Hmm... no one's mentioned it there. If you want to post in that forum, point your browser here: http://www.softmaker.com/forum/index.php. You might need to register to use the forum first...-Darwin (January 10, 2008, 07:59 AM)
Funny - I actually have SoftMaker Office 2008 installed (academic licencing is a wonderful thing) and had meant to test this out myself. Of course, I've forgotten. I'll try and do so today or tomorrow and post back here with my own "experiences".-Darwin (January 14, 2008, 04:17 PM)
| File with fonts embedded comes to 167KB File without fonts embedded is readable except for the following # it can handle é but not ´ # it cant handle ' a single apostrophe like would normally be used in Tom's or in some surnames e.g. O'Connor # it cant handle euro symbol € |
Please note that only genuine SoftMaker Office 2008 contains the BasicMaker macro language, not the licensed Ashampoo Office.
SoftMaker Office offers four new and improved applications:
- TextMaker 2008 with many enhancements such as PDF export, OLE server capabilities, a style manager, print preview, envelope printing and, and, and...
- PlanMaker 2008, the latest version of our spreadsheet application.
Now with OLE server capability, PDF export, new calculation functions and many other improvements.- SoftMaker Presentations 2008, SoftMaker's brand new alternative to PowerPoint. Just as capable, but much easier to use!
- BasicMaker 2008, our new VBA-compatible macro language that lets you automate TextMaker and PlanMaker like in Microsoft Office.
One thing I'd like to know is if DataMaker (http://www.softmaker.com/english/dm_en.htm)-Darwin (January 15, 2008, 09:30 AM)
DataMaker 2008 works with any ODBC or ADO database. It will ship with a very fast database driver for the dBASE database format, but you are not limited to that: You can use DataMaker to access databases from MySQL, SQL Server, IBM DB/2, PostgreSQL, Oracle, Microsoft Access etc. – all databases for which ODBC or ADO drivers exist. (emphasis mine)
Well... SoftMaker TextMaker (rev. 482) exported a 63kb, 4 page, Word Document to a pdf that is 134kb in size. This is with the "embed only embedable font"s setting applied and at Low (96dpi) quality with auto table of contents generated. I printed the same file from within SoftMaker to Scansoft PDF Creator at medium quality with embed fonts enabled and it produced a pdf of just 16kb in size (complete with TOC). So... the current SoftMaker revision is better than it was, but far from optimized.you sure Scansoft is embedding those fonts :tellme: thats incredibly small, mind you I usually make PDFs with more than one font. The quality usually only effects graphics (I think)-Darwin (January 15, 2008, 02:44 PM)
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------- BasicMaker manual as a PDF file ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You requested it, we complied... Now you can download the full documentation for the BasicMaker macro language as a PDF file from our web site - perfect for reading and printing. Download: http://www.softmaker.net/down/bm2008manual_en.pdf |
Busted! You're right - the Scansoft option was to embed non-standard fonts. My document only contains Times New Roman. Switching to "embed all fonts" in Scansoft results in a 123kb file. I owe SoftMaker an apology :o :-[so Texttmaker make one almost half the size of Scansofts! - that's probably due to the "Embed only used characters" option-Darwin (January 15, 2008, 05:59 PM)
-
...
