ProWesS is a very powerful system. It is distributed as a separate package because the entire package is quite big. If you would want to include the ProWesS package with each copy of LINEdesign or DATAdesign, then you would always need an extra disk.
However, the question is all wrong. It suggests that you consider ProWesS to be the same as the Pointer Environment. However, ProWesS does a lot more, it provides more libraries (not just a window manager), and also includes lots of extra support software for installing programs, displaying and printing documentation etc. The end result is that ProWesS allows the software producers to deliver the software to you cheaper and faster than before. Also, once you get the program, using it is a lot easier. There is no need to modify the boot file, there is no need to reset the computer to start the program. Even if you are not a very experienced QL user, you can still easily multitask all the programs etc.
One of the main goals for ProWesS is to make your computer easier to use. Since the release of the QL, it was built to multitask several programs. However, many programs need some extensions to be loaded, and therefore, many users had no other option but to reset the computer and boot up with a specific program. It is only once you can modify and write boot files yourself that this can be solved.
In ProWesS this is no longer true. When you install ProWesS, it can build a boot file for you. After that, modifying the boot file is never necessary (though you can customize it a lot, and guidelines for this are given in the file). Most programs can be started by indicating start program in flp1_ in the utilities button. Even better, you can install the applications so that they appear in a button on screen. Using your computer has never been easier.
To print out a manual, you have to start the ProWesS reader. This is normally possible by indicating read documentation in the applications button. The ProWesS reader includes a print command which allows you to print the document which is loaded and all the subdocuments (when that option is indicated).
To be able to print an entire set of documentation, you should start from the table of contents file. This is usually called either toc_html or prg-name_html.
To be able to print a document, a printer driver has to be available. You can add (and configure) printer drivers in your system by using the configure PROforma option in the utilities button.
You can get a ProWesS update directly from PROGS or from your local dealer. When not ordering anything else you probably have to pay postage and possibly a small handling fee. You have to send your master disk(s) to get the update.
For registered users, there is also a much quicker way. Updates to ProWesS are regularly posted on Jochen Merz's BBS. If you are a registered ProWesS user, you can get access to the ProWesS updates file area (60). There you can get zip files which contain all the changes since the full release version. You have to unzip these files on top of your master disk(s) and then install ProWesS again. The installation options which should be indicated are update installation and possibly install documentation if you want the docs to be updated.
We strongly advice to get ProWesS updates regularly. Some ProWesS applications need fairly recent versions of ProWesS to operate. Also updates can remove bugs and increase the speed, which is interesting for all programs.
ProWesS is by default configured to precalculate the fonts which are used in the menus. This takes only a limited amount of memory and makes sure that windows are always drawn as quickly as possible. This uses the SYSTEM-FONT-CALCULATED config definition in ProWesS. You can remove these tags to make sure this delay does not happen, but this is not adviseable. When the screen fonts are not precalculated, drawing windows will take a while before the characters are all in the cache. The drawing can also slow down again after you have printed something (as the letters cached characters will be replaced).