Across Lite: An In-depth Review
Dateline: 03/23/97
Today, more and more crossword puzzles are being made available in the
Across Lite® format from Literate Software Systems. Many
electronic versions of daily newspapers, such as the New York Times,
have switched to this format for their puzzles.
However, before we all jump on the bus, let's take a close look at this software and see why it's become one of the most popular puzzle formats among publishers and solvers alike.
If you're not familiar with Across Lite, here's a rundown on some of its various features. In my view, it definitely fits the description of a 'user-friendly' program.
"640K ought to be enough for anybody." - Bill Gates, in 1981
Well, we can forgive Bill for that one. After all, that was back in the days when he probably thought a million dollars was enough money. However, Across Lite is a veritable 'monk' in its demands on disk space, requiring less than 400K for the application and all associated files. The puzzles themselves take only 2K for a 15x15. Compare that to a crossword puzzle in <HTML> where the grid, presented as an image (.gif, .jpg), will eat up 30-40K. This is a boon to anybody who wants to make a lot of puzzles available on their Web site and the download time for solvers is negligible.
From a non-technical perspective:
First of all, Across Lite is free for non-commercial use. It comes with some sample puzzles which will introduce you to its capabilities. The display is attractive and the elements are easy to use and very efficient. Please note that the
Across Lite window presented below is black and white in order to reduce download time. The program's actual presentation is much nicer to look
at with user-defined color options.
The window displays the grid and clues simultaneously and the Layout button in the upper toolbar allows you to configure these elements to your own preferences, i.e. clues above, below, left and/or right, etc.
The Entire button will display the entire grid and the Larger, Smaller buttons zoom the grid in and out.
The Pen, Pencil buttons give the solver the option of entering letters in dark font, (Pen), for the answers you have confidence in or a grey shade, (Pencil) for solutions that you're not absolutely sure of. That's a nice touch. Many solvers enter their 'maybe' answers lightly in pencil and details like this indicate to me that the program was developed in close consultation with everyday puzzle solvers.
The Print button gives you the option of printing the puzzle and solving off-screen. I tried printing one of the sample puzzles (15x15) and the result was very professional looking, with grid and clues neatly formatted on a single page.
All Across Lite puzzles have the .puz extension. Once the program is on your hard disk you can 'grab' any on-line crossword puzzles with a click of the mouse button. The Across Lite application on your computer will automatically launch and display the puzzle on your screen. It's recommended that you save the puzzles in the same folder as the Across Lite application.
From a technical perspective:
The Across Lite program is easy to use and you'll be able to take advantage of all its sophisticated features even if you don't know the difference
between a command line and a line of command. I was formatting my own puzzles
in Across Lite a few minutes after downloading the program.
It comes with a Help file that clearly explains the ins and outs and the interface is basically point, click and type your answer. All in all, a great program dedicated to a great pastime!
However, don't let its simple exterior fool you. Beneath that 'user-friendly' interface lurks a very complex creature.
For example, after getting in touch with the developers, I gained a whole new respect for this piece of software. Although crosswords are fun, this program takes its job very seriously.
Here's the nub. Any time you download an executable (.exe) file from the Internet, you run the risk of importing a virus. Certain lowlifes take a perverse pleasure in infecting people's hard drives with corrupted files that can erase your hard disk.
Without getting too technical, careful checksums have been incorporated in the puzzle format to detect any corruption or tampering during online distribution. According to Matt Thomson, at Literate Software Systems, "...this has resulted in an extremely stable format without a single case of reported corruption in any published puzzle since Across Lite's introduction in 1995."
This is not something that can be discovered by the casual user of the program.
For a third party evaluation, I contacted Kevin McCann, who is a programmer and a crossword fan. He hosts an on-line puzzle page frequented by some of the best puzzle constructors in the business.
Kevin also constructs puzzles and makes them available in the
Across Lite format. In his own words, "I offer Across Lite versions because the software is so easy to download and install and it runs on almost every popular platform. It's a great piece of software."
If you would like to know more about 'Across Lite' you can visit Literate
Software Systems at their Web site. The program is free and can be
downloaded here.
