Mouse Write. (evaluation)

MouseWrite is a Macintosh-like word processor for the Apple II that makes full use of the mouse/window user interface that has proven so successful on the Mac. I was lucky enough to have a prototype version of MouseWrite demonstrated to me by Roger Wagner, president of the software publishing company that bears his name.

MouseWrite is very much like MacWrite, the word processor bundled with the Macintosh. In fact, MouseWrite is one of the first programs that makes full use of the mouse capabilities of the Apple II line. I was initially a bit reluctant to accept the idea of a mouse-driven word processor, feeling that it was awkward to switch from keyboard to mouse every time I wanted to invoke a command. However, this is not how the program is intended to be used. After the initial setup of the system, text is entered directly from the keyboard. Once the document is entered, it is easily edited using the mouse to select commands, print styles, file operations, and page formatting.

MouseWrite, unlike many word processors in its price range, has virtually every feature one could ask for including word count, global search and replace, automatic page numbering, easily embedded control codes, and support of a variety of printers. MouseWriter also determines the reading level of your document using an educator's tool known as the Fog Index. Many users will appreciate that MouseWrite does automatic time and date stamping of files, even on a IIc or a IIe without a clock card.

MouseWrite supports what Apple calls "mouseless mouse commands" (how's that for Newspeak?). That means that if you don't own a mouse, you can still invoke all of the commands by using the arrow keys in conjunction with ESC. My only complaint about MouseWrite is that certain commands, such as deleting characters, are laboriously slow. Nevertheless, I would recommend MouseWrite without revervation to anyone searching for a full-featured word processor for use on an Apple IIc or 128K "enhanced" IIe. If you salivate at the thought of owning a Mac, MouseWrite may be just the thing to satisfy your hunger for the time being.

Products: Mouse Write (computer program)