Changes

There are, however, several things Idon't like about TI-Writer, includingthe absence of a "look-ahead" buffer,the fact that it is organized so that theuser cannot test printing formatswithout leaving the editing mode andthe sometimes complex manner inwhich formatting commands areemployed, particularly the Transliterationcommand, which is used tocreate software commands for executionby the printer. While this is a powerfultool, it is sometimes so confusingto implement that you don't bother touse it. Companion is superior to TI-Writerin all three of these areas. For onething, it operates out of a single programthat is loaded only once intomemory. From here the user canwrite, edit and print directly out of themain menu. This is desirable becausethe user can edit his copy and thenprint it out and make chcinges changes or forma t a dju s t m e n t s i m m e d i at e l yadjustments immediately.(Neither program has a screen formattingfunction that previews whatthe document will look like beforesending it to the printer. However, indefense of both programs, this featureis generally found only in much higherpriced software.) This is not possiblewith TI-Writer since the formattingcommands cannot be read in the editingmode. Tl-Writer is also infamousfor dropping letters at the beginning ofeach line in the editing mode. This isbecause the program does not storecharacters that are typed at the end ofa screen line as it wraps around to thebeginning of the next line. You mayexamine the sample copy created byCompanion elsewhere on this page tosee how graphics can be incorporatedinto text. A simple one key commandfollowed by the ASCII code of the graphicssymbol is all that it takes.