word processors are themselves obsolete in a world where the result isn't printed.
I don't see that.
When contracting I am always being sent Word docs for this and that. There's rarely a need for anyone to print them; the value seems to be in the ability to control layout and highlighting, embed nicely formatted tables, and include images or diagrams, all as viewed on a computer.
Even if we assumed no one was ever going to print these documents, only pass them around to a limited audience, what would be a better tool for the average person helping out on a project? If not Word then almost certainly something very much like it.
Google Docs I can see, though it's basically "Word, but in your browser." (Hence "If not Word then almost certainly something very much like it.")
I've had some mild push-back from a few people when trying to get them to switch from Word, but it has the upside of you always knowing what the current version is, a problem the Wordists I've dealt with run into often.
A wiki, though, is a lost cause for many. I do not want to be the one having to teach people how to correctly format tables or embed images with the correct size and captions.
"Why do I have to learn all this stuff when we already know how to use Word?" is a common lament.
I don't see that.
When contracting I am always being sent Word docs for this and that. There's rarely a need for anyone to print them; the value seems to be in the ability to control layout and highlighting, embed nicely formatted tables, and include images or diagrams, all as viewed on a computer.
Even if we assumed no one was ever going to print these documents, only pass them around to a limited audience, what would be a better tool for the average person helping out on a project? If not Word then almost certainly something very much like it.