The "Thank you" thread

[Mark XM]

Hey all,

I'd like to take a leaf out of Forrest's--on the OmniWeb forum--book and start a "Thank you" thread to the guys there at Nisus.

I've been using "Nisus Writer Express" since it didn't exist, as when I first moved to OS-X I found Charles Jolley's "Okito Composer". I remember the accusations of selling out that were bandied around when he joined up with Nisus. I think we all got a great deal out of that union, and I hope those who lambasted him have long since eaten humble pie.

I'm using FC4 and so far it seems utterly stable to me, I haven't yet hit any of the problems I've had with earlier releases, and that's great. No question, but NWE is far and away my favourite word-processor; yes, it still lacks some features I would like, and yes, there are undoubtedly other features that others would like which are not there yet. And I don't believe in the "My Mellel is better than your NWE" arguments any more than I believe in the megapixel wars in digital cameras, etc. I have both, they are both good ... NWE suits me much better ... full stop.

But apart from the really good experience which using NWE is, I think we should thank the Nisus people for being so responsive, and for involving us users in the process.

Most software I use is just there, and once every few months I get a mail saying there's a new version ... sometimes it's every year or so. How many new versions have we been involved in in the development of NWE 2.7 over the past two or three months. There are those of us who do Greek, I do Chinese, often importing files produced on Chinese Word, running under Chinese Windows in all versions from '97 on--God knows why people are still using that dog; throws up all kinds of problems!--and I'm sure there are others doing other languages which use other different scripts. Without the involvement of people who use software like this for real in such environments, the development process would be much slower and more painful, I'm sure. Personally, I feel that I've been honoured to be able to contribute to this development process. Yes, I send feedback to other companies, but there seem to be comparatively few who respond so promptly to feedback as Nisus.

On which note, I'd like to extend that thanks to Martin, and before him to Mark Hurwitz wherever he may be in his wanderings. I know they are the front for the support department, and that there are those behind them contributing extensively, but unseen. But I have found Mark and Martin to be very prompt in their responses, and unfailingly courteous, interested and helpful. In this modern age, that is something which I feel deserves a personal round of applause.

I just felt it was time I made my feelings known.

Mark

Oh, by the way, about "Open from template", and flowing text round images ...

[cchapin]

Well said!

I have never interacted with a more consistently responsive software developer than Nisus. There are plenty of good developers out there (and even more not-so-good ones), but the responsiveness of the guys at Nisus -- in this forum and through e-mail responses to feedback -- is second to none in my experience.

Nisus Writer Express offers a great user experience, to be sure, but the interaction we get to have with the team that's behind it, primarily through Martin at this point, makes me feel that I'm getting to help make Nisus Writer Express into the word processor I've always wanted.

--Craig

[Tacitus]

I'd like to join in the thanks to Martin, Mark, Dave and the team at Nisus. I've been a user since 5.1.3 which for me was, and still is, the best WP around, although NWE is catching up.

I too have found the team to be very prompt in their responses, and unfailingly courteous, even when their patience must be well stretched.

Also we shouldn't forget Jolanta and those who remain in the shadows, without whose support the team could not function. A hearty round of applause to them all - they are truly "Nise" people.

Tacitus

[martin]

This is a very nice thread to see really, it's very heart warming to read such thanks from our users. I'd also like to return the thank you and say it's been a pleasure corresponding with many of you. Not only as beta testers while 2.7 was being put together, but also here on the forum. Sometimes I'm really amazed by the detail and helpfulness that you show in your posts!

Now with 2.7 out, we can go back to our work of adding features for Express 3.0. I hope I'll see you all around. Cheers,

~Martin

[DXB Law]

Yes, thank you - we've heard from users of Chinese scripts and Hebrew scripts and others; I use Nisus for Arabic and started using it back in 6 point something or other under OS 9.1. I have not been on the forums much, but I do appreciate the software which is extremely useful for what I do, which is mainly import and work with documents created on Windows versions of MS Word (for some reason Microsoft refuses to support Arabic on the Mac version of Word). I find that NWE which was good to begin with gets better with each subsequent release; keep up the good work. A few more improvements to NWE and I might even be able to ditch Word altogether.

DXB Law

[joehardy]

I've got a new black MacBook and NWE 2.7 really flies. Actually Word does pretty well because of MB speed even though it's a Rosetta app, but Nisus being universal (and Cocoa) is my WP workhorse now.
I even put a little promo in one of the entries on my blog on my new website I've created with iWeb, which came with the MacBook.
The link to the site should be in my signature. I hope y'all don't mind my using a graphic from the Nisus site. If so, I'll change it.
And thanks again for all your work.

