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Article #910

Re: Ready Set Go! 4.0 -- first look

#910
From: Robert Francis Tow
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1987 19:24
62 lines
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>I've had my upgrade to Ready, Set, Go! for a couple of days now, gone
>through the manuals, and started working with it to get a feel for how the
>program works. This is an initial, off the cuff review, not something
>in-depth or definitive. I'll probably have more to say as I get further and
>further into things.
>The general opinion: They've done a very good job upgrading and enhancing
>	the program. It'll give PageMaker 2.0 a good run for the money, and
>	for longer or repetitive works, I think it blows it away. it isn't
>	perfect (what program is?) but it does the job quite nicely. 
>

ReadySetGo 4.0 is a vast improvement. I have been using it, in combination 
with Illustrator, Canvas, LaserWriters, a Linotype model 100, and a Dest 
scanner for about a month, and I have had a few problems, however.

On a 1meg SE with the new finder/multifinder/system stuff from Apple
(as developers, we've had that for about a month, too) RSG 4.0 will
crash the system when trying to print a one page document composed of
simple type all of one size, using three New Baskerville faces (Roman,
Bold, Italic). The same document will print from an SE equipped with more
ram. This was running Finder, not multifinder. Of course, this may
be due to the new system software, not RSG per se.

If one enables fractional character widths, and then attempts a tab
with a leading character, the calculation of the number of such character
and their extent is screwed up - it makes an excursion to the right 
beyond the proper boundry. So one cannot tightly kern a body of
text with such tabbing.

On the subject of kerning, it is irritating that even in a program that
now supports fractional character widths, kerning is still restricted to
increments of a screen pixel! (Other missing features: support for indexing, 
ability to tie the position of a graphic *relative* to a text position 
(try editing a dictionary with embedded pictures to see what I mean -
add an entry in 'a' and then see how you have to touch every follwong
entry!), non-integer point sizes).

I tried importing 635dpi and 1270 dpi bitmaps from Canvas version 1.02
and printing them. This worked to a LaserWriter, but had problems to a
Linotype model 100. The 635dpi bitmap printed, but improperly. The 1270dpi
bitmap (the natural resolution of the Linotype) refused to print, after
several hours of Linotype time - which is curious as it was the same 
amount of data as the 635 dpi image, but simply reduced in size.

A final plaint: the spelling checker does not account for ligatures. 
I use "fi" and "fl" ligatures in the faces that support them: the spelling
checker gags every time. On a long document this becomes *very* irritating.

I like using RSG. In combination with Illustrator, Canvas, a scanner
(but I want a true gray scale scanner!), and a Lintotype one may
due *almost* everything one would desire. I am looking forward to the 
acquisition addition of ImageStudio and a gray scale scanner. 

Rob Tow
ParcPlace Systems
Internet:    rob@ParcPlace.com
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From: tow@parcvax.xerox.com (Robert Francis Tow)
Newsgroups: comp.text.desktop
Subject: Re: Ready Set Go! 4.0 -- first look
Message-ID: <33984@sun.uucp>
Date: Mon, 16-Nov-87 14:24:03 EST
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Posted: Mon Nov 16 14:24:03 1987
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