File without fonts embedded is readable except for the following
# it can handle é but not ´ *
# it cant handle ' a single apostrophe like would normally be used in Tom's or in some surnames e.g. O'Connor
# it cant handle euro symbol €-tomos (January 15, 2008, 06:33 AM)
so Texttmaker make one almost half the size of Scansofts! - that's probably due to the "Embed only used characters" option-tomos (January 16, 2008, 04:18 AM)
*BUMP*
I'm curious as to how well it writes (and reads) MS Office docs. I mostly use OpenOffice, but seeing as this company claims they have full compatibility with ms office I might be interested. Did any of you try to save documents with several pictures, frame boxes and formatting and then look at it in word?-TucknDar (March 20, 2008, 09:04 AM)
Especially since the US court decision that allows US customs to examine and seize anyone's computer for no announced reason whatsoever!-TomColvin (May 09, 2008, 04:52 PM)
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now available: SoftMaker Office 2008 for Pocket PCs ------------------------------------------------------------------------- After extensive beta testing, we are proud to announce that SoftMaker Office 2008 for Pocket PCs is shipping and ready for purchase. This new version of our mobile office suite has significant advantages: NEW: SoftMaker Presentations, the mobile alternative to PowerPoint NEW: PDF export in all Office applications NEW: Printing from all applications (JETCET PRINT is bundled) NEW: Many new features in TextMaker 2008 and PlanMaker 2008 If you wish to edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files on the Pocket PC without losing formatting or content, SoftMaker Office is your only choice. There is no other mobile office suite that reads and writes your Office documents as faithfully as SoftMaker Office 2008. Find out more: http://www.softmaker.com/ |
| TextMaker: Why It Excites Me Published by Tom Colvin on May 14, 2008 11:25 pm under 6-Alternative Office Suites, 4-Alternatives to Word |
I'm waiting impatiently for DataMaker to be released-Darwin (June 05, 2008, 08:27 AM)
Seems SoftMaker is handing out free copies of SoftMaker Office 2008 at the moment...Wow! This looks legit. The referenced site is owned by the same people that own softmaker.com.-aquaplaning (June 05, 2008, 11:20 AM)
Can't find any mention of it at PCWorld though...-Darwin (June 05, 2008, 12:55 PM)
Can't find any mention of it at PCWorld though...-Darwin (June 05, 2008, 12:55 PM)
looks like an offer with the current mag :-\-tomos (June 05, 2008, 01:08 PM)
AND the softmaker link in the corner gets a 404
So,
who's willing to try it out ;D
Edit/ Kapersky says it's okay-tomos (June 05, 2008, 01:09 PM)
Softmaker Officethat's the only ref to it I could find - they give the price, call it free, & at the end of the article call it a trial :tellme: (https://www.donationcoder.com/forum/esmileys/gen3/2Signs/score001.gif) :mad:
Download Now User Reviews Rate This Product
Softmaker Office
License Type: Trial
Price: $80
Date Added: Jan 2008
Operating Systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista
File Size: 38125KB
Downloads Count: 307
Author: SoftMaker
Replace Office 2003 with this fast, free, compatible suite.-http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,69287-order,1-page,1/description.html
I have a licence for the suitie already,Of course ;)-Darwin (June 05, 2008, 01:41 PM)
I then found the PCWorld page where it is referenced and evidently, it is a 30 day trial. I downloaded the PCWorld version and my virus checker clains it is Win32: Trojan-gen Virus/Worm...Of course that's a trial. The link from PCWorld is clearly to a trial. The question is whether the D/L from SoftMakerOffice.com is a trial (or a trojan, for that matter)-PPLandry (June 05, 2008, 01:53 PM)
Service Pack 494 for SoftMaker Office 2008 for Windows (http://www.softmaker.com/english/servofw8_en.htm)http://www.softmaker.com/english/servofw8_en.htm
Can also be used to update Ashampoo Office 2008. Cannot be used to update trial versions.
List of changes in this Service Pack:
All applications:
The Swiss German spell-checker now suggests words with "ss" when a "ß" was entered.
TextMaker 2008:
Improved RTF import
Improved Word-Export
Word 6.0 files created by TextMaker can now be opened by itself again (this bug was introduced in revision 493).
PlanMaker 2008:
PlanMaker now correctly releases memory that was allocated during editing and scrolling through worksheets (this bug was introduced in revision 493). This led to very slow response times after some working with a worksheet.
Improved display of 3D charts
The OLE Automation property Sheet.Name now allows renaming a sheet to its already used name.
SoftMaker Presentations 2008:
Pictures can now be pasted with Edit/Paste (previously, you had to use Edit/Paste Special)-SoftMaker
There's a special upgrade price of $12.99...-tomos (March 20, 2009, 05:34 AM)
On the other hand, after looking at their description of the upcoming DB application, I'm not impressed with that. It looks like a clone of Access. That is ... OK. But Access has evolved into a monster, with all kinds of oddities as the product grew over time, and tried to remain compatible. I wish they'd started from a clean slate. (Or maybe I'm reading too much into their screen shots)-CWuestefeld (June 03, 2009, 08:41 AM)
For those interested in Softmaker office 2008, there is a killer Ashampoo deal (same as Softmaker):
http://r.ashampoo.com/mailings/1/090410_en.htm for $4.99-elpresi (July 07, 2009, 03:16 AM)
Or for free (http://for-free-on-internet.com/2009/07/ashampoo-office-2008-for-windows-4-free-again/) if you're quick.-4wd (July 09, 2009, 06:39 AM)
... I'm waiting impatiently for DataMaker to be released ...-Darwin (June 05, 2008, 08:27 AM)
SoftMaker is currently working on these applications:
DataMaker for Windows
DataMaker is the ideal end-user database: Open any database and create queries, forms, reports, labels, even small applications with ease. Just use it, no need to write code.
