![]() While tags aren’t even mentioned in NWX’s feature list, they may be one of the program’s most powerful features. A color-filled circle will appear to let you select all the document text that’s the same color as the current selection if it’s different than the document default an underlined “a” selects character formatting such as underline and italics a ruler (which longtime Nisus Writer users will recognize) selects for tabs and margins. Most of the other tags appear as needed to provide context-sensitive selection capability. In the bottom right of the window in the status bar you’ll see a series of small icons, which NWX calls “tags.” Some tags are always present-the magnifying glass and percentage show the zoom level, the flag shows the current language, and the clipboard allows access to NWX’s multiple clipboards, including the ability to edit them in separate full editor windows. It offers a relatively limited set of icons beyond the default set shown. NWX also has a standard Cocoa toolbar (shown above in the small icon, no text view). In addition to collapsing palettes as shown, the palettes can be rearranged within a group, put into new groups, and even dragged out of the drawer completely. ![]() In this screen shot, the group is named Writing. NWX’s most distinctive user interface feature is the tool drawer, which contains different sets of palettes that can be grouped together. This helps make NWX competitive with other alternative word processors-but it’s the unique features that set it apart from the competition. In September 2004, Nisus introduced Express 2.0, adding some of the most-requested features including styles, tables, and footnotes. The original release of NWX was promising, but it lacked in both features and performance and met with lukewarm response from new users and disappointment from old Nisus fans. ![]() Nisus bought Composer, hired Jolley, added some of Nisus Writer’s unique features, and released Nisus Writer Express 1.0 in 2003. Concurrently, independent developer Charles Jolley was working on a word processor called Okito Composer that, while aimed at the low-end market, took full advantage of OS X technologies. With the advent of OS X, Nisus faced a choice of Carbonizing Nisus Writer or starting over with a Cocoa-based application. The future, Apple Computer has declared, belongs to OS X, and this program is a good component for that future.Į-mail aol.com or visit the writer’s Web page at $70 (boxed) $60 (download) $45 (upgrade)įrom its first release in 1989, Nisus Writer gained a following as a power user’s word processor in the pre-OS X world for its sophisticated macro capability, regular expression-based PowerFind, non-contiguous text selection, and other features that, 15 years later, are still rare. Those who are accustomed to the earlier Nisus Writer products - word processors of combined heft and grace that claimed a loyal, persistent core of users over the years - may bristle at the lack of some features. And along with the Microsoft Word format, the program defaults to saving documents as “rich text format,” or RTF, files, and can edit and save text files. It is a good way to avoid a total loss of work should things go awry. Nisus will also “auto-save” your work in a “document manager” that lets you preview (and rename) files. Document headers and footers can be created, although such features are applied to all pages, not just individual ones, so you can’t create one header for page one, another for page two and so on. The software’s spell checker taps into a dictionary that’s a part of OS X, and this seems to work rather well. ![]() Other major features are straightforward, such as cutting, copying and pasting text, as is an undo and redo function. Another concentrates on the formatting tools (good for putting the finishing touches on a print document) and a third will track the details of various sections in a document. One palate is for writing tasks, including formatting text and paragraphs as well as tracking the number of characters and words in a document. The Nisus screen is clear and uncluttered there is a palate of tools that slides out at the right side of the screen. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |