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best software available

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pegparker1:
I don't understand this board very well I guess.  This post poses a most basic question which I also have.  More than 300 people have looked at it but there only a handful of replies?  Perhaps crossword constructors aren't particularly wordy.  Or perhaps somewhat proprietary about their knowledge?  ???

A couple of other questions come to mind.
1)  It looks like most publishers only accept CCW, CD or sometimes AL for submissions.  Are people using other (esp. free) software & somehow converting for sending to the editors?  Or are the freebies only used for personal use?
2)  CCW seems to be the standard.  Are the extra bells & whistles worth the money or are there better sites to use?  Is the autofill useful?

Thanks,  Peg

Doorbell:
To answer some of your concerns, Peg:

-- Crossword constructors in general are very generous about sharing their knowledge.  However, most discussion takes place on the CRUCIVERB-L mailing list.  If you're interested in joining this (free) list, you can find more information by clicking on Navigate > CRUCIVERB-L in the left-hand panel.  But fewer experienced constructors visit this forum, and they are most helpful, especially by critiquing puzzles by new constructors in the Post a Puzzle forum.

-- Many of the people who visit this forum are new constructors, and perhaps aren't in the position of offering much help.

-- Requesting comparisons of different software packages is somewhat futile, because I think most constructors started off with one package years ago when there was little available, and never found any overwhelming reason to change.  Plus, nobody is paying anyone to do a detailed, feature-by-feature comparison.  :D

-- If you decide to use a software package that doesn't create one of the commonly acceptable formats, not to worry.  You can manually convert any puzzle to AcrossLite without a lot of effort. Or, easier yet, just print it out and submit by snail mail.

-- Usually, experienced constructors don't use autofill to do the complete job; they might use autofill to verify that a grid is actually fillable, but then switch to manual fill to select the most interesting words for fill.

-- Whether or not to get all the bells and whistles I think might depend on how deeply you want to get involved in construction.  Perhaps you might want to start with a vanilla version, then upgrade to a full version if you decide that you enjoy constructing, find it satisfying, and would like to continue.

Regards,
Lyell

siva_thever:
I suggest that you try finding the free crossword making software throughout the web......that's one way or you can do that online

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