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No word processor on new Macs?
- Thread starter srowndedbyh2o
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vi = vim.
ls -l /usr/bin/vi
lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 3 Nov 7 01:04 /usr/bin/vi -> vim
Or vi = vim -C. "Mostly" (according to the man page). I would rather it had an exact compatibility mode.
Also, for the sake of completeness, don't forget that IBM has Lotus Symphony for Mac available. It's got the word processor, the spread sheet, and the presentation bases covered. Its based on OpenOffice and is free.
I have it installed only as a curiosity, as I'm not found of the interface. The best part, though, is this means that IBM is now contributing to the OpenOffice project, which will lead to improvements for both OpenOffice and NeoOffice.
I have it installed only as a curiosity, as I'm not found of the interface. The best part, though, is this means that IBM is now contributing to the OpenOffice project, which will lead to improvements for both OpenOffice and NeoOffice.
To be completely honest, I can't stand any of the word processors for the Mac. I do all of my office work on Windows via VMWare on Office 2007. 2008 in my opinion has a horrible interface and seems like a step down from Office 2007. iWork doesn't measure up imo.
When I went from Office 08 to iWork, I was a little confused and unimpressed. However, once I spent a week with it, I loved it! So much better the Word. I think the problem is that you are used to thinking the Windows (and MS Word) way...you got to think the Mac way
I've just tried this, and I actually kind of like it (mind you, I was brought up on Lotus Smartsuite). Seems to run a lot snappier than open office on my macbook, and is more than adequate for my needs. Doesn't handle MS Orifice 97 yet tho I believe.
I've got to admit that I feel the same. For me it's the one single downfall to using a Mac. I've got MS Office 2008 running currently and it's shocking - so slow and clunky. Same for Open Office and Neo Office, both of which I've tried. I've yet to find a word processor for Mac that performs as well as Office on a Windows machine (and even that is no gold standard...)
You can't save or print using Pages once the trial period expires, but the software remains installed. You can however cut or copy selected text and paste it into a word processor that does save or print.
I just tried this with both AbiWord and NeoOffice and the font and format remained intact.
My point will be that AbiWord and NeoOffice didn't cost anything, and I haven't used a commercial wp for a while now.
And as mentioned before text editors such as emacs and vi are also available and are already installed.
I just tried this with both AbiWord and NeoOffice and the font and format remained intact.
My point will be that AbiWord and NeoOffice didn't cost anything, and I haven't used a commercial wp for a while now.
And as mentioned before text editors such as emacs and vi are also available and are already installed.
I simply bought the Home/Student version of Office. I have two Macs now and it H/S version comes with three licenses so it makes it easy.
Plus everything I deal with at work is Office based.
After the cost of the computer the software is darn well near free
Plus everything I deal with at work is Office based.
After the cost of the computer the software is darn well near free
Agreed. Office on Windows is miles better than anything on a Mac. Keynote is one exception. This is almost embarrassing, actually, because an old Windows box handles the same spreadsheet files way better than a brand new iMac. This is one glaring deficiency of the Mac: handling of Office word processing and spreadsheet files barely deserves C-.
Among word processors for the Mac, Mellel comes the closest to being usable and snappy. However, it does not handle many Word files properly. Pages is better on compatibility (but not perfect), but is slow and has several usability quirks that prevent me from using it instead of Word. Office for Mac has long been slow and clunky, but now Office 2004 seems a speed demon by comparison to the bloated 2008 version.
Somebody needs to come up with a usable Office bundle for the Mac. At least make it as fast and usable as Office for Windows. And keep the Keynote.
Among word processors for the Mac, Mellel comes the closest to being usable and snappy. However, it does not handle many Word files properly. Pages is better on compatibility (but not perfect), but is slow and has several usability quirks that prevent me from using it instead of Word. Office for Mac has long been slow and clunky, but now Office 2004 seems a speed demon by comparison to the bloated 2008 version.
Somebody needs to come up with a usable Office bundle for the Mac. At least make it as fast and usable as Office for Windows. And keep the Keynote.