From: esimon@wd.estec.nl (Erik Simonsen)
Subject: Problems with WP 5.0!! WP 5.1 how much better??
Keywords: wordperfect sun unix
Reply-To: esimon@wd.estec.esa.nl
Organization: ESA/ESTEC
Date: 10 Sep 92 10:46:11 GMT

Problems with WP 5.0!! WP 5.1 how much better??
-----------------------------------------------

I have installed WordPerfect 5.0 for UNIX half a year ago and six people
in my section have been using it intensively since then. We are mostly 
getting along, only occasionally people claim for their old PC with WP 
5.1. However, we are endeed looking forward to an update, hoping that
it will fix some of the problems we have encountered and still have. 
   
1) If I give a briefing of our principal problems, can anybody tell my 
in which sense WP 5.1 is really a progress?

2) Does the 5.0->5.1 upgrade of the UNIX version correspond to the 
5.0->5.1 upgrade of the DOS version? Is WP 5.1 UNIX somehow better 
than the DOS 5.1?

Context: SUN ELC's with SUNOS 4.1.1 and OpenWin 3.0.

PROBLEMS:
Initially severe problems related to the file locking mechanism running 
WP via NFS from a SUN 3 server. WP wasn't able to run or got stucked 
after some time, requiring reboot of everything. Killing processes wasn't 
enough. Disabling file locking (recommended by WP) only mostly solved the 
matter.

When starting WP 5.0, the program may get stucked in the initial F3 / F7 
screen. F7=Exit or any other key wouldn't work. This happend 1 out of 25 
times we start WP. It is sometimes possible to quit the window, other 
times it is necessary to kill it with kaliber -9. When killing the process, 
the error message "lock-manager: RPC error: (18) RPC: (unknown error code)" 
occurs on the console. It has been required to reboot you server (running 
WP licence serving) to recover from this error.

The Apple_LaserPrinter_II driver showed up to be unreliable (our printer 
is an Apple_LaserPrinter_II !). Using the Dec LN03R driver instead, we 
haven't had further problems.

Function keys F11 and F12 (Reveal Codes and Block) don't work with OpenWin 
(L1 and L2 do the same job!).

Our WP users have experienced that WP can collapse suddenly with window, 
process and editor contents just disappearing. We never succeded to 
reproduce this or to explain why. Automatic backup every minute makes us 
live.

WP can blowing up the mouse interface, making selection of text with the 
mouse impossible. Restart of WP doesn't help, restart of OpenWin does.

REMARKS:
WP 5.0 is too compatible with the DOS versions. File compatibility is 
shure valuable, but under X or OpenWindows, the touch and feel shouldn't 
be that of a PC. This remark specially regards the text selection approach 
and the cut and past. Cut and past between WP and other X applications is 
not possible with WP 5.0.

WP for UNIX is rather slow, even compared to 286 PC!

...Roger over,

Erik

---                                       ___   ___
Erik Simonsen, ESA/ESTEC WDP             |     /   \    ^
Postbus 299, 2200 AG Noordwijk           |__   \___    / \   European
Phone: +31 1719 3133 Fax: +31 1719 84295 |         \  /___\  Space
E-mail: esimon@wd.estec.esa.nl           |___  \___/ /     \ Agency

--
Erik Simonsen          ESA/ESTEC WDP          
Postbus 299            NL-2200 AG Noordwijk   
Phone: +31 1719 83133  Fax: +31 1719 84295
E-mail: esimon@sdeserver.estec.esa.nl
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.apps,comp.sys.sun.misc,comp.sys.sun.wanted