Any suggestions for a good MS word replacement. I dont like supporting MS so anybosy using anything that they like, preferably w/ spell check and the usual features, doesnt have to be top heavy like word.
You might wait for Panther. TextEdit will be able to save in Word format. That's what I use right now. Unfortunately, my chemistry teacher requires all files in Word format and to be delivered on Yahoo Breifcase! Yahoo Briefcase?
You might wait for Panther. TextEdit will be able to save in Word format. That's what I use right now. Unfortunately, my chemistry teacher requires all files in Word format and to be delivered on Yahoo Breifcase! Yahoo Briefcase?
LOL !! Thats funny. How do you know that it can save file in word on panther? Thats would be awesome. Why dont they just let appleworks do that?
LOL !! Thats funny. How do you know that it can save file in word on panther? Thats would be awesome. Why dont they just let appleworks do that?
Steve talked about the native .doc support in Panther at WWDC and many of us have been using it already. AW is due for a major overhaul and I suspect it will be getting one very soon.
Until that time, there are a couple alternatives, neither of them I've found to my liking. There's Nisus Express or Mariner Write. Some people also like Mellel, but I'm not too fond of it. Not many options right now. I'm using TextEdit, personally.
'nuf said. It's free and it works very well provided you don't deal with embedded content or tables. Fan-tas-tic. It opens and saves in doc format just as easily as it does txt and rtf.
OpenOffice is also free. Download it and X11 and you have basically MS Office, except ugly looking, free, and open source.
And that printing is complete pain in the ass. I'm sorry, OO is not really an option. BTW, avoid Mellel. It's got a demo period but anything you try to print from it has a big UNLICENSED watermark through it, including files you save as PDF. That's just LAME. Make it time out or something... Too bad because I was kind of enjoying using it.
I think its riddiculous to complain about embedded "unregistered" watermarks.. it gives you a clear incentive to pay (the very low price) for the program. You know, it cost money to develop software of this kind, especially as fast as Mellel does it?
I think its riddiculous to complain about embedded "unregistered" watermarks.. it gives you a clear incentive to pay (the very low price) for the program. You know, it cost money to develop software of this kind, especially as fast as Mellel does it?
Yes, software costs money to develop. But to claim that it's a fully working demo and then stick the "unregistered" tag on every page is ludicrous. Nisus just tags the last page of the print out. Much more reasonable. Either way, the application hurts my eyes. I'm still happily plugging away with TextEdit right now.
This really should be a FAQ (assuming it isn't already). Perhaps people could contribute a balanced set of pros and cons for any replacement they are experienced with.
For simple needs I suggest TextEdit in Panther. It will open and save text documents in .doc format. Sometimes formatting will not be perfect.
For more complicated documents I suggest either Appleworks or Nisus Writer Express. Use MacLink Plus to do the translation from and to the .doc format. This works better than TextEdit for things that hold more than text.
Appleworks is a broader based suite including Draw, Paint, Word Processor, DataBase and Paint programs.
Nisus Writer is focused on creating text documents. In OS 9 it included a spell checking, complex macro abilities, powerful search and replace features, an equation editor and much more. Nisus Writer is a very powerful application for creating documents that are more sophisticated than simple one or two page essays.
In OS X we have Nisus Writer Express. It does not yet have all the features it did in OS 9 but they are headed in that direction.
Except for text documents (and documents with a few simple graphics like logos), I have not had much luck with translations to and from .doc documents. You can get the content but the formatting will not be perfect.
If you need to send complex documents to the windows world create them on anything you like on the mac then "print" them as .pdf documents. This has worked well for me. The rare times when people insist on a word document I strip out the tables and graphics and send them a word document with the text and the other items as separate files.
I'd highly recommend Mellel. It's strongly styles based, with a very good and easy to use implementation. It's footnote/endnote capabilities are vastly superior to anything else out there (multiple concurrent note streams, for a start). As such it's very well suited to anyone doing manuscript or academic writing. The developers are constantly adding new features and are fantastic about consulting with their user base about improvements, and are very responsive to support needs -- there's a lively Yahoo! group dedicated to Mellel for these purposes. A new release is planned soon, including numbering and TOC features. If you have multi-lingual word processing needs, you shouldn't be using anything other than Mellel. And for only $25. I really can't say enough about it. The only real weakness as far as I'm concerned is that import/export options are limited. If you're looking for something to write memos and the like in, you might be better off with TextEdit.
Great for compatibility except for tables, which is a big minus. Difficult to edit detailed word processing stuff like bullets and numbering, indentation etc. It's a text editor, not a word processor. Not recommended for anything other than basic use.
