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Tommy_Carcetti

(43,053 posts)
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 10:42 AM Jun 2014

I hate WordPerfect. I hate WordPerfect. I HATE WORDPERFECT.

Seriously, I've never come across a computer program so incredibly maddening when you are attempting to perform what should be simple tasks.

Unfortunately, it's the default word processor at my office so most of the office documents are on WordPerfect.

Just some of my frustrations:

*I'll have a document with numbered paragraphs. Being slightly OCD, I'll have it so that none of the paragraphs are broken up in between pages. This requires me to have to space out the paragraphs to move them down to the next page. But then when I go to print, WordPerfect will somehow magically screw up my work, and all my paragraphs print broken up.

*The slightest click towards the edges of the page screws up the margins.

*Cut and pastes are always screwed up. And not just cut and pastes from other word processors. I'm talking about cut and pastes between WordPerfect documents themselves. The font sizes don't transfer, the line spacing doesn't transfer, the tabs don't transfer. If I cut and paste something from one Word document to another Word document, it looks exactly the same. But if I try the same with WordPerfect, it never transfers as it should. Never.

It's gotten to the point where any brand new documents I author I simply do in Word. Word might not be perfect but compared to WordPerfect, it's like night and day.

40 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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I hate WordPerfect. I hate WordPerfect. I HATE WORDPERFECT. (Original Post) Tommy_Carcetti Jun 2014 OP
Try Open Office intaglio Jun 2014 #1
I second this! raptor_rider Jun 2014 #19
I never download anything from CNET any more hobbit709 Jun 2014 #33
I concur; it's demonic. snot Jun 2014 #2
I've written 800+ page manuals with complicated formatting on WordPerfect, it works great. Hoyt Jun 2014 #3
I'm with YOU, Hoyt, elleng Jun 2014 #9
You kidding? I can do Magic with Word. Xyzse Jun 2014 #11
I love it, too. GoCubsGo Jun 2014 #13
Eggzactly. Blue_In_AK Jun 2014 #30
This .... GeorgeGist Jun 2014 #31
Seconded!!! hamsterjill Jun 2014 #35
Hate it. nt clarice Jun 2014 #4
I didn't know it was still being used. The Velveteen Ocelot Jun 2014 #5
WordPerfect? It still exists? KamaAina Jun 2014 #6
No kidding. I honestly thought WordPerfect was extinct. Frank Cannon Jun 2014 #17
My first thought as well! GreenPartyVoter Jun 2014 #40
What do you expect from Mormon software Yavin4 Jun 2014 #7
You prefer WORD to WordPerfect??? elleng Jun 2014 #8
Absolutely. No contest. nt Tommy_Carcetti Jun 2014 #10
Law Offices? whistler162 Jun 2014 #12
In my law office, there's a partner who still uses an electical typewriter Yavin4 Jun 2014 #14
I simply had no idea.... EnviroBat Jun 2014 #15
Rush Limbaugh was always hawking/praising it in the 90's Populist_Prole Jun 2014 #16
I used Word Perfect for years on my office computer. RebelOne Jun 2014 #18
I LOVE it! joeybee12 Jun 2014 #20
Have you tried Atariwriter? Tribalceltic Jun 2014 #21
My IBM Selectric...A true love affair and I miss it so...LOL.. monmouth3 Jun 2014 #22
Smith Corona lululu Jun 2014 #23
I agree Skittles Jun 2014 #24
I love Word Perfect! avebury Jun 2014 #25
How are you spacing out the paragraphs to move them down? WorseBeforeBetter Jun 2014 #26
I used to love WordPerfect. Was forced to switch to Word. mainer Jun 2014 #27
Yeah. WordPerfect started losing its shine after 5.1 Paulie Jun 2014 #28
WordPerfect is SO much more user-friendly than Word. Blue_In_AK Jun 2014 #29
I've used WordPerfect since WP4.2 for DOS It does things M$ Word won't do. hobbit709 Jun 2014 #32
As a medical transcriptionist, I lived and breathed WordPerfect for many years. Still Blue in PDX Jun 2014 #34
Latex ! Bosonic Jun 2014 #36
Create the text with vi... hunter Jun 2014 #39
You know what they say: WordPerfect is the enemy of WordGood n/t KurtNYC Jun 2014 #37
Well played, sir. nt Tommy_Carcetti Jun 2014 #38

intaglio

(8,170 posts)
1. Try Open Office
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 11:32 AM
Jun 2014
CNET download here

