Software Spotlight: RightWriter

SomeGuy

https://winworldpc.com/product/rightwriter/21



Released by RightSoft and later QUE/McMillian, RightWriter is basically a grammar checker, but it does more than. It also check various writing style elements, such as passive voice or the use of jargon.

The earliest versions are not much to look at. You just feed it a text file and it produces a marked up output file. I think there were versions for CP/M. Later versions feature an editor/viewer with a more interactive user interface and better export/import capabilities. It was eventually ported to Microsoft Windows.

I used to use version 2.1 quite a bit. It often pointed out stylistic errors that I would have never thought to look for. And it usually produced much more insightful results than its competitor, Grammatik.

Once word processors started integrating them, the market for standalone grammar checkers pretty much dried up.

There seems to be a current product by the name "RightWriter", does anyone happen to know if it is related?

... so lets see how I did:

Released by RightSoft and later QUE/McMillian, RightWriter is basically a grammar checker, but it does more than. It also check various writing style elements, such as passive voice or the use of jargon. 

The earliest versions are not much to look at. You just feed it a text file and it produces a marked up output file. I think<<*_3. WEAK: I think *>> there were versions for CP/M. Later versions feature an editor/viewer with a more interactive user interface and better export/import capabilities. It was eventually ported<<*_21. PASSIVE VOICE: was eventually ported *>> to Microsoft Windows.

I used to use version 2.1 quite a bit. It often pointed out stylistic errors that I would have never thought to look for. And it usually produced much more insightful<<*_10. OVERUSED: insightful *>> results<<*_11. AMBIGUOUS?: more insightful results *>> than its competitor, Grammatik. 

Once word processors started integrating them, the market for standalone grammar checkers pretty much dried up.

There seems to be a current product by the name "RightWriter<<*_14. REVERSED PUNCTUATION *>>", does anyone happen to know if it is related<<*_21. PASSIVE VOICE: is related? *>>?  

                        <<** SUMMARY **>>

     OVERALL CRITIQUE FOR: spotlt.txt

     READABILITY INDEX: 8.11
 Readers need an  8th grade level of education to understand.
          
       Total Number of Words in Document: 161
       Total Number of Words within Sentences: 161
       Total Number of Sentences:  12
       Total Number of Syllables: 252

     STRENGTH INDEX: 0.46
 The writing can be made more direct by using:
                       - the active voice

     DESCRIPTIVE INDEX: 0.74
 The use of adjectives and adverbs is in the normal range.

     JARGON INDEX: 0.00

  SENTENCE STRUCTURE RECOMMENDATIONS:
           14. Consider using more predicate verbs.
 

                   << WORDS TO REVIEW >>
Review the following list for negative words (N), colloquial
words (C), jargon (J), misspellings (?), misused words (?),
or words which your reader may not understand (?).
            CPM(?)  1                GRAMMATIK(?)  1
     INSIGHTFUL(J)  1                MCMILLIAN(?)  1
      MICROSOFT(?)  1                      QUE(?)  1
      RIGHTSOFT(?)  1                STYLISTIC(?)  1
              << END OF WORDS TO REVIEW LIST >>

ibmpc5150

Cool!

I also uploaded RightWriter v3.2 for DOS / Tandy Deskmate.







* RightWriter 3.2 (5.25" Floppy)

Content : 3 Disk Images from my original disk.

(SHA1 Information)

SHA1:202abde23087336e08eddcf08f07cfffce089e13 / RIGHTW#1.IMA
SHA1:d2f25b5dc57ee4441ce58df79810d76941e8a296 / RIGHTW#2.IMA
SHA1:8e19a911a44962bd9a96ed57949cb494dbcef71b / RIGHTW#3.IMA

SomeGuy

Didn't know they had that for DeskMate.

Thanks for contributing to WinWorld, your primary source for ones and/or zeros!

allgoodnamesareused

SomeGuy wrote:

Once word processors started integrating them, the market for standalone grammar checkers pretty much dried up.

I remember, a couple years ago, my school used grammar checkers so they are not completely dead. Pretty annoying though, if I recall correctly, if you pressed F2 or something like that, some thing at the top of the screen came up related to the grammar checker. At least I'm not there any more.

ibmpc5150

* RightWriter v2.0 (1986)

Content : 1 Disk Image

SHA1:ae3872387a9a421c13f2f471ecb6ccae8fe85c9c / Disk 1

stitch

Thanks for all this SomeGuy & IBMPC5150.

Software spotlights can go in N&A going forward too