PerfectWorks

No, it’s not another integrated package. Several weeks ago, Beagle Bros. closed its doors and is no more. WordPerfect Corporation has acquired BeagleWorks, the flagship product of Beagle Bros, along with the list of registered users, the program, and the code. WordPerfect plans to support existing BeagleWorks users, but the program’s name will change to WordPerfect Works (we preferred WorksPerfect, though that might be pushing it, given some quirks we’ve heard of). Beagle Bros. President Mark Simonsen will continue as director of development.

Although we mourn the passing of Beagle Bros., a long-standing company from Apple ][ days, the acquisition is probably for the best for BeagleWorks. The program had trouble competing with ClarisWorks and GreatWorks, whose developers have more marketing clout. It was plagued by delays and early bugs, and despite its undeniable power, BeagleWorks is harder to use than ClarisWorks. From what we’ve seen of BeagleWorks and its full-support of Publish & Subscribe for data transfer between modules, it’s best thought of as an integrated package for a power user, someone who doesn’t need full power but wishes to move data among numerous programs. We wish BeagleWorks well in its new home.

Information from:
WordPerfect propaganda