Style X
An interface like SimpleText, but more powerful. Unfortunatly it's just not compatible and user friendly enough, you are better off sticking with TextEdit.
Mariner Write
Compatible with Word including tables, but you can't save Word Doc, only Word RTF. Which is still good, and better than TextEdit. Great user interface, except for the lack of a real Mac OS X Font Panel and Color Picker. The only real alternative here to Word for regular use. Mariner Calc is likewise a good Excel alternative.
OpenOffice
Great program for Windows & Linux. Terrible, terrible program for Mac OS X. You have to run it in X11, which is fine for occasional use, but it's terrible (slow, ugly and unintuitive) for regular use. Best compatibility... until you have to print something. Apparently Version 2 will be a million times better, and won't require X11. Oh yeah, and that's scheduled for 2006.
Mellel
Apple gives developers the choice of brushed metal and aqua because different apps looks and feel better with the different window types. Mellel uses brushed metal, which is stupid stupid stupid stupid. The interface is pretty horrible. Couldn't stand it.
LiteText
The interface! I'm melting, I'm melting! (seems to be a fairly common failing here). So bad.
Apple gives developers the choice of brushed metal and aqua because different apps looks and feel better with the different window types. Mellel uses brushed metal, which is stupid stupid stupid stupid. The interface is pretty horrible. Couldn't stand it.
This is a pretty common comment about Mellel. Even though I recommend it over the other options, I can't say LIKE the brushed metal look. I've let the developers know that, and I'd encourage you to do the same.
BUT, I wouldn't make the leap from Mellel offending my aesthetic sensibilities to Mellel having a BAD interface. I think their interface is very well thought out, powerful and easy to use -- easier to use IMHO, than those of it's competitors -- it's just unattractive, but it's unattractiveness doesn't get in the way of it's use. If you recognize Mellel's strength's as a word processor (as many seem to do), but won't use it because of brushed metal, then it seems to me your priorities are backwards. Bottom line: an UGLY interface is different from a BAD interface.
Of course, Mellel's strengths may not line up with the sort of writing you need to do; YMMV, as always.
It's worth pointing out that some of the blame for the brushed metal situation is due to Apple, who never really got straight what brushed metal is for, keep changing their mind about it, and don't quite follow their own rules themselves. The deficiencies in Apple's guidelines for the use of brushed metal are part of what it causing these sorts of problems. Maybe we should all have another "What is the meaning of Brushed Metal" thread! Any takers?
Comments
Originally posted by CubeDude
You might wait for Panther. TextEdit will be able to save in Word format. That's what I use right now. Unfortunately, my chemistry teacher requires all files in Word format and to be delivered on Yahoo Breifcase! Yahoo Briefcase?
LOL !! Thats funny. How do you know that it can save file in word on panther? Thats would be awesome. Why dont they just let appleworks do that?
Originally posted by NEMESIS
LOL !! Thats funny. How do you know that it can save file in word on panther? Thats would be awesome. Why dont they just let appleworks do that?
Steve talked about the native .doc support in Panther at WWDC and many of us have been using it already. AW is due for a major overhaul and I suspect it will be getting one very soon.
Until that time, there are a couple alternatives, neither of them I've found to my liking. There's Nisus Express or Mariner Write. Some people also like Mellel, but I'm not too fond of it.
Originally posted by NEMESIS
LOL !! Thats funny. How do you know that it can save file in word on panther? Thats would be awesome. Why dont they just let appleworks do that?
Current version of AW does exactly that. Spreadsheets in Excel format, too.
Originally posted by FormerLurker
Current version of AW does exactly that. Spreadsheets in Excel format, too.
Really even know that. Thanks a lot.
'nuf said. It's free and it works very well provided you don't deal with embedded content or tables. Fan-tas-tic. It opens and saves in doc format just as easily as it does txt and rtf.
Originally posted by Luca Rescigno
OpenOffice is also free. Download it and X11 and you have basically MS Office, except ugly looking, free, and open source.
And that printing is complete pain in the ass. I'm sorry, OO is not really an option. BTW, avoid Mellel. It's got a demo period but anything you try to print from it has a big UNLICENSED watermark through it, including files you save as PDF. That's just LAME. Make it time out or something... Too bad because I was kind of enjoying using it.
Originally posted by Token
I think its riddiculous to complain about embedded "unregistered" watermarks.. it gives you a clear incentive to pay (the very low price) for the program. You know, it cost money to develop software of this kind, especially as fast as Mellel does it?
