Messages

1

Living Room / Re: Will you miss newspapers when they're gone?

« on: March 09, 2010, 04:47 PM »

      Every city and town needs a newspaper to do at least one essential thing: let the public know what the local government is doing and how.  each town has its businesses which may, or may not, be serving the public as they should. Who's going to tell citizens about it if not the local newspaper?
     Newspapers are essential to a democracy. Which is why all tyrants suppress try to suppress them.   
     Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797), a British politician, is supposed to have said "that there were three Estates in Parliament [the Lords Temporal, the Lords Spiritual and the Commons], but in the Reporters Gallery yonder, there sat a fourth Estate more important far than they all."
    The internet and TV provide good news services. But none of them, and nothing else, can do what a local newspaper can do.
    However, we do need a *new kind* of newspaper.... Anyone have any suggestions?
           So says an old former editor of his town newspaper.

2

Site/Forum Features / Re: March 2009 Survey Discussion

« on: May 06, 2009, 07:57 PM »

Someone suggested software tutorials. Let me vote for that one.

3

General Software Discussion / Re: Looking for Search and Replace tool for MS Word Files

« on: May 06, 2009, 04:22 PM »

  I have not yet tried all the programs suggested by the very kind readers. But let me say now: Thank you all very much! I have hundreds of Nota Bene files with non-alpha characters remaining them (for outlines and formats). Thanks again. Bill Steo

4

General Software Discussion / Looking for Search and Replace tool for MS Word Files

« on: March 06, 2009, 04:49 PM »

   *Find and Replace for multiple MS Word documents.*
   The program finds and replaces any one character, or  sequence of characters, that can be found on a standard keyboard, in many Word  .doc files. How?
   1. In an open directory, the user highlights the names of files in which he/she wishes characters replaced. If more efficient, this could be done after the program has been opened. 
   2. User opens the program which displays a dialog box with a window headed by "Character(s) to be replaced." or the like.
   3. User identifies a character or character strings he/she wants replaced by typing or copying them into the window in the  dialog box.
   3.1 Ideally, user can enter different characters/strings in the same box if they are separated by commas or ?.   
   3.2  User specifies action by pressing a button: "delete," or "replace."
   3.3 If user checks replace, he/she enters the new characters/strings in another window in the box.
   4. User presses "Go." button.
   5. The program
   5.1. finds the highlighted Word files.
   5.2 Opens them
   5.3 Performs function.
   5.3.1 Finds one of the files
   5.3.2 Opens it.
   5.3.3 Finds and replaces
   5.4  "Saves-as" the files, that is, saves the files with the same name plus "ED," or some other term to indicate they are the files that have been changed.
   The orginal files remain undisturbed in case of a problem.
   5.5. Closes the file.
   5.6. Repeats 5.1 to 5.5 with a different file until no more highlighted files remain.
   5.7  Program closes itelf.

Thank you.
Bill Steo

[edit: i removed your email Bill, as it's generally a bad idea to post email addresses on the web, since spammers find them; just keep your eye open here for any suggestions people come up with -mouser]