Whole Earth Software Review Fall

H : MA GA ZINE OF FIN COM UTINC # ART KLEINER: Whole Earth Playing Editor Steven Levy, a veteran freelance journalist, offers the first entry in this new regular feature — software that doesn’t exist yet but should. Ifyou : can imagine a program that Ought toBe write it up and send it in. STEVEN LEVY: The most direct pleasure from word processing is ease of revision. But first inspiration often proves to be on the mark, and the tempting pales nessof changing a word or softening a than the original. Also, computers. allow "dragging the mouse across it, and on- and line numbers. _ pages screen that questionable passage appears The options are similar when you in boldface (or whatever). To insert a go over an edited BLUE PENCIL docu- word, double-clicking the mouse between ment on the computer. You can call up two existing words places a caret inthe — the document in its original form, in the _ space, pointing to the addition above. Blue Pencil format with the changes and _ Trying to legibly squeeze sentences suggestions in the margins and between between double-spaced lines has frus- the lines, or with the changes implemen- trated editors for years. It’s no problem _ ted. Or, as with a non-automatic search- using BLUE PENCIL — you can set the and-replace function in word processing, margins of your “change” andthe program _you can proceed to each change one by _ will automatically word-wrap, dropping one, study it, and in a keystroke decide the next line of the document down to _- whether to implement the change or — _ make room. [he marginal comments will leave the text as it was. Even if you don't appear in yet a different font. (Note that implement the suggestion, the program _ BLUE PENCIL permits both “‘changes’’ will ‘‘remember”’ it. Likewise it will save _ suggested replacements, additions, or _ the original passage when you do make deletions to existing text — and “com- _ the change, and atany time later on you ments,’ which call for further work and can access the “history” of a passage or ~ can even include the “Good point: s and word. “Wow!"'s that make a writer’s day.) Eventually BLUE PENCIL could be ~_=«é#BLUE PENCIL gives you several used for telecommunicating, where col- printout: choices. You can print the laborations between writers or long- original, with or without comment and _ distance editing relationships can take full — with or without changes marked. Or advantage of its features. But | suspect you can print it with the changes inte- that plenty of people will use the Blue _ grated to see how it would read. You can Pencil Mode for their own drafts, to — ___even print a list of changes and com- — preserve the revelations that come on _ ments wit…