Mariner Write 3.6 beta posted

frank777frank777
Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014
Mariner Software has posted a beta of its latest word processing app.

Here's the link.



Seems ok, nothing flashy. There's a note about OS9 users so I'm presuming the app is Carbon and hasn't been rewritten in Cocoa. I don't know yet if it plugs into the new Panther text capabilities.



Anybody here use Mariner Write as their main word-processor?

How does it stack up against Nisus, Mellel and that "other" word processor from Redmond?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 3
    der kopfder kopf Posts: 2,275member
    I've tried it once, but thought the interface so un-OS X like that I just had to trash it within minutes (all the while realising how heartlessly I was dismissing weeks and months of hard work by a group of people). Interface goes a long way though, however.
  • Reply 2 of 3
    rokrok Posts: 3,519member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Frank777

    Seems ok, nothing flashy.



    okay, this is gonna sound snarky, but it's not meant to... i doubt you want your word processor to be "flashy". in fact, i bet the term "flashy" was thrown around when someone at redmond thought "mac" and "clippy" would be great additions to the office suite.



    it's 4.5 MB, works in super-small ram allotment (always has), and has always been damn cheap, too. used to be the best at multi-langauage handling with its dictionaries. yes, the interface icons blow, but the menus and tools are all arranged, well, pretty much like word. yes, i knw that isn't a ringing endorsement, except when you realize you have to make some concessions to the word users if you want them to switch.



    mind you, i haven't played around with the latest beta yet, and in fact haven't opened up write for over a year, so take my information as just that, and not necessarily as an endorsement or condemnation.
  • Reply 3 of 3
    jginsbujginsbu Posts: 135member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Frank777

    Anybody here use Mariner Write as their main word-processor?

    How does it stack up against Nisus, Mellel and that "other" word processor from Redmond?



    I don't have much experience with Mariner Write, beyond choosing Mellel over it a while back, so I'll stick to speaking about Mellel.



    Here's a few things I think you ought to know about Mellel:

    --It is a Cocoa app from the ground up, and that really shows in it's performance and the ability of the developers to add features quickly and smoothly. New versions average every 6-8 weeks, and usually add significant new features.

    --It is a styles based word processor, and so is quite different from Word and its imitators; the implementation and interface for styles is quite easy to use and very powerful, but it may take a little getting used to thinking in terms of styles.

    --The notes (footnotes & endnotes) feature of Mellel is exceptional, and accommodates multiple notes streams. It's much better than anything else I've used. Mellel also integrates with Bookends.

    --It's strengths are really in academic, manuscript, and (particularly) multilingual writing. I wouldn't use it for writing memos and the like, as it's overkill for that.

    --It has a brushed metal interface, which you may not like -- I don't, but I find Mellel is best suited to my needs anyway.

    --Import/Export is a weakness: Mellel handles RTF fairly well, but complicated documents (including notes and such) don't survive very well. I only need to export to PDF, so this isn't a problem for me.

    --The developers are very responsive and consult with their users through a Yahoo group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/redlex/ Check it out for much more info on Mellel and to check out other users opinions.



    Hope you find this useful.
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