Doing a Rube Goldberg A low-tech approach to PC/VS text integration
From "VS Workshop",  Access to Wang, February 1989
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I've made mention in the past of the fact that I use (and prefer) PC-based word processing systems over mini-based approaches such as WP+ or VS/IIS (VS Integrated Information System; a.k.a the standard Word Processing editor). PC text systems are typically faster, since they dedicate the resources of the processor to the task. They usually have better features than VS Word Processing - sometimes even more than WP+ - and third-party training is available for more PC packages. Best of all, they are accessible at home, work, or even on the road.

In spite of this, there still reasons to consider some kind of centralized text processing. The most obvious reason is the ability to share a document set among several users. Other reasons include improvements in backup and data integrity, better integration with data processing systems (especially the merge functions), spooled printer usage, integration with information retrieval systems, and the ability to easily use contract labor.

All of these issues have been mentioned at various times in this and other columns. All have been partially resolved in some shops with a diverse blend of solutions (PC Local area networks, PC/VS Data exchange, terminal emulation with file transfer, batch conversion, document conversion utilities, etc.). And all came at me again as I recently approached a large writing task. This month I'll describe the solution I arrived at when faced with conflicting goals, little time, and no budget.

Project requirements

The requirements for this project looked impossible to fill. I wanted to be able to write at home or at work, back up my work for safety, and still integrate 100 or more individual modules into a single whole. The strict format and extensive cross-referencing required large-scale storage and processing and a comfortable programming environment for integration with data processing systems. Both the budget and time were limited, mandating the use of existing software and techniques. What's more, the final disk format required was PC-based (Word Perfect). What I needed was a low-tech solution that made good use of the tools immediately around me.

To meet these needs, I turned to a patchwork of processes and tools that were available to me. The process was occasionally awkward and the delivery slower than desired, but I didn't have to face a large-scale conversion and the attendant learning difficulties.

Solution: integrate existing tools

The process I used was to create the text on my Wangwriter and in PC Word Processing, moving the files to the VS for words-in-text searches, printing, and merging. When all the editing and technical corrections were made, I moved the files back to the PC/IWP and converted them to Word Perfect format for delivery.

The cornerstone of my text system for this project was PC Integrated Word Processing (PC/IWP), which was already present in the PC on my desk. A reasonable subset of VS/IIS, PC/IWP allowed me to create files at home on the Wangwriter, import VS/IIS files from the VS, and convert the entire document base at will. The most important feature of PC/IWP, though, was it's ability to read and write Wangwriter and 5-1/4 OIS (or VS) archive disks as well as MS-DOS PC/IWP files; this allowed me to move files between all systems without any other conversion software.

This document-by-document filing approach was not fast enough to accommodate the large number of documents (approximately 120), so I turned to VSPC928, a product of Software Business Applications, for much of the filing. VSPC928 allows a PC to communicate through the coaxial cable (the so-called "928 link") to a local VS, moving files with conversion from VS to PC format. Since the transfer rate of the 928 connection is high, this exchange is reasonably fast, and SBA has built in a conversion from PC/IWP to VS/IIS format. Best of all, this process could be entirely controlled from the VS, where my document tracking and search tools were located.

VSPC928 also allowed me to print PC files on VS printers quickly. Using the Wang PRINTWP utility, VSPC928 can create a new document and spool it to the printer in one move. This made it easy to take advantage of high-capacity printers for drafts.

What about the final text format? When the time came to send off the finished copy, I converted the PC/IWP files to Word Perfect format by importing them into PFS Professional Write and writing Word Perfect files out. (Version 2.0 of PFS Professional Write allows files from several PC word processing systems to be read into its editor and then written back out - by far the most natural conversion approach I have used.)

While this system worked for the one time I was to use it, there were many limitations. The worst was the administrative time it took. Files had to manually accounted for, with document numbers reused for each version. Each document was moved individually to the archive diskette, then restored (in batches) to the VS - a slow process. There was also the inevitable mistakes that can occur in any tedious manual process, such as missing a document or copying the same document twice. In spite of these mishaps, I am satisfied with the results.

The point: choose the computing environment that matches the need and your resources and try not to get hung on what is fashionable. I am sure that I would have appreciated the additional capabilities of a PC local area network or VS WP+, but they weren't enough to move me from a system that I knew would work.

VS/IIS: its role on the VS today

From the above discussion, it would appear that I do not consider VS Word Processing to be a viable text processing system. Despite it's lack of editing and format features, I feel the standard WP editor has usefulness today - primarily because of the number of software vendors and users that use it as a common base. WP+ may have the features, but plain old WP still has the users.

The recent Access to Wang software survey (December 1988; pp. 32-42) indicates users that have tried WP+ appear to like it. While an argument might be made that these users are relatively new, it does appear that WP+ has become a viable contender for the Word Processing crown. It takes more than features to sell a text processing system, though, and most production text processing is still carried out in VS Word Processing.

Some of the advantages offered by VS Word Processing include:

1. Word Processing is universal. With minor differences, users familiar with the PC, OIS, Alliance, or VS versions of the product can immediately be productive in another environment. PC text products continue to be volatile; experience with one product does not guarantee productivity with another product, or even with another release of the same product.

2. Most software vendors use the VS/IIS document naming conventions for software that integrates with WP files. No commonly-distributed utilities (including ISWUAIDS) support WP+ naming conventions or file structures.

3. Most users have manual document indexing schemes that are based on the naming approaches of VS/IIS.

4. It is still easier to find temporaries and WP services experienced in Wang WP than almost all other systems.

I hope you'll share your thoughts on the future of text processing, particularly if you disagree with my views. Next month I'll present some practical uses of the SUBMIT verb in Procedure language to control run-time execution of background jobs.