Presently, our company is in need of a Word Processor that can be used to create Rich Text File Format documents, to produce HTML documents for publication on the World Wide Web, and to prepare short documents for paper-based publication. To find the product that best suited our needs, we consulted with our staff as to their requirements. We also looked at the processors available on the market. The ones that we chose for our final evaluation were Word for Windows 6.0, WordPerfect 6.0 for DOS, and Breeze. Both Word for Windows and WordPerfect are two of the most popular word processor available, while Breeze is a good shareware product that we felt might fill our needs.

We comparison tested all three word processors, looking at their features, ease of use, and suitability for the tasks for which we needed them. Our main concern focused on their ability to handle the production of the Rich Text Format files that we utilize for writing hypertext manuals for our products. With the increasing popularity of the World Wide Web, we thought it was also prudent to look at products that could handle the production of HTML documents. This would allow us to prepare to develop a strong presence on the Internet for both marketing and after-sales support.

Our testing criteria began with the ease of interacting with the interface. We then went on to look at how customizable and upgradable the tool was and even how much training was available for it. We also looked at features such as graphics handling and embedding other data objects into the documents for multimedia use.

The tool that we chose as the best was Word for Windows 6.0. This was because, based on our testing and evaluation, it was the best suited from a functional point of view for completing the internal production tasks our company required of it. As well, it has the best on-line help and tutorial systems which will make implementing and becoming proficient with the product as easy as possible for our staff.

At this point, we would recommend that our company install this tool on a system for a trial basis. This system should be made available to those employees that will be producing the required documentation. If they agree with our evaluation that it is an effective tool, we would then recommend adopting it as the word processing tool for the company from that point on.

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