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View Full Version : Free Software that is like AppleWorks 6 or MSWord



slooksterPSV
Oct 25, 2004, 07:52 AM
Does anyone know of some free software that acts like Micro$ofts word or like AppleWorks 6's documents editor? Windows has tons like AbiWord for example. Just wondering if I could get the same.


SilentPanda
Oct 25, 2004, 08:02 AM
You could try OpenOffice.

http://www.openoffice.org/
wowser
Oct 25, 2004, 08:03 AM
Open Office (http://www.openoffice.org/) i found to be very complete, but it does look windows-ish and takes ages to load. Give it a try, as it is free and has excellent features. It's a shame Abiword has not been ported over to the Mac, as for Windows, it really rocks./
NCTRNL
Oct 25, 2004, 09:06 AM
With Open Office you also have to download X11
Sun Baked
Oct 25, 2004, 09:23 AM
Egads, what's going on. :confused:

Is this a thread to bring light to the cyber begging campaign?

Let's see if I can beat edesignuk this time :p

http://forums.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=11620&stc=1
Edit: It's just the combination of the thread and the signature.
H&Kie
Oct 25, 2004, 09:35 AM
You might try Ragtime Solo (www.ragtime.de). It's free for private use. Only commercial users should pay. I rather like it :)
dcollierp
Oct 25, 2004, 09:59 AM
Neooffice/J isn't bad either. It's based on OOo project except it doesn't need X11. There are a few bugs but it is a good FREE alternative.
slooksterPSV
Oct 25, 2004, 10:00 AM
Where do I get X11? NM looks like thats only for Panther and not Jaggy.
johnnyjibbs
Oct 25, 2004, 10:56 AM
Wasn't OpenOffice.org supposed to be getting ported to native Mac OS X? I read it should have been ready about a year ago or so but haven't heard anything since. I downloaded OpenOffice.org but couldn't stand the Windows-like appearance or the hassle of having to use X11. But then I've got Microsoft Office anyway...

Oh, there's ThinkFree Office which is quite cheap I think. Not sure how good that is though.

X11 should be a free download for Jaguar as well. It might have only been a beta for Jaguar but I definitely remember having it when I was on Jaguar.
dubbz
Oct 25, 2004, 12:02 PM
Why don't you try AbiWord? ;)

Unlike the Stable version, the latest Development release is available for Mac OS X (http://www.abisource.com/download/development.phtml).
asphalt-proof
Oct 25, 2004, 12:09 PM
Wasn't OpenOffice.org supposed to be getting ported to native Mac OS X? I read it should have been ready about a year ago or so but haven't heard anything since. I downloaded OpenOffice.org but couldn't stand the Windows-like appearance or the hassle of having to use X11. But then I've got Microsoft Office anyway...

Oh, there's ThinkFree Office which is quite cheap I think. Not sure how good that is though.

X11 should be a free download for Jaguar as well. It might have only been a beta for Jaguar but I definitely remember having it when I was on Jaguar.

OOo says that OSX native port will probably not be available until 2006. I really don't think that using X11 is a hassle though. I dragged OOo to my dock and just launch it from there. X11 opens automatically and the OOo boots up. My complaint is that the interface is UGLY! It looks terrible on my iMac. Overall, I think that OOo is a great way to go. Seamless interface, ofr the most part, to MS. Good luck.
Pete
tutubibi
Oct 25, 2004, 03:16 PM
Does anyone know of some free software that acts like Micro$ofts word or like AppleWorks 6's documents editor? Windows has tons like AbiWord for example. Just wondering if I could get the same.

You may want to check this thread for more suggestions:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=78466

I asked the same question couple of months ago and ended up using NeoOffice.
slooksterPSV
Oct 25, 2004, 04:27 PM
You may want to check this thread for more suggestions:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=78466

I asked the same question couple of months ago and ended up using NeoOffice.

I'm getting it right now, good thing I can dl at 163KBPS, cause otherwise with 25KBPS it would take forever. Thx for this software
tutubibi
Oct 25, 2004, 04:41 PM
Depending on your level of expertise, another option may be using KOffice on Mac. I use KDE/KOffice on Linux but did not try it on Mac yet. It's probably not ready for the primetime yet, but looks like it's getting there.

More info can be found at http://ranger.befunk.com/blog/ and http://fink.sf.net.
Coca-Cola
Oct 25, 2004, 04:52 PM
You can get Mellel, or Nisus writer express. They cost money but you are supporting good companies with a lot going for them. Does Abiword print yet? Anyone? Where can I check out neooffice?
King Cobra
Oct 25, 2004, 06:15 PM
http://www.neooffice.org/download.html

Some feedback about Ragtime: It cannot do a lot with spreadsheets. I downloaded and tried Ragtime with the potential that it could do more than Appleworks could with spreadsheets, and since Appleworks can't do linear regression (unlike my TI-89), I figured another program would. Right? Wrong. Ragtime's spreadsheet capabilities don't surpass those of Appleworks and still don't even meet Excel's capabilities. Otherwise...it was a little difficult to learn to use, and animals in small icons aren't my thing either.