From: tim@ufcia.health.ufl.edu (Tim Cera)
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1992 16:30:54 EDT 
Subject: [*] Comments about Nisus 

I am uploading some thoughts about Nisus.  We purchased Nisus
a couple weeks ago.  When I sat down at it I took notes, because
I can become used to things and I wanted fresh ideas.  There may
be work arounds, and I do want to know about them, but this is mainly
for people deciding on a work processer to look at my problems
with Nisus.

I suggest this be put in the reports directory.

I am also sending this to the Nisus Wish List fax number at (619)
481-6154.  I you agree with anything I have in here or have other
suggestions send them in.  Maybe programmers think everything
is hunky dory out in the real world :+)

tim cera
tim@ufcia.health.ufl.edu


--------CUT HERE--------

NISUS wish list

Interface problems
PROBLEM: 
When using the keyboard to make selections there isn't a way to 
correct an overshot.  The shift-left arrow combination moves the 
left border of the selection area, the shift-right arrow combination 
moves the right border.  YOU CANNOT SUBTRACT LETTERS FROM THE 
SELECTION BLOCK!  
SOLUTION: 
Have the cursor keys control ONE edge of the selection.

PROBLEM: 
Could you make it faster?  
SOLUTION:  
Drop the graphic tools in the graphic layer.  Would that help?  I also 
will NEVER place pages - could the HyperText stuff be dropped also? 
I do not use the graphics layer except to place graphics created in 
other applications.  

PROBLEM:
The help section of NISUS is slow . . . 
SOLUTION:
A different help system.  Balloon help is available only with the 
additional module, but the present help system is nearly unusable.

PROBLEM:
I use the Macintosh because it is apparent what to do.  It is not 
obvious that you must hold down the option key to access other 
menus.  I hated this in VersaTerm and I do not like it in Nisus.
SOLUTION:
Dialog boxes with more information and choices in them, and 
heirchacial menus.

PROBLEM:
This is related to the problem above.  I don't like overloaded menus, 
but Nisus is the first application I have seen with overloaded dialog 
boxes and window title bars!
SOLUTION:
A Windows menu - on the menu bar please.

SERIOUS PROBLEM:
Ram based editing is problematic at best.  I was working on a 4 Mb 
Mac LC (no virtual) trying to reformat some mainframe files.  I 
finally got Nisus to load in the file (took approximately one minute), 
but it didn't have enough memory to do a simple find/replace.   I had 
set the number of undos to one.  Instead it spent five minutes doing 
something and ran out of memory.  I found out that if Nisus doesn't 
have enough memory it does nothing, not a single thing was changed!  
There was no possible way for me to work on this file.  I brought it 
up into Word (10 seconds) did the find/replace I needed.  Word ran 
out of memory also, but you can save the file with some changes and 
repeat the process, eventually finishing the file. 
SOLUTION:
Disk based editing.

Additional features
Spell checker should check the text items in the graphics layer also.

Need better column support.  Would be nice if you could "Insert 
Column Format . . ." as if it were a new header or footer.

One of the reasons that WORD sells in the academic realm is the 
ability to create tables.  This has become a necessary feature!

Why do I have to pay extra for mediocre translators?  If I read 
everything correctly Claris has stopped support for XTND.  Are you 
going to pick up where they left off?  They NEED to be better than 
they are!

Some of the Display parameters should be under Preferences.  I rely 
on the space, tab and paragraph display and it is annoying to have to 
go to the menu each time.

Widow and orphan control should be automatic and in the 
preferences.

Cannot underline tabs!  Why not?

You cannot change the one different tab set in the document.  You 
have a tab set at three inches somewhere in your document.  If you 
select all the tab set is not grayed out for you to move or delete.

Would be nice to attach the Macros to any menu and move the 
existing commands around or remove them.

Manual
Page numbers should be listed for the location of the tabbed 
dividers.

Need a more extensive index.