Free, pretty effective and reads all file formats. Definitely the one to use to avoid paying the fee for the MS Office Suite
Reviews
Tech Radar
PC World
Infoworld which also includes info on Libre World, of which I had never heard before. You might want to check that as well as it too is free.

hobbit709

(41,694 posts)
33. I never download anything from CNET any more
Wed Jun 25, 2014, 07:11 AM
Jun 2014

They started bundling all sorts of crapware with their downloads-some of which is a real pain to remove.

 

Hoyt

(54,770 posts)
3. I've written 800+ page manuals with complicated formatting on WordPerfect, it works great.
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 12:16 PM
Jun 2014

Too many places only have Word. Word really is a useless piece of junk if you need to insert charts and images, do complicated formatting, etc.

The WordPerfect Reveal Codes are worth the price alone.

One way to avoid printing problems is to make sure you work with the printer you will use selected. Otherwise, if you change the printer just before printing, it may mess up the formatting. Happens a lot printing to PDF, so make sure PDF is the selected printer from the start. Learned this the hard way on 800+ page manuals where a one line slippage throws off everything and started me throwing keyboards, etc.

Good luck.

elleng

(129,800 posts)
9. I'm with YOU, Hoyt,
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 02:13 PM
Jun 2014

tho its been years since I similarly wrote 800+ page documents with WordPerfect!

Xyzse

(8,217 posts)
11. You kidding? I can do Magic with Word.
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 02:14 PM
Jun 2014

Though, I must admit, I also have photoshop, so I can format it to good effect.

GoCubsGo

(32,053 posts)
13. I love it, too.
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 02:40 PM
Jun 2014

I haven't written manuals with it, but I have been using it since the late 1980s on a frequent basis. I never had any issues with it. Not even printing problems. "Reveal Codes" is the best thing about it. It's great for finding things like extra spaces and other errors.

And, I agree wholeheartedly about Word. I detest it more than words can say. The only time I ever liked it was the original version I used on the original Mac. It wasn't long after that when they started complicating it, and turning it into a perverse, mostly-useless mess. I hate that so many places have only Word as their word processor.

hamsterjill

(15,198 posts)
35. Seconded!!!
Wed Jun 25, 2014, 03:31 PM
Jun 2014

We use "Word" at our offices now because of the compatability with other Microsoft programs. I miss WordPerfect!

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,070 posts)
5. I didn't know it was still being used.
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 12:59 PM
Jun 2014

If you want a really demonic program, try structured FrameMaker. That one had me screaming and throwing things.

Frank Cannon

(7,570 posts)
17. No kidding. I honestly thought WordPerfect was extinct.
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 04:41 PM
Jun 2014

Are the VisiCalc people still around? I've been having trouble getting it to work with VIRUSCAN.

 

whistler162

(11,155 posts)
12. Law Offices?
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 02:27 PM
Jun 2014

The legal secretary in our small legal department refused to give up her clickety keyboard and Word Perfect.

Yavin4

(35,310 posts)
14. In my law office, there's a partner who still uses an electical typewriter
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 02:51 PM
Jun 2014

The new paralegals have no idea what it is. They've never seen one before. Honestly.

EnviroBat

(5,290 posts)
15. I simply had no idea....
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 04:00 PM
Jun 2014

That they still made Word Perfect.


I thought it went the way of PFS First Choice...

Populist_Prole

(5,364 posts)
16. Rush Limbaugh was always hawking/praising it in the 90's
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 04:28 PM
Jun 2014

Most of it as he cheered on the ebbing rust belt/industrial activity in favor of PC software and financialization.

I reflexively developed a pathological dislike for that product, "sleep number" beds, and Bose wave radios.

RebelOne

(30,947 posts)
18. I used Word Perfect for years on my office computer.
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 04:42 PM
Jun 2014

Then the company switched our PCs to Macs with Word. I hated Word and we all wanted Word Perfect back. I became accustomed to Word but still hated it.

