Jay:
Over at the official Corel newsgroups devoted to WPLINUX, there's a thread about what to do to get a new version of WPLINUX.
Some posters recommended that WP be ported to the Qt programming environment. While posing a technical challenges, it would be a cost effective way to get WP on a plethora of platforms. I'd include WPDOS, that way you can have WP available on MAC, Windows, LINUX and in the future Open BSD and Open Solaris. Porting to Qt won't be expensive and would allow the software to be available in a shorter space of time
As some posters pointed out that it's unwise to rely on just 1 OS given that the programmers can botch it up and cause all sorts of problems for the software. Further, as I pointed out in another thread, given the deep dissatisfaction with MACoffice, WPMAC 4 should capitalize this situation.
Better yet when porting the WPMAC code you can even add in the UNICODE support as well as the JPEG, PNG, GIF, HTML, Publish to PDF (as well as importinf PDF documents) make Perfectscript more cross platform, full ODF functionality, file conversions for Win and MAC programs, online collaboration and integrate Open type fonts usage.
Same goes for WPLINUX and WPDOS.
I was reading Allan Baird's post about his new screen writing extension to Open office and acidly pointed out that no one uses WP anymore. He's quite right to an extent. So by porting WP to different OSes you open new markets, make money and prevent the program from depending its fate on just that 1.
Porting WP to Qt would bring back brand awarness which is so important on the internet. A lot of people are incredulous when I tell them that I still use WP and chide me for using 5,1. I tell them that I use WP xx and they're very surprised to learn that it's still current.
THAT.PERCEPTION.MUST.CHANGE.
Especially with non- English speaking computer users. But then again it's kinda tough to know that WP exists when
(a) it's not available in a particular language nor UNICODE compliant
(b) it's not as extensible as Open office or Office
(c) it's not available on all platforms
(d) Related to b, WP's functionality isn't as broad as the other 2 processors (e) there's no buzz or interest about WP like there is for Open office.
As a user, WP is too important to cross my fingers that it'll alawys work with a particular OS Should users decide to move to another OS or work in multiple OSes, WP needs to be available and not like what happened in the past where the programmers were taken completely by surprise, had to scramble and the result was a mediocre product that was a disservice to its users and caused it to lose them.
Subsequent versions were better but the damage was done. It's prudent to diversify the software to different OSes.
WP is the tool of choice for many users, and it's totally reasonable that it be available in different platforms should the former choose or need to work in a different environment
xavier