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How do I make MS Word stop being so PC?
- Thread starter voodoo
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MS Word and other similar word-processing programs are complex, and require the user to learn how to use them. Nearly 99% of the problems people write about in this forum are due to a failure to understand how the program works.
This doesn't only apply to MS Word and other computer programs.
Long ago before PCs, I read an ad in the classified section of the newspaper for an office typewriter, for a very low price. I went to the business to look at the typewriter. I asked why the price was so low. The owner said "You'll need to get it fixed, when you press the 'shift' key, the carriage doesn't move far enough and it only types the bottom half of the upper case letters." I looked the typewriter over, and saw a paper clip lying on the platen, preventing the carriage from traveling all the way down. I bought the $300 typewriter for $40 and took it home. I blew the paper clip out of the typewriter with an air hose, and it worked like new. I eventually gave it to my mother-in-law, after I bought my first PC and printer. The original owner didn't bother to read the instruction manual for the typewriter. Under the troubleshooting section, it said to examine the typewriter for foreign objects that may interfere with moving parts.
I'm as guilty as most of you, in that I haven't read all the instructions for Word, but rather than condemn the software, I try to understand what I need to do to fix any problems I encounter. If I can't find find the answer, I ask here.
This doesn't only apply to MS Word and other computer programs.
Long ago before PCs, I read an ad in the classified section of the newspaper for an office typewriter, for a very low price. I went to the business to look at the typewriter. I asked why the price was so low. The owner said "You'll need to get it fixed, when you press the 'shift' key, the carriage doesn't move far enough and it only types the bottom half of the upper case letters." I looked the typewriter over, and saw a paper clip lying on the platen, preventing the carriage from traveling all the way down. I bought the $300 typewriter for $40 and took it home. I blew the paper clip out of the typewriter with an air hose, and it worked like new. I eventually gave it to my mother-in-law, after I bought my first PC and printer. The original owner didn't bother to read the instruction manual for the typewriter. Under the troubleshooting section, it said to examine the typewriter for foreign objects that may interfere with moving parts.
I'm as guilty as most of you, in that I haven't read all the instructions for Word, but rather than condemn the software, I try to understand what I need to do to fix any problems I encounter. If I can't find find the answer, I ask here.
Nothing wrong with writing in Notepad. I prefer writing with Vim, myself. Of course you need something fancier to format when it comes time for that, but the point is that all the bullcrap that intrudes when you're generating text is evil and eminently dispensable.Then you wasted a lot of money since Notepad is preinstalled for free