5.0334 Rs: Multilingual; Computer Labs; Word Cruncher (5/88)

Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Sun, 22 Sep 1991 12:52:10 EDT

Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 5, No. 0334. Sunday, 22 Sep 1991.
Responses: Multilingual Texts; Computer Labs; Word Cruncher

(1) Date: Fri, 20 Sep 91 19:19 CDT (27 lines)
From: UMIH@UOFMCC
Subject: 5.0329 Multilingual Text Processing

(2) Date: 20 Sep 91 13:21:56 bst (22 lines)
From: K.P.Donnelly@edinburgh.ac.uk
Subject: Design of computer labs

(3) Date: Fri, 20 Sep 91 10:44:10 BST (20 lines)
From: Donald A Spaeth <GKHA13@CMS.GLASGOW.AC.UK>
Subject: 5.331 Wordcruncher

(4) Date: Fri, 20 Sep 91 14:15:23 BST (13 lines)
From: "J.J.Higgins - Education" <J.Higgins@bristol.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: 5.0331 Qs: WordCruncher

(5) Date: Fri, 20 Sep 91 11:43 CDT (6 lines)
From: "HOKE ROBINSON, MSU" <ROBINSONH@MEMSTVX1.BITNET>
Subject: RE: 5.0331 Qs: S/W

(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Sep 91 19:19 CDT
From: UMIH@UOFMCC
Subject: 5.0329 Multilingual Text Processing

Regarding multi-lingual wordprocessing, I'm not so glum as a recent
posting from "Richard". Let's move from the global to the specif.
What do you want? English & european languages, plus Greek & Hebrew
for example? Well, to cite only one package for DOS machines (I use
a Toshiba T1600), Wordperfect 5.1 obviously gives English, plus in its
extended character sets virtually all characters for other european
languages which can be installed in optional keyboards you can create,
fairly simply. Once created, you can then have all the special charac
ters accessible with a simple keystroke while composing in English--
e.g., alt-a could produce an a with umlaut, etc. The characters largely
display on screen, and are certainly viewable in the print preview
mode. For Greek & Hebrew with WP I recommend the new ScriptureFonts
program available from Zondervan Electronic Publishing: costs $79.95,
installs in your WP directory, and allows you to toggle back & forth
twixt English, Greek, Hebrew with a single keystroke. Now Chinese,
well I have no such experience--or no such need. So, in the words of
those great philosophers of our time (the Rolling Stones), "You can't
always get what you want--but if you try try try, you just might get
what you need." P.S. Other options include Multi-Lingual Scholar
which promises virtually the world (though I haven't tried it), and
Chi-Writer (Horstmann Software), which likewise can do European
languages, Greek, Hebrew, Cyrillic, Arabic as standard options, and
they promise further developments. Larry Hurtado, Univ. of Manitoba.
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------33----
Date: 20 Sep 91 13:21:56 bst
From: K.P.Donnelly@edinburgh.ac.uk
Subject: Design of computer labs

Re the query on the design of computer labs for teaching.
I attended a Macintosh course last year, run by a school teacher in
conjunction with Edinburgh University Extra-mural Department. I was
very impressed by how well the layout of the computer lab in the
school worked. There were tables running continuously round three walls
of the room with 12 Macintosh computers and a swivel chair in front of
each one. The teacher alternated periods of "lecturing" with periods
of regimented exercises on the computers and periods of free experimentation.
During the lecturing periods the students faced the centre of the room.
During the periods of regimented excercises, the students faced towards
their machines, away from the centre and went through task sheets as
instructed by the teacher. The teacher stood in the centre like a ringmaster
and could see instantly from the screens when one of the students was having
difficulties and needed a few words of advice to bring them into step with
the rest of the class. It all worked very well. I don't know whether
it would work so well teaching software which was not so graphics based.

Kevin Donnelly
(3) --------------------------------------------------------------32----
Date: Fri, 20 Sep 91 10:44:10 BST
From: Donald A Spaeth <GKHA13@CMS.GLASGOW.AC.UK>
Subject: 5.331 Wordcruncher

The latest details I have on Wordcruncher are:
ETC, 778 South, 400 East, Oram, Utah 84058, (801) 226-0616.
However, I have also heard a rumour that they have stopped trading.

Unless you are committed to Wordcruncher, you might try TACT,
which performs many of the same functions (plus a few more)
and reads Wordcruncher files; it's also essentially free, at
$30 Canadian for a multiple-use copy. Details from
Centre for Computing in the Humanities, University of Toronto.
I don't have the mail address ready to hand, but I'm sure one
of Humanists other many readers will supply it post-haste!

Donald Spaeth
Computers in Teaching Initiative Centre for History
University of Glasgow
gkha13 at cms.glasgow.ac.uk
(4) --------------------------------------------------------------26----
Date: Fri, 20 Sep 91 14:15:23 BST
From: "J.J.Higgins - Education" <J.Higgins@bristol.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: 5.0331 Qs: WordCruncher

I have the following address for the publishers of WordCruncher, at
which I corresponded with them until mid 1990. As far as I know they
are still in business:

Electronic Text Corporation
778 South 400 East,
Orem, UT 84058


(5) --------------------------------------------------------------8-----
Date: Fri, 20 Sep 91 11:43 CDT
From: "HOKE ROBINSON, MSU" <ROBINSONH@MEMSTVX1.BITNET>
Subject: RE: 5.0331 Qs: S/W

I think the parent company of WordCruncher is in Provo, Utah.
Hoke Robinson