Gary
(whose main request for 3.0 is TOC, of course.)

[midwinter]

I'm holding off praise until I find out whether the academic article I wrote entirely in NWE—and without the normal yelling and screaming at Word when some damned orphaned footnote won't go where it's supposed to go—is accepted for publication. I'm also holding off praise until Martin, et al add in the "make my writing not suck" preference.

[joehardy]

I'm also holding off praise until Martin, et al add in the "make my writing not suck" preference.

That's not really a feature request. It's more a fantasy wish.

If you find software with that feature, please let me know I can recommend it to all my students.

[midwinter]

I'm also holding off praise until Martin, et al add in the "make my writing not suck" preference.

That's not really a feature request. It's more a fantasy wish.

If you find software with that feature, please let me know I can recommend it to all my students.

Oh no! I'm keeping that one for MY students...I can just see my evaluations shooting through the roof!

[Patrick J]

Well I am certainly very grateful that Nisus Writer has made it to the new OS X.

I had been a user of the "classic" Nisus Writer for some years and always felt it was the best reason for using a Mac.

The new Nisus Express is still quite a long way from being the formidable application the the classic Nisus Writer was but it is a joy to use.

I in fact have only just in the last fortnight obtained Nisus Writer Express because I bought a new Intel iMac in that fortnight.

I first downloaded 2.6 something and then after a short period 2.7 appeared so I am now using that.

With 2.7 the Nisus keyboard short-cut system has been re-introduced "hoorah!". The use of multiple keys with modifiers is absolutely brilliant and was a great feature of the old classic Nisus Writer. If people haven't experimented with the keyboard short-cuts then I think they should

With Nisus Writer Express you can have as many keys in sequence as you like, but I think we have to avoid "N" which is a very mild nuisance.

I think if Steve Jobs had built the Nisus keyboard short-cuts into OS X it would have been heralded as a most brilliant feature.

Anyway no doubt more will come in time. My "features request" list would be enormous. I would like to see find/replace being styles aware as it was before. I'd like "Macroize" in find/replace. All this will come in time I guess. The brilliant find/replace is mostly there now which is fabulous.

I'm very glad the styles are now hierarchical, but I do miss the rulers down the left of the window.

I had become very good with the basic like programming language of the classic programme and now I've started mucking about with Perl a bit.

Anyway thanks for the wonderful Nisus Writer Express.

PS This OS X is rather excellent as well

[Candace]

I can chime in here. Even though I cannot yet use NWE in a way that works for me, I can send a big thank you to the people at Nisus who have been kind and responsive on the phone, and all those, volunteer mentors and official Nisus persons, who have been so generous with advice on this Forum.
I hope someday to will be able to help some struggling new person myself.... Candace

[Ryan]

Now, I know this thread is already filling up with praise for Nisus and NWE (and NW Classic too, it sounds, though I never used that). However, I wanted to chime in with my added personal thanks, because, well, I wanted to.

Thank you, Nisus, for making an elegant writing tool designed for the writer. Thank you, Martin, Mark, Dave, and of course et. al, for all the courteous and helpful interaction. I've been honored to be a part of the beta process, and see my feedback in the final product. It was also cool to meet Mark at Macworld.

I partly hope other companies don't pick up on the superb style of customer service, because Nisus would lose a competetive advantage. I suppose the world would be a better place and all, but still.

My iBook died a month or two ago just after I got back from living abroad (without my backup drive!), and my computer life has been hell since then. I used to be a regular on this forum, but I've been too busy working everything out to hang out here much. Or do much writing, for that matter. I was even using a Windows machine for awhile! At any rate, I got a PowerBook G4 now, and things are mostly sorted out, and I'm writing again, so I have returned.

And my first task is to thank Nisus.

Cheers!

[gemboy27]

I would like to thank you not for your work with Nisus Writer (classic and express), but also your other endeavours: Nisus Thesaurus and the Link Back project.

It is clear you have looked at the big picture and enhanced it


gem

[jnlauderdale]

I will second Mark XM on each and every point. The people who work their magic at Nisus do it with more style wit and humor than anyone around.

Great product (even thought I haven't got my Pleading Template back yet )
and fabulous support. Indeed an nice contrast to an otherwise rather geeky,
snide and not too caring professional world.

[gemboy27]

Just finished the second ending of The Science of Murder

http://users.westelcom.com/gemboy/tsom.html

It was produced last Saturday (first ending, I make two in case someone wants to put the show on two nights)

I used Nisus Writer Express to write this, new this year was the use of link back for the logo of the play (with Live Sketch)

Thank you NWE

dance you crazy Tigers