This chapter introduces the basics of KeyWord, the word processor part of KeySoft,
and describes how to create, read and edit a document. Advanced aspects of
KeyWord, including creating documents with more complex formats, and quickly
making extensive changes to a document, are covered in Chapter 7.
In the following discussion, the general terms "announcements," "prompts" and
"reading" apply to any of the outputs available in the BrailleNote family of products.
If your model is a VoiceNote, they refer to audio output only. For BrailleNote
models, they can refer to either the Braille display, the audio output, or both.
3.1 What is a Word Processor.
A word processor is like a sophisticated Braille writer or typewriter. The difference is
that you do not have to get the document right first time. You can add, delete and
change things to your heart's content, and all the time your work is stored in
BrailleNote QT's memory. You only need emboss or print your document when you
are entirely satisfied with it.
There are other advantages too. You can make changes at a later date, and you can
keep all the various versions. It's easy to make copies of documents, and filing and
retrieving is much simpler than with hard copy.
Besides writing documents, KeyWord is useful just for reading documents such as
e-mailed documents that have originated elsewhere. These can be read directly
without translating them to Braille.