ion that creates Web pages from suite-generated documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
Later in the year, users will be able to download
Corel Central
, the company's intriguing answer to Office 97's Outlook. Corel Central will include calendaring, scheduling, to-do lists, an address book, a contact log, and a card file. It will integrate with Netscape Communicator.
Dedicated WordPerfect fans will find much to like in WordPerfect Suite 8. The basic interface remains familiar, and the package's file formats haven't changed. Corel has focused on a few useful additions. For example, WordPerfect now has a drawing layer that, among other things, lets you overlay graphic objects on top of text. Table features are easier to use. Also, WordPerfect now supports Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), an international standard used by many government agen
cies and corporations.
Other components get their fair share of new features. Most notable in Quattro Pro is a QuickCell feature that lets you track changes to crucial cells as values change throughout the spreadsheet. Presentations can now package slide shows for easy distribution on floppy disks or as e-mail attachments. All the applications have extended Web functionality with HTML and Java support.
Prior versions of WordPerfect Suite showed the results of cobbling together a bunch of disparate applications, but Corel has changed that. The company has done an excellent job of making it a truly integrated package while retaining the distinctive flavors of the individual parts.
PerfectExpert -- a new suite-wide, interactive, task-specific help system -- allows you to ask plain-language questions and makes extensive use of wizards. And you won't find any cutesy on-screen characters, such as Office 97's dancing paper clip. PerfectExpert is all business.
Even in this beta version, it wa
s obvious that the individual applications ran noticeably faster than in prior versions. Corel has obviously spent much time optimizing code. And increased use of shared code across the suite means that the shipping version will take less disk space and use less memory than version 7. That's the exact opposite of the competition. Also new is multimedia-extensions (MMX) technology support.
Later this year, Corel will release a new "professional" version of WordPerfect Suite that's more tuned for networked users. It will include updated versions of Paradox and Corel Time Line, Corel Central, a new application called Web.Sitebuilder, and other goodies.
Product Information
WordPerfect Suite 8......................$395
Competitive Upgrade......................$179
(requires a 486 and Windows 95 or NT;
16 MB of RAM is recommended)
Corel Corp.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Phone: 613-728-8200
Fax: 613-761-9176
Internet:
http://www.wordperfect.com
Enter 976 on Inquiry Card.
Corel's Nearly Perfect Suite Spot
