csa2 chronicles: review

[pubpc1@library.ucla.edu]

The previous installments of csa2 chronicles have been paradies of the
silly flame war that has been going on for the past several months.
This installment includes a review.  Recently, the most interesting news
in csa2 turned out to be the release of Medley as freeware.


Review of Medley

Medley is a full-featured Apple IIGS word processor that was
discontinued several years ago.  It has recently been released as
freeware by the publisher, Milliken Publishing.

The first thing that is noticeable when using the program is that it is
first and foremost a word processor.  It is not appropriate to compare
Medley to desktop publishing software such as PageMaker, GraphicWriter,
or even the AppleWorks GS page layout module.  The program simply does
not work this way.  Instead, it is a robust word processor with
integrated paint/draw and some page layout abilities.  It shares more
with WordPerfect or Microsoft Word for Windows than with a "grounds up"
DTP program.  If word processing power is what you want, Medley is
hard to beat.  In the February 1990 issue of InCider, Medley was
praised as being second in the features department only to WordPerfect
for the GS.  WordPerfect GS, however, does not support GS/OS printer
drivers, GS fonts, TrueType fonts under Pointless, or WYSIWYG
mixed graphics and text on display as well as on paper.  Medley does
all of the above.

Power WP users will appreciate the large selection of features that
put lesser word processors like AppleWorks GS to shame.  Page numbers
can be put in selected pages, in different positions and with different
styles.  Gutters that provide space for binding is supported.  Instead
of a limited header/footer function, Medley supports freeform Global
Page Elements which can be graphics and text appearing anywhere on
the page, on every page, or on selected pages.  Standard APF or screen
format SHR graphics of any shape can be inserted into text, which
then wraps around it, not just supporting square graphics frames, but
also irregular ones.  Leading is supported, not only the standard one,
one and a half, and double space type, but fractional increments.
Kerning (space between letters) is also variable and adjustable.
The space between paragraphs may be independently adjusted.  Columns
are easily created.  Editing features allow independent adjustment
of line, paragraph, or document.

How columns are created demonstrates that Medley is a word processor
first and a DTP program only on the side.  You select the rectangular
tool from the menu and then draw a thin rectangle "through" the text
straight down the middle.  The automatic text wrap feature for graphics
objects then causes the text to form into columns around the rectangle.

On the paint/draw side, the selection of tools is impressive.  You have
your standard oval and rectangle tools, a polygon tool, etc., and if
you prefer clipart, that too is available on the clipart disk.  There
are 48 brushes to choose from, as well as a spray paint tool.  Or you
can import your favorite graphics.  You can also change the display
palette to grayscale to better see how the page will print on a regular
black and white printer (Medley does support color printing on a color
capable printer).

Medley supports import of AppleWorks 3.0 or ASCII word processor files
directly.  AppleWorks 3.0 word processor files will have formatting
intact.  However, latter versions of AppleWorks will pose a problem.

Unfortunately, the freeware distribution of Medley does not include
the spelling checker and thesaurus.  These are the two most powerful
features of the program.  The spelling checker is intelligent and
operates in two modes.  You can have it check your spelling at the
end of text input or, in spell check mode, it will catch you when
it encounters a word it does not recognize (sort of like having
someone look over your shoulder when typing).  The thesaurus is
context aware, meaning that it displays not just a single list of
synonyms, but synonyms according to tense, part of speech, and number.

A small nit-pick is that the manual is not included.  Medley is
such a powerful and complex word processor that without the manual,
users may never tap into all the features of the program.  It would be
ideal if, Milliken Publishing granting permission, the manual can be
scanned and distributed with the program.  Also, the archive that
the program is distributed in apparently has the program dragged onto
the desktop.  The first time, I thought the disk didn't have the
program and had to verify that it was there with the GS/OS program
selector and then deleting the Finder.Data and Finder.Root files.
Knowing now that the file was on the desktop, this sounds stupid, but
if a user's desktop is cluttered, the program icon can easily be
overlooked.

In conclusion, Medley is an excellent freeware word processor that
rivals WordPerfect in features.  It is the only currently available GS
word processor to be able to easily mix text with graphics, plus it
has advanced word processing features that may be just what many GS
users are looking for (ones that WordPerfect or Word users on other
platforms have come to expect).  It is not a replacement for
GraphicWriter III v2.0 or the AppleWorks GS page layout module,
however.  It is almost a replacement for the AppleWorks GS word
processor - except that, lacking the spelling checker and thesaurus,
it is not complete.  Here is a challenge to the Apple II community:
make the Medley spelling checker and thesaurus available.  If it takes
making it commercial, so be it.  If it can be done free, then great!
If another dictionary and thesaurus, like that of AppleWorks GS, can
be used instead (a challenge to programmers?), even better.

Recommendation:  Get Medley today!  It is free!