---
title: "A Splendid Idea!"
type: "article"
slug: "a-splendid-idea"
url: "http://localhost/article/a-splendid-idea/"
markdown_url: "http://localhost/article/a-splendid-idea.md"
published_at: "2024-01-28T19:47:17+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-06-21T23:36:30+00:00"
featured_image:
  url: "http://localhost/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/20230809-041332.jpg"
excerpt: "Our old friend Irving Helbling wrote, \"although I spent my entire adult life writing lengthy reports, I find that words on a screen do not look like words on paper. I am constantly in doubt about the accuracy of my spelling. The dictionary usually confirms my instinct, but it takes a lot of time. All…"
category:
  - name: "Pro/File Updates"
    slug: "pro-file-updates"
    taxonomy: "category"
    url: "http://localhost/category/periodicals/pro-file-updates/"
post_tag:
  - name: "Full Text"
    slug: "fulltext"
    taxonomy: "post_tag"
    url: "http://localhost/tag/fulltext/"
  - name: "TS 1000"
    slug: "ts1000"
    taxonomy: "post_tag"
    url: "http://localhost/tag/ts1000/"
model:
  - name: "Timex/Sinclair 1000"
    slug: "ts-1000"
    taxonomy: "model"
    url: "http://localhost/model/ts-1000/"
indiv:
  - name: "Irving Helbling"
    slug: "irving-helbling"
    taxonomy: "indiv"
    url: "http://localhost/indiv/irving-helbling/"
  - name: "Thomas B. Woods"
    slug: "thomas-b-woods"
    taxonomy: "indiv"
    url: "http://localhost/indiv/thomas-b-woods/"
publication_r:
  id: 39136
  title: "Pro/File Updates"
  type: "periodical"
  url: "http://localhost/periodical/pro-file-updates/"
authors: "Thomas B. Woods"
volume: "2"
issue: "1"
issues_articles:
  - id: 52733
    title: "Pro/file Updates v2 n1"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/pro-file-updates-v2-n1/"
pages: "7"
pubdate: "January 1985"
product_reviews:
  - id: 14729
    title: "ZX Pro/File"
    type: "product"
    url: "http://localhost/product/zx-pro-file-2/"
  - id: 14614
    title: "Word Sinc II.4"
    type: "product"
    url: "http://localhost/product/word-sinc/"
archive_link: false
---

# A Splendid Idea!

Our old friend [Irving Helbling](http://localhost/indiv/irving-helbling/) wrote, “although I spent my entire adult life writing lengthy reports, I find that words on a screen do not look like words on paper. I am constantly in doubt about the accuracy of my spelling. The dictionary usually confirms my instinct, but it takes a lot of time.

All this leads to the suggestion that there should be a marriage between [ZX Pro/File](http://localhost/product/zx-pro-file-2/) and [Word-Sinc](http://localhost/product/word-sinc/), the offspring to be called ZX Word/Spell-Sinc. I suspect that like me, thousands of others have the same need and would buy such a program as its parentage would be the blueblood of TS software.

How about it?”

Dear Irving, not long after your idea came in, I got word from [Fred Nachbaur](http://localhost/indiv/fred-nachbaur/) (he’s the founding father of [SyncWare News](http://localhost/category/periodicals/syncware-news/)) that he managed to merge Pro/File data into [Memotext](http://localhost/product/memotext/) and vice versa. Now that’s not exactly Wordsync, and a spelling checker is still a long ways off, but the prospect is fascinating. Fred now sells Memotext on tape and with a built-in speed load to boot for $29.95. That’s a real deal. His technique for wedding Pro/File to Memotext is free for all in SyncWare News Sept/Oct 84. Now all we need is a spelling checker offspring, and more importantly, to answer the question: Which one’s the daddy?