP8 is the standard by which I measure the others. If using old CAD files on newer systems were so easy, I should be a happier man.
Windows XP did the same update process. It just didn't tell you; you just got a slower shut down and startup.
Whilst not staying connected for longer than necessary might reduce your risk surface, running with unpatched vulnerabilities is still risky; once you hit a compromised website the exploit takes a fraction of a second. And if you also think you've been clever by turning off that annoying UAC, and you run as administrator, then it might be game over. Sure, the chances of getting something really nasty are quite low; but the chances of being an unwilling propagator of phishing emails without ever knowing it, rather higher.
I had to spend several days in 2017 clearing up the WannaCry mess caused by people thinking they'd probably be safe with an unpatched OS.
All right then... I consign to hell a minister to whom the most beautiful sound in church is his own voice. He doesn't want strong hymns; he doesn't want to hear the congregation singing; he doesn't much like the Psalms; just a few trashy praise songs and "God loves you!" said twenty-five different ways in twenty-five minutes. But the congregation is strong and growing. I am not sure where I fit into all this.
Actually, the difference between WP and Word used to be that WP basically was a markup language just like HTML whereas Word was actually a programming language. Since Word has gone to XML formats I think this has changed. Twenty years ago my job required that on occasions I read Word's original files in a text editor. Sometimes it was easy to sort but if the documents had gone through multiple revisions then the text was all over the place with often duplicate bits due to this programming. It is the one reason I will often save a Word file as a rich text format file if it is misbehaving.
All right then... I consign to hell a minister to whom the most beautiful sound in church is his own voice. He doesn't want strong hymns; he doesn't want to hear the congregation singing; he doesn't much like the Psalms; just a few trashy praise songs and "God loves you!" said twenty-five different ways in twenty-five minutes. But the congregation is strong and growing. I am not sure where I fit into all this.
It does not sound like this church is feeding your soul, but rather making you unhappy. Perhaps it is time to look elsewhere. I am sorry you are having a difficult time with a faith community just now. I imagine it can feel heartbreaking.
All right then... I consign to hell a minister to whom the most beautiful sound in church is his own voice. He doesn't want strong hymns; he doesn't want to hear the congregation singing; he doesn't much like the Psalms; just a few trashy praise songs and "God loves you!" said twenty-five different ways in twenty-five minutes. But the congregation is strong and growing. I am not sure where I fit into all this.
It does not sound like this church is feeding your soul, but rather making you unhappy. Perhaps it is time to look elsewhere. I am sorry you are having a difficult time with a faith community just now. I imagine it can feel heartbreaking.
That was pretty nasty and self-serving of me... The reality is that the minister is reaching and feeding a lot of people where they are to be found. If they are spiritually nourished by him he deserves due credit. Another reality is that we are spending more time elsewhere to find what we need, and will probably quietly disengage further and slip away before much longer. It's not uncommon, I think - the community is warm and welcoming, as it has always been, but for some of us, the perception is that style has edged out substance, and the style is alien. (Or have I become an alien?)
TICTH this thread, which seems to have lost its purpose.
I think you may have a point there, Cathscats, and I apologise for having led it rather down the garden path. Maybe any further discussion of the merits or otherwise of word-processing systems would be better in the Ancient Geek thread upstairs in Heaven.
TICTH the overly friendly dog off its lead that decided to be overly friendly to Dafling minor, who is about the same size, who did not actually want to be licked thank you very much.
On a similar note, TICTH all pet owners, especially dog owners, who think strangers are as interested in engaging with their pets as they themselves are. "Oh, he just wants to be friendly." Perhaps . . . but I don't!
TICTH the fly who's been bugging the hell out of D. and me all afternoon.
How can two humans be outwitted by a creature whose brains would fit comfortably on the head of a pin?
Remembering several schoolteachers in the distant past, I keep a 12 inch wooden ruler nearby when this happens, such as right now at my desk. Sooner or later I manage to spoil his day with it.
