I wish Apple would develop (buy or steal) a good word processor. How about just reengineering Pages to LOOK like MS Word? The familiarity would be a big selling point. I bought iwork... and Pages just baffles me how strange it is. Any thoughts?
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Apple needs a good word processor!
- Thread starter APPLENEWBIE
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idea_hamster
macrumors 65816
Disagree. The whole point of writing a new program is that you think that you can do a better job of it.APPLENEWBIE said:
Generally, I use Mellel -- small, quick, full-featured, and totally unicode-aware. And it has a feature that Word totally doesn't: Mellel allows for more than one footnote stream. Try to get Word to do that! (OK, you might not use this, but I do....)
What Apple should do is figure out a word processor that imports better into Adobe Indesign or Quark XPress than current ones. That't the kind of thing that's really needed.
thedude110
macrumors 68020
I don't mean to come across as a total punk, but is there anything you need to do that TextEdit won't do?
I'm really becoming a TextEdit devotee. I produce a small poetry mag. and used TextEdit to produce the last issue. I could do everything I needed to do.
Then again, our mag is awfully low tech. Just paper and staples ...
I'm really becoming a TextEdit devotee. I produce a small poetry mag. and used TextEdit to produce the last issue. I could do everything I needed to do.
Then again, our mag is awfully low tech. Just paper and staples ...
MisterMe
macrumors G4
Lotus Word Pro? So you're the one!bousozoku said:
I most certainly don't want an Apple-developed Word clone. For one thing, Word has to be one of the worst productivity killers ever foisted on the buying public. I long for the day when Mac users had several full-featured word processors to choose from. There were Word, MacWrite II, WordPerfect, Nisus Writer, and FullWrite Pro. Each was unique. My favorite was FullWrite Pro, which was eventually updated to FullWrite 2.0.6. FW will be missed. If Nisus ported Nisus Writer to MacOS X, I would snap it up.
bousozoku
Moderator emeritus
MisterMe said:
Nisus Write Express is available for Mac OS X. As far as I know, it's still an unusual POS. I used version 5 and that's about how many minutes it would run. I can't remember anything I liked about it. Besides Pages, WAV was the only Mac word processor I've actually liked.
Samna/Lotus Amí Pro was one of the finest word processors on any platform. Lotus kept competing with Microsoft and WordPerfect to overload it with features and finally, murdered it.
If you want something that looks like Word, then why dont you just use Word? It can basically do everything, its just the interface that most people dont like,hence why I use Pages
Mitthrawnuruodo
Moderator emeritus
If you just need a Word-like word processor (and don't like any of the ideas above) go for AbiWord. There's even a universal version** floating around... 🙂
But, I actually agree with thedude110, most people would never use any features that's not in TextEdit (just don't use it for Plain Text, there are better options for that 😉).
**Use at own risk. I found it in a discussion over at Apple support, and installed and ran it without any apparent problems...
But, I actually agree with thedude110, most people would never use any features that's not in TextEdit (just don't use it for Plain Text, there are better options for that 😉).
**Use at own risk. I found it in a discussion over at Apple support, and installed and ran it without any apparent problems...
j26
macrumors 68000
From the bit of playing about with it that I did in a store, Pages seems pretty good, and I look forward to using the trial when I upgrade my machine.
But what Apple really needs is a spreadsheet solution (even a basic one). I use NeoOffice at the moment, but would love to have a spreadsheet that's more Maclike in appearance and function.
But what Apple really needs is a spreadsheet solution (even a basic one). I use NeoOffice at the moment, but would love to have a spreadsheet that's more Maclike in appearance and function.
MisterMe
macrumors G4
Nisus Write Express is based on an app that Nisus purchased and renamed. It ain't no Nisus Writer. It competes with the likes of limited-feature apps like Mellel and Mariner Write rather than full-featured apps like Word. Because it was named Nisus Write Express, many of us held a fleeting hope that Nisus would later release a full-featured version for MacOS X. 'Twas not to be.bousozoku said:
I have Windows user friends who swear by Ami Pro, now Lotus Word Pro. I was never able to get around the fact that it is the ugliest word processor I ever saw.bousozoku said:
YS2003
macrumors 68020
Deepdale said:
So, does Page files work well with MS Word (Windows) in terms of file compatibility? I am in the process of changing the daily work flow for document creation.
My employer's IT is set up in Windows/IBM environment; so main apps I am using on my work PC are MS Office, Lotsu Notes 🙂( 😡 ), AS400. I am underwhelmed by my work PC and I am using Fujitsu Tablet and iBook into the work flow mix. As you can imagine, it gets complicated using 3 notebooks on the regular basis.
I am always in search for good Apple apps which work well with Windows files (as that is an unavoidable requirement in the corporate world).
I have not really used iWork 06 extensively (I have used Keynote for my work presentation, though). If Page 2 is robust enough to handle most of the MS Word functions and file compatibility, I am interested in changing my work flow to that set up (and getting the MB as iWork 06 is UB). Once that happens, I will demote my work PC (Dell) to be used only for Lotus Notes.
Is anyone doing this arrangement at work already?
I prefer word over pages as i cant stand the inspector for a word proccessor, for me on the ibook its alot more clicks and moves of the mouse to change simple things like fonts and formatting then it is in windows word
benthewraith
macrumors 68040
www.neooffice.org 😉
It's as close to Microsoft Word as you're going to get, and it's free. (You also get other stuff, Powerpoint clone, Excel clone, everything). And like I said, it's all free.
It's as close to Microsoft Word as you're going to get, and it's free. (You also get other stuff, Powerpoint clone, Excel clone, everything). And like I said, it's all free.
Ok! Ok! I give! UNCLE!
Really, thanks for all the suggestions. I guess I should give pages another shot. I churn out a lot of word processing each day in my job, and I guess it is the familiarity that I miss in Pages. Anybody know of a good book that describes / instructs in Pages? Being a convert several months ago I have several macs and I guess part of the reason I asked is that (I hear) microsoft word is made by the same guys that make Windows.... (joke) and MW is about the only program that tries to crash my macs with any regularity...
Oh, and I have tried NeoOffice. Seems a bit slow but the interface is.... pretty familiar. I guess the other reason I brought it up is that now with appleworks and it's (oldish) word processor gone, the new macs only have textedit, which really does seem a bit too basic, for me at least....
Really, thanks for all the suggestions. I guess I should give pages another shot. I churn out a lot of word processing each day in my job, and I guess it is the familiarity that I miss in Pages. Anybody know of a good book that describes / instructs in Pages? Being a convert several months ago I have several macs and I guess part of the reason I asked is that (I hear) microsoft word is made by the same guys that make Windows.... (joke) and MW is about the only program that tries to crash my macs with any regularity...
Oh, and I have tried NeoOffice. Seems a bit slow but the interface is.... pretty familiar. I guess the other reason I brought it up is that now with appleworks and it's (oldish) word processor gone, the new macs only have textedit, which really does seem a bit too basic, for me at least....
One more vote, here, for Pages -- mostly for its aesthetic, though! It's much nicer to stare at than Word is, I think, for hours on end when writing long papers for class.
I was shocked to find that the first edition (which I bought when it first came out) didn't allow for endnotes, and was pleasantly surprised to find that Pages 2 *does* have endnotes enabled. Now, nothing is left wanting in Pages for me, at least.
I was shocked to find that the first edition (which I bought when it first came out) didn't allow for endnotes, and was pleasantly surprised to find that Pages 2 *does* have endnotes enabled. Now, nothing is left wanting in Pages for me, at least.