Tribalceltic

(1,000 posts)
21. Have you tried Atariwriter?
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 05:34 PM
Jun 2014

Ahhhh.... the days of 40 character displays, we don need no steenkin spell check. For the younger crowds, 40 characters is about halfway across the paper. I did a 40 page paper on my families genealogy, couple of hours to write, weeks to format. Then put it on a dot matrix single sheet printer. Weeks to print 10 copies.

I moved from Wordperfect to Word and Office when it came out and never looked back. The one thing that I liked about Wordperfect was that the help system was alphabetical. I just went from a-z and found out what it could do, then I knew what to look up when I needed it.

Of course when Mom and Dad sent me off to college, it was with a brand new Smith Corona portable manual typewriter.

Oh the good ole days......... and hey you kids get off of my lawn......

 

lululu

(301 posts)
23. Smith Corona
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 06:42 PM
Jun 2014

i got one from my parents for high sch0ool graduation, and someone stole it. I feel bad about that to this day.

avebury

(10,941 posts)
25. I love Word Perfect!
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 07:44 PM
Jun 2014

No too crazy about Microsoft Word. I can get my documents to look exactly the way I want them to work in Word Perfect. Unfortunately, we are stuck stuck with Word now.

WorseBeforeBetter

(11,441 posts)
26. How are you spacing out the paragraphs to move them down?
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 08:39 PM
Jun 2014

I haven't used WordPerfect ages, but I loved it and knew all the little tricks. Plus, Reveal Codes? Awesome!

hobbit709

(41,694 posts)
32. I've used WordPerfect since WP4.2 for DOS It does things M$ Word won't do.
Wed Jun 25, 2014, 07:06 AM
Jun 2014

It will open older versions documents unlike Word.
It does a far better job of converting to a Word document than the other way around.
It doesn't cost an arm and a leg, my OEM of X5 was $14.
It will open practically any form of word processing document, unlike Word-which won't even open older versions of its own documents.

Still Blue in PDX

(1,999 posts)
34. As a medical transcriptionist, I lived and breathed WordPerfect for many years.
Wed Jun 25, 2014, 09:16 AM
Jun 2014

WP for DOS. There was nothing better for being in control of how your text was going to look when it printed out. Of course now that everything is electronic and interfacing with multiple computer programs my life as a transcription QA person can be made into a personal hell by an old-timey MT who puts in hard returns to make a printed document pretty.

I didn't know WP still existed. It seemed like every update made it more MSWord-like but it didn't work.

hunter

(38,240 posts)
39. Create the text with vi...
Thu Jun 26, 2014, 12:00 PM
Jun 2014

...Create the document with LaTeX.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaTeX

Those were my first word processors.

I wrote a novel in college using vi. Later I offloaded all my files when my continued presence on the university network was very well past it's expiration date and getting a little sketchy. A few years ago I converted my flawed novel to an ePub an about an hour. Most of that was finding public domain art for the cover.

Later I used PaperClip on my Atari 800 machines. A trivial script will turn any of these PaperClip (or AtariWriter) documents into HTML or anything else I want.

The Atari 800 was the first affordable home computer with a decent keyboard. (Not to be confused with the Atari 400, or the later game oriented Ataris.) Orson Scot Card, back when he was still human and not some perverse gay-bashing Mormon demigod, used an Atari 800 too.

None of my documents are WhatYouSeeIsWhatYouGet, they are all plain text files. I've got things I wrote in the 'seventies just a few clicks away on my desktop, no problem opening them, cut and paste, no worries about extinct document formats.

Plain text is a very good way to keep one's thoughts organized and avoid distractions while writing. And it's a godsend if you or anyone else ever has to reformat the documents years later using a different system.

Currently I write in plain text using gedit and Markdown (or sometimes the same square bracket limited HTML used here on DU.) I don't worry about the look of the final document until later. It makes cutting and pasting between documents, sometimes written many decades apart, a trivial exercise and not a tear-your-hair-out-yelling-fuck-fuck-fuck!bloody nightmare.

Legal offices especially are stuck on WordPerfect because they do a lot of boilerplate crap.

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