Up until now, I've mostly been using the AtariWriter 80 word processor running under the Altirra 3.10 emulator with a virtual XEP80 Interface Module attached to edit source code files. Working with AtariWriter 80 in 80 columns has been a better experience than using the Atari Program-Text Editor in 40 columns, but AtariWriter 80 seems to have some issues in this configuration.
The main issue I am seeing is that if I have a large source code file loaded into AtariWriter 80, say ten screens of data, as I use the cursor control keys to move down paste the first screen full of data, AtariWriter80 jumps all the way down to the very end of the document.
I'm also seeing some editing issues when I'm delete lines of code (character by character), the source code gets a little messed up at times.
I'm not sure if the issues I am seeing are within AtariWriter 80 itself, or if the issues are because I'm using AtariWriter 80 with Alitrra 3.10 and a virtual XEP80. I could attempt to set up this environment with physical hardware and software, and retest, but I haven't done so yet.
Matthew Ratcliff's review of AtariWriter 80 in the December 1989 issue of Antic Magazine (Volume 8, Number 7) reports some of these issues that I have been seeing. So I suspect there are bugs in AtariWriter 80, rather than my emulated setup being the issue.
I'm not sure if the issues I am seeing are within AtariWriter 80 itself, or if the issues are because I'm using AtariWriter 80 with Alitrra 3.10 and a virtual XEP80. I could attempt to set up this environment with physical hardware and software, and retest, but I haven't done so yet.
Matthew Ratcliff's review of AtariWriter 80 in the December 1989 issue of Antic Magazine (Volume 8, Number 7) reports some of these issues that I have been seeing. So I suspect there are bugs in AtariWriter 80, rather than my emulated setup being the issue.
In the interim, I've started using The Last Word, an 80-column Atari 8-bit word processor by Jonathan Halliday. It is a relatively recent release, with the latest copyright date of 2013. I'm using The Last Word version 3.21b.
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| The Last Word Font |
There is no menu as in AtariWriter 80. I just use CONTROL-L to load my source file and CONTROL-S to save. It also doesn't require the Atari XEP80 Interface Module for 80-columns.
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| AtariWriter 80 Font |
While I think I like the AtariWriter 80 / XEP80 font a little better, editing has been much easier in The Last Word without the annoying glitches that I was seeing in AtariWriter 80.
Once I downloaded The Last Word Version 3.21b, I renamed the LW.EXE file on the disk image to AUTORUN.SYS so that the word processor would run automagically when the disk is booted.
Once I downloaded The Last Word Version 3.21b, I renamed the LW.EXE file on the disk image to AUTORUN.SYS so that the word processor would run automagically when the disk is booted.
Another nice feature of The Last Word is that is that is allows you to have multiple banks of memory that you can switch between. This allows you to have multiple Pascal files open at the same time for editing. This is nice, because the Atari Pascal Language System chokes with a dreaded Fatal Error 68.00, if any one source file is too large. It takes a little planning, but breaking your Pascal programs down into smaller, separate logical modules allows you to create larger programs. See the PMDEMO program for an example.
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