Microsoft Word Alternative??

Preferably free as well. Apparently you can't just buy Microsoft's Word program by itself , but have to buy the whole Office suite just to get it which sucks.

 

Try AbiWord or OpenOffice's Writer.

Abiword: http://www.abisource.com/
OpenOffice: http://www.openoffice.org/

 

OpenOffice User here.

Its been a long time since MS Office was sold as components... I have a Word 6.0 box somewhere....

 

Personally I like Atlantis word processor a lot...

 

What is the added value you are expecting of posting this question on a security forum?

 

Just came across this one which I'm downloading now:

Basically the same as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, for free.

Lotus Symphony (IBM)
http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony/home.jspa

 

Open Office, Go Office and other suites mentioned here are very good but if you just want a stand alone writer then Abi Word is the best alternate.

 

SoftMaker Office 2006

http://www.freewaregeeks.com/SoftMaker_Office.html

 

Just been using the new office program from IBM....

Talk about slick. It is A+.

 

Now I am definitely interested in trying it out, I am ex IBM so it stirs a bit of passion to use their products.

 

I've used this program as well, but couldn't find a free version, only a 30 day trial. And it's fully compatible with MS office files. The install file size is only 23 mb. Good find!

Arup, only the other day I was saying to someone from work, wish there was a new lotus package. It's a large download, about 200 mb. Installs takes it to 400 mb. But if you're after an equivalent of the lastest MS office, this one is it. Has all the editing features on the side, which can be collapsed. I'm liking it.

If you're after a replacement for Word 2003 (or whatever the last release is), SoftMaker Office is a very good package.

 

IRC its based on an old version of OpenOffice with a different GUI. Slick, but no better/worse to use than Open Office.

 

Yes, this is a security forum. However we are a all software hobbists here so there is plenty of value add of asking here. Just look at the number of suggestions. It will take you some time searching google to get all the software pics. Give the OP a break.

 

I'm impressed with the SoftMaker suggestion. The only beef I have with it, is that it keeps 'hyphenation' on by default (under paragraph settings), which creates partial words with hyphens at the end of each row. Easy to switch off though.

Otherwise, viewing the document as 'continuous view' is a nice feature, just to have one continuous scrolling document. There is also a feature to allow you to transfer the package to a USB stick. Definitely a keeper considering its small file size (35mb compared to 230mb for OpenOffice) and quick loading time. Although this package lacks a program to open PowerPoint files, that's where portable OpenOffice comes in handy.

The following link has a few more 'writing' programs. http://www.portablefreeware.com/?sc=47

Jarte is a great package, about 6mb, with spell check and the ability to change a file from formatting to text with one click. You have the option to save content in .rtf and .doc format.

Otherwise if you're after a program that aims to be distraction free, such as when you're writing a cover letter, or an (apology) letter and can't find any words to write, q10 does the job. It provides a fullscreen blank dark screen (hides the taskbar). Has a spell check, even the old typewriter sound as you type and press enter. It only saves the content as a text file but it's great in those times where you're searching and reaching for words to say. Reminds me of WordPerfect back in the dinosaur era. There is also a live word count and the ability to change its default sounds. Glad I found this app.

 

OO is 127 mb and OO Oxygen which comes with a huge clipart library is around 230mb.

 

Forgot to mention this, any of these software's compatible with MS Word files? I have a file that I created at my local library. I saved a doc. to a usb drive and want to be able to edit my document at home as well. I've heard of the Open Office suite , have the site bookmarked already. May give that a try if compatible with MS Word.

 

This forum section is for

so it's no problem posting such a question here. If you take time to read more posts on this section you'll see a lot of questions like this and a lot of shared knowledge, which is GOOD

 

go office, and the new IBM one are all OpenOffice but slicked up or tweaked minimally, as I understand it. I like go office, I use the quickstarter, and also, google for something like "make open office faster" or "speed up openoffice" and do what is said - you will have a really quick office suite if you tweak go office and use the quickstarter. It is good, quick and free.

 

I tried one of the Betas on my desktop - 512 RAM. It was a dog on that machine.

I'd be tempted to try the v1 release on my laptop, Vista Home Premium with 2G RAM, but already put MS Office Ultimate that I got free for participating in that thing MS had a while back.

I'm finally getting the new Word figured out and just don't want to change right now.

As for a free alternative, I'll say that unless you need an Office program, Abiword is hard to beat. I have OpenOffice 2.4 on my desktop and highly recommend it. If I only used a word processor, I'd go for Abiword. It's a great little word processor.

 

Yeah, I was just wondering about the ram thing. As you can see from my sig, I only have 256mb right now. I've been wanting to upgrade to 2GB for a while and should just do it already. I actually wouldn't mind a full office suite for use in the future should I ever turn my photography hobby into a full blown business someday, but for now a good word processor would do fine I guess.

 

OpenOffice for the orange hawk!

 

Unfortunately, I haven't found a single office suite that is more efficient than Microsoft Office 07.

Microsoft Office 07 is still ahead of the pack (despite what online reviewers say) because of it's ease of use, functionality and compatibility with a multitude of text formats.

OpenOffice uses an interface similar to old versions of MSO, which is not as user-friendly as the new MSO interface.
It is very buggy and needs constant updates + it can not handle all text formats.

 

I prefer MS Office too, but it is a good thing that there are alternatives.... I'd have to recommend OO also... it's the most likely choice...

 

I have been using Open Office for a long time. While it certainly is not perfect it is free and will serve most users very well. I highly recommend it. As for bugs over the years this has vastly improved as well.

Sure given a choice I would go ahead and buy MS Office, but you will pay up!

 

Don't be such a thrift-pocket.
You're money won't go to waste, since MS Office is a class leader in office suites.

BTW, comparing MSO to OO is like comparing Adobe Photoshop to Gimp.
Guess why Adobe Photoshop is the standard in photo-editing software.