Getting back to the input, versions of Windows since Vista includes voice recognition, no extra charge. This software can control the computer and take dictation. On versions 8.1 and 10 the setup is in the Windows Ease of Access folder on the Start Menu. (Windows 7 it’s the Ease of Access Control Panel’s Speech Recognition option.) You should have no problem finding an affordable Windows computer and a decent microphone/headset for this purpose.
Have bro-in-law read his manuscript into Windows Notepad. Hopefully he can learn how to use the arrow keys to correct errors on the fly using the keyboard.
I’ve used LibreOffice on both. I wasn’t thinking about that, I was thinking about the “I can’t find my file” problem and when he decides to do something else - which he will.
Linux is far superior, yes - but not for everyone.
In writing critique groups I’ve found that what you see on the screen is reasonably like what comes out of the printer. I’ve heard talks from agents who really, really don’t want anything fancy.
But perhaps setting up pagination is advanced for some people.
yes, it’s off this topic and many have moved on from the older software now anyway for it to be of more historical interest. (how I know what the licences mean is that I DO read them and understand exactly what I am (maybe) agreeing to. I have retail as well as OEM software and I dropped the relatively large amount of money they cost me because the licence is transferable. The confusion you might be reflecting is that you can’t transfer OEM licenses from the machine it came with - but there’s no requirement to wipe the OEM license when you sell an OEM machine. Copies of the EULAs should be relatively easy to find online, the wording is pretty straightforward.)
@ Caractacus Pott, have you used the inbuilt voice recognition? Is it any good?
Yes, the voice recognition included with Windows is quite good. It’s made to just tell the computer what to type. You can’t load specialized vocabulary libraries like you can with Dragon Speak. I guess this could reduce its accuracy versus Dragon.
For someone like the person mentioned in the OP, basic might be better. Fewer options to cause problems.
I am an editor, and what the publishers I work with want is something very simple without a lot of formatting. For instance they would prefer you don’t tab for paragraph indents and don’t hit a hard return anywhere but at the end of a paragraph. Because the ms. is going to be edited and then it’s going to be poured into something like InDesign for typesetting, unlike the good old days of hot lead.
I personally have a lot of macros designed to strip out the stuff people put in but in some cases it’s better just to turn it into a text file. There are some people that just cannot stop themselves from using programs that put a lot of invisible junk in.
I would say some publishers want a hard copy ALONG WITH an electronic copy. Some just want the electronic. I’m sure anybody dealing with an eccentric but best selling author is willing to be flexible. For instance I hear there’s some guy out there who insists on using Wordstar.
I’m pretty sure that when sending to a publisher you DO NOT want pagination. You DO NOT want headers or page numbers or margins set just so, or tabs, or anything. I’m as near to certain as I can be that when submitting electronically all of those features just gum up the works anyway. I think if writers had the forbearance to “just type the damned words” and let the publisher take care of all the twiddling, life would be smoother for writers. If I’m way wrong then somebody call me out on it, but it’s my impression that writers in general try too hard, too often, to do cosmetic tricks that the publisher then must labour to undo, and labour to find the damned words among the formatting.
Pretend it’s just a typewriter. Pretend it can’t do anything except type letters and numbers. I bet the publisher loves you for it.
If you’re self-publishing, that’s (as they say) a whole nother thing.