cblaisd

On all counts:

deubster

Normally, I'd agree wholeheartedly. But sometimes newer programs, with their many improvements and added features, cut out the very feature that you relied most upon. Or they change the way a program operates in undesirable ways. Having learned word processing with WordStar on early 80's CPM computers, I was once a whiz at using keyboard shortcuts to do most any formatting I would ordinarily need - and remained so through several generations of Windows word processing programs. Word 2010 offers me more options (darn few real enhancements for most users, though) at the cost of a complicated menu structure - result: reduced productivity.

Also, I'm not a gamer, but when my kids were small (they are now 30 & 28) we would play 4x4, Snake, Amaze (generated multi-page mazes on dot-matrix printers), and several logic games from 5.25" floppies. Though I've saved all these games, I can't really play any but the logic games. 4x4 used primitive graphics and looks hideous on new systems, and for Amaze, I no longer have a dot-matrix or even a parallel port to attach one. Snake was designed for a 4.77 MHz Intel processor on early IBM's, and was too fast to play when computers hit 100 MHz. On my current 3.8 GHz, the game is over before you can even react to the first turn.

cblaisd

Amen! Preach it! Still using, when I have to, Office 2003.

But for day to day use, nothing beats WordPerfect

reft

Software written for a system that was marked in Mhz, really flies on a 2.8Ghz system.

We don't use computers to learn new things, we use computers to get things done. Sometimes the learning curve is a good investment. If it means you get things done using less resources that's a win. At other times it's a waste of time figuring out where the $blank that this version of the program hid a menu item just so you can do the same thing.

Conversion is another consideration. A complex spreadsheet that's been in continuous daily use since the dawn of the PC, and has grown organically within one software environment, will not convert with software and the manual migration/rewrite will be non-trivial. When the older software can be made to run, I can buy another few years to do the rewrite.

In certain regulatory environments, for records retention you have to have a way to open older data sources for a certain number of years. Depending on your regs, conversion may not be an option, if the file has to be left 'as-is'

Paint Horse

WordPerfect? My, my, my

elCheapoDeluxe

Hallelujah!

WordPerfect user for decades here. Can't pry it out of my hands. Just updated to X6.

Paint Horse

What a collection of weirdos we have here. Confess now, who still uses a modem for Internet access?

elCheapoDeluxe

No, but I haven't had it in my heart to throw out my old US Robotics externam 56k modem. That was expensive! Not nearly as those old Hayes Ultra Smartmodems were. Do you remember how much a 9600 baud Ultra Smartmodem cost when it came out? Obscene. But with that aluminum chassis they sure were sexy!

cblaisd

Well, it really hasn't been that long ago....

I remember how utterly thrilling it was to go from 300 to 1200 baud! And continually tweaking Stacker to eke out every bit from that 20MB drive, and how cool it was to use the DOS version of pcAnywhere to remote in to the office, and, and, and....

But always, always: there was Word Perfect ^

reft

The state U around here discontinued their modem pool earlier this year. About 100 users (who had logged in within the week prior to the plug getting pulled) went kicking and screaming.

I have some 80 column cards around here -- make great note cards.

oneant

I agree with the business aspect, as well as historical data/compliance/legal reasons for keeping "antiquated" data formats readable, however, let's focus on the very specific example of the OP.

There's a learning curve just to understand, install, configure and use the software to allow the use of the legacy app.

Hell, I'd rather migrate to a new app than go through all that.

If you allow your software to migrate along with the hardware, you stay in the realm of "current" and "supported". I mean, how many people are screaming about "I just REALLY like my ball-mouse with a PS2 connector, and these new-fangled optical mice with no moving parts and no wires just don't satisfy my reluctance to move on from what I've grown used to, even if it IS actually better."

Evolve!

Anyone that chooses to use apps like Word Perfect should have a laptop to match so that we can all spot you on the plane. Sorry...I mean on the sailing ship.

reft

Agreed, but we have no idea if the OP's data was business data or not.

I didn't find it to be that complex, but it depends on circumstances. Sometimes latest-and-greatest, sometimes an older more known or stable tool works better.

Support is non-existent on old apps, but then again, after 15 years, the bugs and workarounds are also pretty much known.

Easy enough to find -- look for the ones calmly working in a stable environment that doesn't crash vs the ones swearing at Windows 8 because it just ate their presentation

In the end, RFC1925, Paragraph 2, Item 1 sums it up: It Has To Work

cblaisd

Just curious, have you actually used WordPerfect? I've used both and continue to find WP far easier to use, can do the obvious things more intuitively, has retained the same interface structure and file formats through many versions, etc.

Of course, to some extent, this is Piper versus Cessna - depends on what you learned to fly, uh, sail , on.

I have never had WP corrupt a file to make it unrecoverable in the way that Office apps do with some regularity.

oneant

I used to use WP back in the 5.1 days in DOS. Actually liked it a lot. I rarely use anything but the basic functions of a word processor, but MS Word is "supported" so I use it.

As to the corruption issue, if you're just using the basic functions of Word, you're far less likely to experience any corruption.

99% of my typed documents are actually in Outlook these days. The only Microsoft Office app I use with any regularity anymore is Excel. I just love Excel.

cblaisd

I have a copy I could send you

It really flies these days.