[eMacMan]

I have been using NeoOffice for spreadsheets. Just started using it for Word Processing. With my older beast it takes well over a minute to launch and I much prefer the way AppleWorks is set up. However Neo-Office is the only WP which displays at a readable size using normal screen resolutions.

AppleWorks, Text Edit, MS Office 2004 all seem to assume you are running an 800x600 or 640x480 display. So if I get the screen viewable it is way too large when I actually print it. Don't like to zoom in as this creates the "What You See Ain't What You Get" syndrome.

 

[CubaMark]

I tossed MS-Office months ago, switching to NeoOffice 2.1 (patch 5 is the latest and greatest).

It's a great app, very good compatibility with Word documents, etc.

That said, even with Patch 5, it can get pretty bogged down. A 25-page paper with no graphics or charts, just a handful of footnotes, was pretty painful to use (scrolling was atrocious).

But I'm NOT going back to Word!

There are alternatives, of course, depending on what you need your Word Processor to do:


Mellel 2.5.1

Nisus Writer Pro (beta)

Bean: An OS X Word Processor Bean

...and many others. Drop into VersionTracker and do a search!

M.

 

[IronMac]

However Neo-Office is the only WP which displays at a readable size using normal screen resolutions.

AppleWorks, Text Edit, MS Office 2004 all seem to assume you are running an 800x600 or 640x480 display. So if I get the screen viewable it is way to large when I actually print it. Don't like to zoom in as this creates the "What You See Ain't What You Get" syndrome.

This is my biggest problem with Word (and I've mentioned this on this forum and others) and I just don't know how to get around it. NeoOffice might work but if you have document that has a ton of unique formating and graphics then you're in deep trouble.

 

[a7mc]

And of course... let's not forget Pages.

I initially dismissed Pages too. The interface is so bare that it initially felt "weak", so I went back to Office right away. Then I got a Macbook Pro and didn't want to run Office in Rosetta, so I only put Pages on there. I had no choice but to use it.

Once you figure out the interface, and start opening the little hovering menu windows, you can do quite a bit with it, far faster than I ever could in Office (or any other WP). Take the time to learn it, and it becomes pretty powerful.

A7

 

[Pelao]

There are alternatives, of course, depending on what you need your Word Processor to do:


Mellel 2.5.1

Nisus Writer Pro (beta)

Bean: An OS X Word Processor

I would add that Nisus Writer Express (as opposed to Pro) is adequate for most users. Highly recommended.

 

[eMacMan]

Since my version of Pages is a trial, I will avoid that till I can see the spots on the Leopard.

May give Nissus Writer Express another go. Been several years since I tried it. Meanwhile NeoOffice is fine for the small one and 2 page documents I work with.

 

[CubaMark]

NeoOffice 2.1 Patch 6 is out!

According to the release notes, this version is 2x - 2.5x faster in text layout / scrolling / etc. than Patch 5.

:applause:
M