Word: hacker
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After a Christmas break of eggnog-induced hangovers and relative-induced headaches, the Happy Hacker has returned to campus without any of the pleasant goodies that he asked for in his hacker gift list; no hundred-proof vodka, no fancy flight simulators--not even little teflon pads for his mouse...
...only gift was Microsoft's recent announcement that they would no longer copy-protect any non-game disks (so much for getting an illegal copy of flight simulator). Gone are the days when the Happy Hacker, after trekking many a mile to the Office of Information Technology, prepares to laser-print a paper only to remember the need for a $%?&*! Word master disk in order to read in the file...
There are many software add-ons that can improve the power of your word-processor and help clean up your prose. Spelling checkers, programs that proofread your paper for typographical errors, can be very useful, and although the Happy Hacker has no specific recommendations as yet (he's currently reviewing several for an upcoming column), most dictionary programs are better than sitting down with a dictionary...
...useful attachments are grammatical checkers and outlining programs. Grammatical checkers can discover some incorrect syntax, although they are far from perfect. Outlining programs allow authors to develop outlines for essays and to then modify an essay's structure by experimenting with various alternative outlines (again, look for an upcoming Hacker column on this...
...between getting lousy grades in class and writing this column, the Happy Hacker remains glued to his word-processor trying to figure out how to get a word-processor to write his papers for him, or short of that, how it can at least explain to the professor the reason for turning in an assigned paper after the deadline. When he figures it out, you can hear it here first...