Does anyone know why Apple abandoned Appleworks. It came to mind when I was thinking of a paint like app and realized it was included with appleworks. I personally thought it was a nice set of programs if office was unaccessable
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Appleworks-why did it go
- Thread starter dukebound85
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I guess it simple wasn't worth making a UB of a program that hadn't been updated in years and which had it's core elements superseded by iWork.dukebound85 said:
That Apple doesn't have a basic painting program is a shame but there are other, and very powerful, freebies out there such as GIMP.
Because Appleworks 6 was for the most part Appleworks 5 with a new toolbar layout and aqua inspired icons. Appleworks 5 was for the most part a rebadged version of Clarisworks 5, which at the time was arguably a worthy competitor to Microsoft's Office - well, Microsoft Office 3 that is.
In other words, Applework's technology lineage was dead in the water long ago.
In other words, Applework's technology lineage was dead in the water long ago.
So far as I know, the original AppleWorks (ClarisWorks) development team left a long time ago. There's really nobody left who has an intimate knowledge of that application.
If you Google "history ClarisWorks" you'll find an nice narrative of how ClarisWorks/AppleWorks came to be.
The abandonment of AW is really a shame, because it has the best integration of word processing + spreadsheet + graphics of any suite out there. Office looks like a jumble of mismatched parts in comparison. With AppleWorks, you could start with any type of document, and have it look like any other type by the time you're done.
If you Google "history ClarisWorks" you'll find an nice narrative of how ClarisWorks/AppleWorks came to be.
The abandonment of AW is really a shame, because it has the best integration of word processing + spreadsheet + graphics of any suite out there. Office looks like a jumble of mismatched parts in comparison. With AppleWorks, you could start with any type of document, and have it look like any other type by the time you're done.
There's no more Appleworks on intel-based machines? I didn't realize that!
That's too bad - So now if you want basic word processor/spreadsheet capabilities, you need to go out and get something?
That's too bad - So now if you want basic word processor/spreadsheet capabilities, you need to go out and get something?
I actually liked Appleworks and wished that Apple had kept developing it. I guess iWork's okay, but you have to pay for it.
After G said:
i wouldn't mind paying if iwork was equipped with a
spreadsheet,
a drawing program,
a small database,
a real word processor,
a photo manipulating program
and iweb (since not all people have ilife 06).
then it would be a complete package worth the money.
right now you pay for a (really great) presentation program and a layout program. it's not a good replacement for appleworks (if it was up to date).
After G said:
Appleworks came with the iBooks, but not with the PBs. I had to pay for mine.
Have you noticed that the new Pages update includes some of the features previously only found in appleworks - polygons, bezier, mail merge?
Yes, I agree about the great integration of the different features of appleworks. I's a pity it wasn't combined with the new ideas for Pages when that came out. Hope Pages will continue to gain 'appleworks' features.
iWork is coming along very nicely though, we have to remember that. My bet is that we'll have a spreadsheet in '07 and maybe a database (basic) in '09. While AppleWorks may have had some good features, it was an aging product and it really would have needed a complete rewrite to bring it up to scratch. Apple is doing a complete rewrite by creating iWork and in a few years we'll have an amazing office suite again, one which is ahead of its time and will hopefully be kept its way. AppleWorks 5 was ahead of its time, but didn't get updated. iWork is getting there.
Also why do people keep complaining about Pages being 'a layout app' it's a very good word processor. Just because you can put things exactly where you want them and they'll stay put, IMHO that make it a better word processor, doesn't make it less capable of word processing at all. I do an awful lot of writing, and I haven't used Word since a few days after I got my MBP with iWork trial.
Also someone said about having to go out and get something. It's a lot easier than that. The trial of iWork comes pre-installed (and even if you let it expire it will still read Pages documents, just not write them) so you don't have to do a lot to get one. The system Apple has is very simple. If you have 1-Click you just click the buy button at the (IMHO very reasonable) price and then they email you a serial. You don't have to download large files or any other crap. Just the same as we do with QuickTime to get full screen and import ability
Also why do people keep complaining about Pages being 'a layout app' it's a very good word processor. Just because you can put things exactly where you want them and they'll stay put, IMHO that make it a better word processor, doesn't make it less capable of word processing at all. I do an awful lot of writing, and I haven't used Word since a few days after I got my MBP with iWork trial.
Also someone said about having to go out and get something. It's a lot easier than that. The trial of iWork comes pre-installed (and even if you let it expire it will still read Pages documents, just not write them) so you don't have to do a lot to get one. The system Apple has is very simple. If you have 1-Click you just click the buy button at the (IMHO very reasonable) price and then they email you a serial. You don't have to download large files or any other crap. Just the same as we do with QuickTime to get full screen and import ability
Sounds like a perfect opportunity for someone to make a good paint shareware program for Mac.
