Introduction

 ============================  1. INTRODUCTION  ==============================


 VDE is a small, fast text editor for IBM PC (near-)compatibles offering:

     * easy menu-driven operation or WordStar-compatible command keys
     * multiple file editing with dual windows, cut and paste, compare
     * block copy, move, delete, read, write, and zoom
     * find and replace (forward, backward, ignore case, all files, etc)
     * protected mode and multi-level undo to avoid unintended changes
     * keystroke macros with full programming ability
     * commands to split files, count words, sort or number lists
     * full-featured file browser (tag, edit, import, delete, etc)
     * access to any DOS program or a full DOS shell
     * variable number of text lines and columns displayable
     * automatic save at user-specified interval
     * programmable function keys and many other user configurable options
     * compatibility with older or limited PCs including laptops, palmtops

 But VDE is also a powerful word processor, with:

     * left and right margins, wordwrap, automatic or manual reformat
     * variable tabs, auto indent, center/flush right, justification
     * print preview to check format and pagebreaks before printing
     * customizable printer drivers for special effects (bold, underline,
          italic, super/subscript, overstrike, proportional fonts, etc)
     * printing options: headers, pagination, selective print, print to file,
          single sheet feed, address envelopes
     * multiple file formats for text exchange (including DOS, WordStar,
          WordPerfect, XyWrite, NotaBene, Microsoft Word)
     * integrated spelling checker (registered users only)

     VDE's versatility is due to its integration of the most important word
 processing features with the simplicity of a small text editor, making it an
 efficient tool for many different tasks.  VDE is an ideal choice for a DOS
 file editor, and a practical editor to run from a shell within telecom,
 database, file maintenance, programming, and other application software.  Yet
 its full formatting and printing features also make VDE a powerful word
 processor.  Much of your work can probably be done more easily with VDE than
 with leading retail software.

         "The recurrent theme in this business is smaller, faster,
         cheaper.  Except for software, which gets bigger, slower,
         and costs the same."   -- Bill Machrone
                                   PC Magazine, May 1993

     For some years now, VDE has offered an alternative to the trend among
 retail word processors to emulate desktop publishing software by making
 elaborate provisions for font variations and page layout, and presenting a
 graphic representation of the printed result on screen.  These hybrid
 programs include many features which most people never use, consume lots of
 disk space and memory, and have sluggish response times even on the fastest
 computers.  Their design ignores the fundamental fact that typesetting is a
 process quite unrelated to writing, and there is no particularly good reason
 for a writer to be distracted by it.  Of course computers can make either
 task easier, but apparently not with the same software -- not as long as
 processor speed keeps struggling to keep up with software complexity.

     VDE is so small and efficient that it still works well on generations of
 older PCs long abandoned by major software vendors, as well as today's
 simplest handheld PC-compatibles.  The fundamental advance of a word
 processor over a typewriter or a pen is in speed and ease of writing and
 revision, and VDE allows you to concentrate on your writing, whether it's
 running on an 8086 or a Pentium.  You can find a phrase, or make a global
 change, instantly; work gets done sooner, and more of it can be done at the
 keyboard, eliminating unnecessary printouts.  Of course, when you are ready
 to print, VDE can still take advantage of a variety of your printer's fonts.
 (And if you truly need more sophisticated page design, you can easily import
 what you've written into a full-blown desktop publishing program.)

     Though small, VDE can accomplish even more than a glance at its list of
 built-in features might suggest; its programmable macros allow you to design
 and add many useful features that aren't provided directly, like sorting or
 mail-merge, as you find a need for them.


                         HOW YOU GOT YOUR COPY OF VDE

     VDE circulates widely as "shareware", giving you the opportunity to try
 the program at no cost, and to share it with others -- hence the name.  If it
 doesn't meet your needs, you don't have to pay for it.  If you find the
 program valuable and continue to use it, you can "register" your copy for a
 modest fee.  In return, you get an update disk (often including extra
 features like VDE's integrated spelling checker) and support from the author.

     Shareware offers some unique advantages over retail software, because
 users interact directly with the author.  Obviously, costs are kept down
 because glossy packaging, advertising, and retail markups are eliminated. But
 shareware can also resist market trends and continue to provide useful kinds
 of products that the big corporations have abandoned.  And shareware authors
 can respond more directly to user requests and concerns than software
 publishers who release an update only when it seems profitable.

     Shareware works when users give program authors useful feedback, and most
 of all, when users support authors by registering their programs.  This makes
 it possible for quality shareware to continue to develop and improve.  Please
 support shareware by registering any programs that you use.

     The use and distribution of VDE are governed by the "COPYRIGHT AND
 LICENSE" information below.  Please read this carefully!



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