Friends of ours had a fly-swatter that looked just like a plastic spatula, but there was an electrical thingie in the middle of the "paddle", so if you got the wee bugger, you didn't just swat him away, you fried him.
You could also go all "Karate Kid", and patiently catch the fly with chopsticks, as Mr. Miyagi did. (Though that was more of a meditation exercise than trying to kill the fly.)
Friends of ours had a fly-swatter that looked just like a plastic spatula, but there was an electrical thingie in the middle of the "paddle", so if you got the wee bugger, you didn't just swat him away, you fried him.
I am not sure of current status but similar gDGETS are prohibited down here and will be confiscated by Customs if bought online.
Mosquito zappper type thingies are Ok for hanging for outdoor eating etc. electrified fly swatters are not allowed..
Apparently, spraying the little b***ers with hair spray slows them down. I remember being told that hairspray is a colloidal solution of glue, so it sticks their wings together.
Friends of ours had a fly-swatter that looked just like a plastic spatula, but there was an electrical thingie in the middle of the "paddle", so if you got the wee bugger, you didn't just swat him away, you fried him.
I am not sure of current status but similar gDGETS are prohibited down here and will be confiscated by Customs if bought online.
Mosquito zappper type thingies are Ok for hanging for outdoor eating etc. electrified fly swatters are not allowed..
Odd. So much of your native wildlife can kill and maim, but if you want to level the playing field the federal government won't let you??
I get excellent results spraying all flying insects with window cleaner.
Back in the 1960s I discovered on a camping holiday that a cousin's vaginal deodorant disintegrated flies I'm not sure what it did to the cousin, other than put her off the product for life.
My bathroom night-light gives off a blue light that looks rather other-worldly when it reflects off the white porcelain fixtures. The light attracts mosquitoes and other little flying critters that somehow make their way into my apartment past the window screens. Once inside the light, though, they short out strategically placed electrical wires and it's curtains for the buggers.
Comments
O.K., now you've got me green with envy.
Like this. (Listen to the audio if you have time - it's at the top left of the page.)
Been a long time, but...
It was widely hated, so there are instructions online.
"Disable or change Clippy" (Help Me Rick)
I hated that perky-on-steroids thing. But I did kind of like some of the other options: Einstein & Mother Earth.
My search also brought up a bunch of hits about how Clippy is back in later versions of Word, and how to access it.
Good luck!
Per a Duck Duck Go search on "Word Perfect emulator" , there are many versions of WP that you can still download for free. (Tangent: there's even a Windows Vista emulator listed, separately.)
I'm not sure if I ever used WP, but I know that many users were/are extremely attached to it. IIRC, law firms kept using it for a long time.
Anyway, maybe there's something there that can help. Good luck!
Re: Clippie, I found it a bit creepy, and didn't like it at all, but there was a very cute wee dog (Rocky?) who I didn't mind getting advice from!
The Cathedral office here uses WP for doing orders of service: its formatting is vastly superior to Word, as any traditionally-trained typist would tell you.
I used Publisher to produce orders of service as the only way to get the things formatted properly.
I still use MSWord 2003, along with the rest of the Office 2003 suite, and am proud of it! With the Office 2007 Compatibility Pack installed, it can read uplevel files (e.g. the .docx formatted Word documents) just fine.
I know the day will come when the latest version of the Microsoft suite, which everyone will be using at that time, will no longer be able to read downlevel files. But I'm hoping and praying that I'll be too old by then to be using the computer at all anymore.
I was also a WordPerfect fan, and used the DOS version of WordPerfect 5.1 for as long as I could. I was also dragged kicking and screaming from DOS to Windows.
There's also Libre Office, which "forked" off from OO, and is its own thing. I switched from Word to LO last year, when I bought a new computer that only came with Windows 10. (I was still on Vista!
Anyway, might be worth a look.
I have to use Word, because work. I did look at the non-Clippy "helpers," and decided I could live with the cat - but, somehow, that's not an option either. I suspect that this computer will have to be updated with changes I dislike, and pretty soon, at that: Microsoft is no longer going to support Windows 7.