I admit I would rather call AppleWorks, ClarisWorks, but I do use the program in my papers when I need to illustrate a basic schematic. Using Photoshop or GIMP for small drawings like that is total overkill.
Sometimes a basic program will do the job perfectly.
I admit I would rather call AppleWorks, ClarisWorks, but I do use the program in my papers when I need to illustrate a basic schematic. Using Photoshop or GIMP for small drawings like that is total overkill.
Sometimes a basic program will do the job perfectly.
Hi,
Can you please tell us by what you mean by let it go?
You can still buy it from the apple store.
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APP...QE2ycB58jiHTTMKUo/1.0.19.1.0.8.12.1.29.1.13.0
Can you please tell us by what you mean by let it go?
You can still buy it from the apple store.
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APP...QE2ycB58jiHTTMKUo/1.0.19.1.0.8.12.1.29.1.13.0
Wellander said:
The last update to AppleWorks was over two years ago. You can still buy it, but further development of the software has been halted.
Speculation
I wouldn't be surprised if Apple slowly made TextEdit into a free-and-included, feature-complete, "real" word processor, while letting Pages become a page-layout-ish word processor with all the "big" advanced features that aren't as necessary.
Yes, I know TextEdit already is a word processor, but it's not quite there yet when it comes to everyday tasks. If Apple could give TextEdit the ability to have headers and footers, as well as decent page numbering with more control, that would be my all-the-time word processor right there.
OpenDocument support would also be nice.
I wouldn't be surprised if Apple slowly made TextEdit into a free-and-included, feature-complete, "real" word processor, while letting Pages become a page-layout-ish word processor with all the "big" advanced features that aren't as necessary.
Yes, I know TextEdit already is a word processor, but it's not quite there yet when it comes to everyday tasks. If Apple could give TextEdit the ability to have headers and footers, as well as decent page numbering with more control, that would be my all-the-time word processor right there.
OpenDocument support would also be nice.
Apple has a longstanding tradition of creating abandonware. Look at Aperture!
Appleworks didn't impress me when I got my iBook two and a half years ago. It isn't bad... But to be honest... I'm content to use Office 04 and get Office 12 when it comes out.
Appleworks didn't impress me when I got my iBook two and a half years ago. It isn't bad... But to be honest... I'm content to use Office 04 and get Office 12 when it comes out.
Was AppleWorks ever truly written for Mac OS X and not just the import of the elements (not sure what it is called). I seem to remember a lack of Aqua elements in the OS X version. With that said, I have always preferred to use Word over ClarisWorks. It's true features lied within the spreadsheet and paint abilities, IMHO.
Edit: I also believe it will take iWork a few more revisions before we see anything truly usable. I hope as Bobert said above that Apple would create a true word processing app that was on the computers out of the box. We already have apps for 'life' how about something so I can get work done?
Edit: I also believe it will take iWork a few more revisions before we see anything truly usable. I hope as Bobert said above that Apple would create a true word processing app that was on the computers out of the box. We already have apps for 'life' how about something so I can get work done?
I totally agree. It's not like the layout capabilities really get in the way of word processing. They ought to consider it features they never use, like the many found in Microsoft Word.
Seashore is a great FREE paint program that is simple but very capable. LiveQuartz, Art Rage 2 Free, Cosmic Painter, and Tux Paint are some other free favorites of mine, though not necessarily traditional paint programs like in AppleWorks.
I think if they had perhaps gone as far as remove the main programs and leave us with a painting/drawing hybrid, they could have added that into OS X for free. Let's face it, it would be nice to have a basic paint tool rather than iPhoto and to hell with anything non-photographic.
It may even have been an idea to bundle the whole of Appleworks as basic additions to iWork, slowly removing the elements one by one as they get replaced by their iWork equivalents.
Appleworks is a nice package and it should have still been free with all new Macs. Sure Apple need to sell iWork, but at least then people wouldn't look at a Mac and a PC and see that the Mac only comes with trials and a WordPad style text editor and think of Macs as having lots of hidden costs. I have a copy of AppleWorks on my Intel Mac and it works great. Ideal for little doodles and basic edits when Photoshop is not needed. However, once you realise what other software can also do the job, and better, it becomes something less relevant.
I just opened it now for nostalgia.
It may even have been an idea to bundle the whole of Appleworks as basic additions to iWork, slowly removing the elements one by one as they get replaced by their iWork equivalents.
Appleworks is a nice package and it should have still been free with all new Macs. Sure Apple need to sell iWork, but at least then people wouldn't look at a Mac and a PC and see that the Mac only comes with trials and a WordPad style text editor and think of Macs as having lots of hidden costs. I have a copy of AppleWorks on my Intel Mac and it works great. Ideal for little doodles and basic edits when Photoshop is not needed. However, once you realise what other software can also do the job, and better, it becomes something less relevant.
I just opened it now for nostalgia.