Please note: DataMaker is not shipping yet. The non-public alpha test is already running; the public beta test will start later.
BasicMaker 2010 automates SoftMaker Office: it lets you write BASIC macros that complete recurring tasks in TextMaker and PlanMaker.
BasicMaker is compatible with Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). It allows you to write small scripts or programs that execute commands in TextMaker and PlanMaker. If you have repetitive tasks in SoftMaker Office that you wish to automate, BasicMaker is the tool for you.
Syntaxwise, BasicMaker is modeled after Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), and its OLE Automation object model is a subset of Microsoft Office's. If you already have experience in macro writing with Microsoft Office, you'll be up to speed with SoftMaker Office macros in no time at all.
Care for a small sample?
Print "Name of current document:"
Print tm.ActiveDocument.FullName
If this looks familiar to you, you are on your way to becoming a proficient macro developer for SoftMaker Office.
On the other hand, if this looks a bit baffling, that's not a problem either: A detailed electronic manual will introduce you to macro programming with BasicMaker.
Note: If you wish to create scripts for SoftMaker Office in other languages than BASIC, you can! TextMaker and PlanMaker can be scripted from nearly all programming languages, such as Python, Perl, Ruby, C++, and Delphi.
Download SoftMaker Office 2008 for free, and SoftMaker donates money!
Talk about donationware...
Softmaker Office 2008 is available for free, with the added bonus of the Softmaker company donating 10 Euro cents for each completed download! Great office suite and great deal!
http://www.loadandhelp.de/home-en.html
-TucknDar (December 14, 2009, 09:31 AM)
I am pleased with Office 2010, but if you don't need to have the newest I would say Office 2008 may be a better deal; it is for certain worth every penny...:-Curt (December 17, 2009, 02:06 PM)
Curt, please, what advantages does 2010 have over 2008 for you?-rjbull (December 17, 2009, 02:53 PM)
The Top Five new features in SoftMaker Office 2010:
Support for the DOCX and XLSX file formats from Microsoft Office 2007
Comes with 3 licenses for home and business use
Presentation-quality charts in PlanMaker
Breathtaking DirectX-based animations and slide transitions in SoftMaker Presentations
Document tabs for easy switching between open documents
Curt, please, what advantages does 2010 have over 2008 for you?I was curious too --rjbull (December 17, 2009, 02:53 PM)-tomos (December 17, 2009, 03:15 PM)
Curt, please, what advantages does 2010 have over 2008 for you?I was curious too --rjbull (December 17, 2009, 02:53 PM)-tomos (December 17, 2009, 03:15 PM)
- none, yet, for the very simple reason that I am trial-testing Microsoft Office 2010 at the moment. I only upgraded SoftMaker to have it! I have only tried TextMaker.-Curt (December 17, 2009, 07:59 PM)
Curt, please, what advantages does 2010 have over 2008 for you?I was curious too --rjbull (December 17, 2009, 02:53 PM)-tomos (December 17, 2009, 03:15 PM)
- none, yet, for the very simple reason that I am trial-testing Microsoft Office 2010 at the moment. I only upgraded SoftMaker to have it! I have only tried TextMaker.-Curt (December 17, 2009, 07:59 PM)
which has to lead to the question:-
are you trialling MS Office because somethings missing in Softmaker Office ?-tomos (December 18, 2009, 04:26 AM)
Now you can also download all 3 different Linux-Installers of Softmaker Office 2008 :Thmbsup:I own the 2008 version of the app in all three flavors: Windows, Linux, and PocketPC.-Crush (December 18, 2009, 08:43 AM)
I own the Windows and Linux version. As you may know, owners of 2008 for linux will get 2010 (for linux obviously) for free! :up:Now you can also download all 3 different Linux-Installers of Softmaker Office 2008 :Thmbsup:I own the 2008 version of the app in all three flavors: Windows, Linux, and PocketPC.-Crush (December 18, 2009, 08:43 AM)-CWuestefeld (December 18, 2009, 10:02 AM)