I used Windows XP until the computer it was running on died and had to be replaced. (That computer had come with Vista but I reformatted it with XP.) The only reason I'm using Windows 7 now is because that's what the replacement computer came with. I would have reformatted it with XP too but I wasn't sure I could find drivers for all the hardware.
I'll continue using Windows 7 until my present computer dies. I really don't care what Microsoft decides to do vis-a-vis support. I'll also continue using Office 2003 until I can no longer access files that people send me.
My personal irritation with Microsoft is that having launched into phones, invested in Nokia and set up cross platform compatibility, mimicking Apple, originally on Windows 8.1, support for Windows 10 for phones is being withdrawn early - December this year, and much support has already gone. Normally Microsoft supports for 10 years, for phones it's crashing out after 2 years, which is not going to amuse their business customers either (I had Windows phones for work, have a personal Windows phone).
Microsoft advice is go Android or Apple for phones. Where most apps are anyway.
And call me blessed, but I have never, ever had a problem with vulnerabilities creeping in via the Internet. Not with Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows XP, Vista (hawk, spit), or now with Windows 7. Of course, silly me, I actually log off and shutdown when I'm done computing, rather than leave it up and logged in all the time. Whatever could have possessed silly old Miss Amanda?
Ah yes... but Mozart is better! We once went to a performance of Don Giovanni in Hamilton, Ontario. It's a steel town with a lot of Italian people. It was the best audience ever - the enthusiasm was wildly infectious and the cast must have loved it. But everyone listened - no idiots discussing what they were missing on TV at home that night. Much better than a stuffy Toronto audience, too.
I also hate the having-to-wait-while-an-update-is-installed thing; still worse is coming back to the computer to discover that it has updated itself whilst one was in the midst of a project, and all the tabs and whatnot are lost.
But I'm stuck with Windows, because (again) work. And who can afford an entire array of Apple products?
WordPerfect was developed originally for standalone machines used by typists/ secretaries - people who were used to doing a lot of bulk typing that had to be well and cogently presented.
Word was lashed together as a bolt on to a spreadsheet package for accountants after it was realised that some might need to add a small volume of accompanying notes to things like company annual accounts.
Windows XP did the same update process. It just didn't tell you; you just got a slower shut down and startup.
Whilst not staying connected for longer than necessary might reduce your risk surface, running with unpatched vulnerabilities is still risky; once you hit a compromised website the exploit takes a fraction of a second. And if you also think you've been clever by turning off that annoying UAC, and you run as administrator, then it might be game over. Sure, the chances of getting something really nasty are quite low; but the chances of being an unwilling propagator of phishing emails without ever knowing it, rather higher.
I had to spend several days in 2017 clearing up the WannaCry mess caused by people thinking they'd probably be safe with an unpatched OS.
Edited as not intended as direct reply.
It does not sound like this church is feeding your soul, but rather making you unhappy. Perhaps it is time to look elsewhere. I am sorry you are having a difficult time with a faith community just now. I imagine it can feel heartbreaking.
That was pretty nasty and self-serving of me... The reality is that the minister is reaching and feeding a lot of people where they are to be found. If they are spiritually nourished by him he deserves due credit. Another reality is that we are spending more time elsewhere to find what we need, and will probably quietly disengage further and slip away before much longer. It's not uncommon, I think - the community is warm and welcoming, as it has always been, but for some of us, the perception is that style has edged out substance, and the style is alien. (Or have I become an alien?)
Thanks,
Piglet, AS host
How can two humans be outwitted by a creature whose brains would fit comfortably on the head of a pin?
Remembering several schoolteachers in the distant past, I keep a 12 inch wooden ruler nearby when this happens, such as right now at my desk. Sooner or later I manage to spoil his day with it.
I am not sure of current status but similar gDGETS are prohibited down here and will be confiscated by Customs if bought online.
Mosquito zappper type thingies are Ok for hanging for outdoor eating etc. electrified fly swatters are not allowed..
Odd. So much of your native wildlife can kill and maim, but if you want to level the playing field the federal government won't let you??