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Apple Word Processor
- Thread starter Fat_Tonie
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Your gonna have to get apple works or office. OS X has text edit, but its a text editor not a real word processor. You can run open office via x11 if its not something you plan to do alot, but if your doing lots of word processing your gonna have to get your own word processor.
I didn't realize the Powerbook doesn't come with a real word processing program until after I bought it and used it for a few days. I bought AppleWorks through Apple's web site - I have the Education version, at $40 it's half the price of the regular version - and I'm very satisfied with it. It's very easy to use, works well, etc. Buying the Microsoft Office Suite is much more expensive. Although the Office Suite includes other programs besides Word, I don't use any of them besides PowerPoint. I bought Keynote when I bought my 12" Powerbook, and it's great.
Alex
Alex
if you don't need the featureset, go Appleworks, it's a very nice intuitive program. Everything is where it should be, in Word i get flustered trying to find the simplest menu item...
pnw
pnw
Yeah, it would be nice if PowerBooks came with AppleWorks considering the consumer models get it preinstalled.
i think that appleworks should be bundled with every computer. wow, i should come up with these things for apple. why not bundle FCP with every powermac!
lol
lol
If you're running OS 9 or not adverse to running Classic, I would recommend considering getting a copy of Nisus Writer -- it's always been Mac-only, and they pride themselves on providing a snappy, small, feature-rich word processor. (Also, it's unquestionably the world leader in using multiple languages, including right-to-left and left-to-right in the same document.)
They've released an initial version of their OS X native app., but it's still pretty spartan (e.g., no footnotes -- ?!).
They've released an initial version of their OS X native app., but it's still pretty spartan (e.g., no footnotes -- ?!).
Try out Mariner Write. It's an excellent, speedy word processor, and it fits in perfectly with OS X. Read the reviews at the Version Tracker site I've linked. It beats all the other OS X word processors I've tried, including Nisus Writer and Express.
irmongoose
irmongoose
It's possibly to do with the fact that PowerBooks are aimed at pro's, and pro's like to choose their own packages which best suit there needs.
It's comparable to how Mercedes used to operate, by not supplying a stereo as standard in their cars, leaving it to the buyer to decide on the spec themselves and thus getting what they want, rather than having something they don't.
It's still be handy if it was an option though I guess... likely increase the price though, you know what Apple's like... heh-heh!!
i would buy appleworks and keynote and then download openoffice.
i sy this as ive heard ms office is very buggy and the programme crashes. i really dont want to risk it when i do my work. appleworks is stable and openoffice allows you to open the few formats that appleworks doesnt open.
plus the fact its cheaper
i sy this as ive heard ms office is very buggy and the programme crashes. i really dont want to risk it when i do my work. appleworks is stable and openoffice allows you to open the few formats that appleworks doesnt open.
plus the fact its cheaper
MS Office for Mac (vX) isn't all that buggy, I haven't had any problems with it (other than the cost.)
I think it's very weird that Apple didn't bundle AppleWorks with the Powerbook. I got it bundled with my iMac last fall, then didn't get it with my 12" G4 PB ... there doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to Apple's software bundling.
I think it's very weird that Apple didn't bundle AppleWorks with the Powerbook. I got it bundled with my iMac last fall, then didn't get it with my 12" G4 PB ... there doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to Apple's software bundling.
There is a rhyme: the Pro line (PowerMac, PowerBook) don't include it. The Consumer line (iMac, iBook, eMac) do include it. As for the reason... no one really knows.
irmongoose
I can't recall the last time Office crashed on me. Yes, it happens; I think it's happened to me maybe twice in the last year, and I use it quite a bit. If you set the autosave to a couple minutes, and save regularly yourself (good common sense computing practices) you will not have a problem.
I'm not a huge Office fan however, I hate the way it tries to format everything for you unless you turn off every formatting option, and as others have said, the interface is less than intuitive. Please Apple, give us a new, robust, Appleworks soon (and fix IE) so I can go M$ free! Oh wait, I'm still running VPC, but that wasn't M$ when I bought it...
The PB does not come with Appleworks, but it does come with OmniGraffle ($70 retail) and OmniOutliner ($30 retail). So it's not like they're skimping.
The PB does not come with Quicken, either. But it does come with QuickBooks.
I think the Mercedes analogy above is a good one re: the word processor/office suite situation.
The PB does not come with Quicken, either. But it does come with QuickBooks.
I think the Mercedes analogy above is a good one re: the word processor/office suite situation.
If Panther comes with full X11 built in, it would be really cool if you can pick up a PowerBook or PowerMac with openoffice a part of the software preinstalled with Panther.
I use Think Free as my word processor for the mac. I need that .doc for work. TF does have a problem with tables though. For simple text it works great with m$ word.
text edit in panther is going to have full MS word compatibility. it can read and write MS word files it's also going to have a lot more features.
i can't wait.
i can't wait.
Try OpenOffice.org and Apple's X11 software:
http://www.openoffice.org/
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/x11formacosx.html
http://www.openoffice.org/
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/x11formacosx.html
Re: Apple Word Processor
As much as I hate to say it, go with the lesser of two evils. MS Office is more reliable than AppleWorks 6. Hands down.
AppleWorks crashes incessantly and does not have conversion to word files (if it does, it doesn't work properly).
I made the mistake of buying AppleWorks. I haven't gotten around to getting MS Office, so I'm writing papers in TextEdit right now, e-mailing them to myself, copying them into word files in the computer lab, and printing them there.
Go with Word/Office.
As much as I hate to say it, go with the lesser of two evils. MS Office is more reliable than AppleWorks 6. Hands down.
AppleWorks crashes incessantly and does not have conversion to word files (if it does, it doesn't work properly).
I made the mistake of buying AppleWorks. I haven't gotten around to getting MS Office, so I'm writing papers in TextEdit right now, e-mailing them to myself, copying them into word files in the computer lab, and printing them there.
Go with Word/Office.
Originally posted by bennetsaysargh
text edit in panther is going to have full MS word compatibility. it can read and write MS word files it's also going to have a lot more features.
i can't wait.
WOW! As I said in my previous post, I always use text edit for everything, which isn't really a good thing right now.
I can't wait either.