Yes, software costs money to develop. But to claim that it's a fully working demo and then stick the "unregistered" tag on every page is ludicrous. Nisus just tags the last page of the print out. Much more reasonable. Either way, the application hurts my eyes. I'm still happily plugging away with TextEdit right now.
Nisus Writer Express Webpage
Fast, compact, well supported, OSX native, pleasing to the eye, and most of all a non Microsoft product
bob spears
very simple, easy to use text editor that allows you to focus on your work...
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/12230
or
http://www.blue-tec.com/ulysses/
Moving to Software.
And I'll reiterate my previous statement that Panther's TextEdit kicks butt.
Originally posted by Luca Rescigno
OpenOffice is also free. Download it and X11 and you have basically MS Office, except ugly looking, free, and open source.
MS Office is already ugly looking, however overpriced, and not open source.
Use Text Edit until Apple decides to do something with the horrendously outdated AW.
For more complicated documents I suggest either Appleworks or Nisus Writer Express. Use MacLink Plus to do the translation from and to the .doc format. This works better than TextEdit for things that hold more than text.
Appleworks is a broader based suite including Draw, Paint, Word Processor, DataBase and Paint programs.
Nisus Writer is focused on creating text documents. In OS 9 it included a spell checking, complex macro abilities, powerful search and replace features, an equation editor and much more. Nisus Writer is a very powerful application for creating documents that are more sophisticated than simple one or two page essays.
In OS X we have Nisus Writer Express. It does not yet have all the features it did in OS 9 but they are headed in that direction.
Except for text documents (and documents with a few simple graphics like logos), I have not had much luck with translations to and from .doc documents. You can get the content but the formatting will not be perfect.
If you need to send complex documents to the windows world create them on anything you like on the mac then "print" them as .pdf documents. This has worked well for me. The rare times when people insist on a word document I strip out the tables and graphics and send them a word document with the text and the other items as separate files.
Here's a link to Mellel's revision history: http://www.redlers.com/press.html
TextEdit
Great for compatibility except for tables, which is a big minus. Difficult to edit detailed word processing stuff like bullets and numbering, indentation etc. It's a text editor, not a word processor. Not recommended for anything other than basic use.
Style X
An interface like SimpleText, but more powerful. Unfortunatly it's just not compatible and user friendly enough, you are better off sticking with TextEdit.
Mariner Write
Compatible with Word including tables, but you can't save Word Doc, only Word RTF. Which is still good, and better than TextEdit. Great user interface, except for the lack of a real Mac OS X Font Panel and Color Picker. The only real alternative here to Word for regular use. Mariner Calc is likewise a good Excel alternative.
OpenOffice
Great program for Windows & Linux. Terrible, terrible program for Mac OS X. You have to run it in X11, which is fine for occasional use, but it's terrible (slow, ugly and unintuitive) for regular use. Best compatibility... until you have to print something. Apparently Version 2 will be a million times better, and won't require X11. Oh yeah, and that's scheduled for 2006.
Mellel
Apple gives developers the choice of brushed metal and aqua because different apps looks and feel better with the different window types. Mellel uses brushed metal, which is stupid stupid stupid stupid. The interface is pretty horrible. Couldn't stand it.
LiteText
The interface! I'm melting, I'm melting! (seems to be a fairly common failing here). So bad.
Barto
Originally posted by Barto
Mellel
Apple gives developers the choice of brushed metal and aqua because different apps looks and feel better with the different window types. Mellel uses brushed metal, which is stupid stupid stupid stupid. The interface is pretty horrible. Couldn't stand it.
This is a pretty common comment about Mellel. Even though I recommend it over the other options, I can't say LIKE the brushed metal look. I've let the developers know that, and I'd encourage you to do the same.
BUT, I wouldn't make the leap from Mellel offending my aesthetic sensibilities to Mellel having a BAD interface. I think their interface is very well thought out, powerful and easy to use -- easier to use IMHO, than those of it's competitors -- it's just unattractive, but it's unattractiveness doesn't get in the way of it's use. If you recognize Mellel's strength's as a word processor (as many seem to do), but won't use it because of brushed metal, then it seems to me your priorities are backwards. Bottom line: an UGLY interface is different from a BAD interface.
Of course, Mellel's strengths may not line up with the sort of writing you need to do; YMMV, as always.
It's worth pointing out that some of the blame for the brushed metal situation is due to Apple, who never really got straight what brushed metal is for, keep changing their mind about it, and don't quite follow their own rules themselves. The deficiencies in Apple's guidelines for the use of brushed metal are part of what it causing these sorts of problems. Maybe we should all have another "What is the meaning of Brushed Metal" thread! Any takers?