Re: not-even-newbie printer question

[Peter Evans <peter@example.com>]

Jonathan Q:

> I bet real XyWrite would probably run.

I'm reliably informed that it does. (Incidentally, there are DOS and
Win31 flavors.) But it doesn't support Unicode, and although the latest
quasi-Xy, Nota Bene for Windows, is said to support Unicode it doesn't
actually support DBCS. So I'm looking for a replacement. Now the
Windows-using world is besotted by programs such as Word that "protect"
(?) you from the nitty gritty of what's in the file. I thought proggies
for Linux would have more promise.

Anyway, I'm encouraged by what I hear of the file formats of StarOffice
and AbiWord. (Funny, I read some time back of a rumor that even MS Turd
would save as XML. . . .) And of course by the promised DBCS capability
of StarOffice.

Incidentally, Stephen Turnbull:

>The only question is whether the DOS version was
>a port from CP/M or not.

No. It's said to be written in assembler, and to derive (legally) from
software developed for a dedicated word processor called Atex. But the
first Xy goes way back to MS-DOS pre 2.11 [was that the number?]; it
doesn't support subdirectories.

NB the above has been a waffle cum half-answer. Please don't misconstrue
it as a question. I mean, if anybody would like to comment, please do;
but I'm not (yet) soliciting advice on word processors. Instead it's
time for me to shut up and install Linux.

In the meantime, my thanks again for the various advice about printers.

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Peter Evans peter@example.com