Writer’s Digest Annual Software Review
I always look forward to the annual software review in Writer’s Digest. This year’s version is now on the newsstands in the August issue.
Especially valuable this year is the two-page chart of programs, listing program capabilities, prices and websites, a summary worth the cost of the magazine. As usual, there are some programs there that I’ve never heard about before or had forgotten about. Most of them, however, are expensive programs with advertising budgets.
The accompanying two-and-a-half page review, on the other hand, is disappointing. It’s little more than a categorized list in paragraph form — no screenshots, no detailed explanation of the underlying logic of the programs. Strangely, each year, I walk away from the article itself disinclined to plunk down the money for the expensive programs covered. It’s a bewildering array of programs, too many to contemplate downloading for evaluation. It’s simply easier to stick with Microsoft Word and my index cards, especially since most of the programs cost $100-200.
The list is certainly not complete, though it implies that it is the authoriative and thorough coverage of the topic. Shareware and freeware programs do not receive sufficient attention. For example, Visual Thesaurus, at $39.95, is included, but there is no mention of free Mobysaurus. Rough Draft and PageFour are omitted. There’s no discussion at all about the emerging category of online word processors.
Despite its limitations, this annual review is still a valuable overview. It does open the eyes of writers to some of the possibilities that writer-specific software can bring to one’s workspace. I’m already looking forward to the 2008 list.
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