On Thu, 4 Mar 2021 00:53:26 +0000, John Rumm
wrote:

snip cool stuff

Needless to say the whole process very quickly fell about in a heap when
presented with long technical docs - and the typists did not appreciate
that exact layout and choice of character really did matter on software
stuff.

Even to putting a period at the end of an email address if it happens
at the end of a sentence. ;-(

Or a mate, keen to get on with the first 'Teach yourself MSDOS'
magazine where it told readers to insert the floppy disk, and type

a:run me

The file was of course run_me(.bat) so the 'lesson' fell at the first
hurdle. ;-(

No amount of sending stuff back with comments could get something
even close to what you needed.

After much argument, they agreed that we could do the body of the
document ourselves, but they would produce the three front pages to the
corporate standard and affix them!

Bless. ;-)

Needless to say we could do a much more faithful implementation of their
corporate document standard with Wordperfect and feeding PostScript to a
HP LaserJet IV, than they could on their dedicated word processors!

Quite.

I think it's a shame and probably held back many less progressive
British companies in the world market (who may have only survived as
long as they had because if their size and how tightly they were
imbedded with MOD contracts)?

Cheers, T i m