Compute! Books
£9.95
If you want an easy to use Word Processor without
the complications of reading through large instructional manuals,
but still expect the flexibility given by true commercial packages
then Speedscript could be just what you are looking for.
The unusual aspect of Speedscript is that it comes in the form of a
book with the actual program having to be typed in. At first sight
this may well seem a daunting task as you discover that over half of
the publication is dedicated to the machine code listing, but on the
plus side there are two proofreader programs that ensure you type
everything in correctly. I am definitely not the worlds fastest
typist but it only took two evenings to get the program up and
running and my decision on seeing the final result was that it was
well worth the trouble.
The first thing that you notice is the clarity of
text. Speedscript incorporates a little used Atari mode that allows
more definable and readable characters, which certainly helps on the
eyes after a long spell at the keyboard. All the usual features that
you would expect from a Word Processor are incorporated, including
Screen Editing, Erasing, Wastebucket, Search and Replace, Saving,
Loading, Disk Menu, Usable Memory, Screen Colour, Screen
Overscanning, Word Wrapping, Merge, Disk Commands, Printer, Screen
Display, Print Formatting etc. There are even four predefined
printkeys including CHR$(27) to make usage of the program more
self-contained. In fact you can predefine any key you want for your
own personalised printer codes. Most of the features are accessed
with use of CTRL/SHIFT/OPTION/SELECT keys and are all well
documented in the book.
The program includes a mini-dos which allows you
to inspect what files you have stored without leaving the main
program. This facility allows you to load, save, rename, lock,
unlock, delete, update directory and format disk and then by
pressing RETURN you are back to where you left off.
Amongst the other features that I liked was the
fact that when you erased a passage of text it was not lost
automatically but stored in the 'TEXT BUFFER' which could be
restored at a later date if you found out that you had erased by
error. Therefore it was very easy to swap parts of the text around
without losing any of it when tidying up your letter or document in
this mode.
All normal formatting commands are adhered to like
changing margins, page lengths, margin release, centering,
indentation etc. including also an INFORMATION command, that works
like REM in BASIC. Although written in your text it does not print
out, and is very handy when you want to make some note about the
file.
The program is so devised that you can enter your
own printer codes and save them, so that you don't have to enter
them every time you go to use Speedscript. This makes the program
compatible with almost every printer.
If you are a cassette based user and are a little
bit fed up with all the 'disk only' Word Processing software then
have no fear as Speedscript works equally as well in this media,
allowing you to save all your files to tape.
All in all Speedscript is a brilliant Word
Processing package and is a joy to use. So if you can't afford the
more expensive software on the market, then you will not go far
wrong by purchasing SPEED SCRIPT 3.0!!.
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