WORD PROCESSOR REVIEW Welcome to the DonationCoder comprehensive review of Modern Word Processors. In part one we look at the majors players; in part two we try out the second-tier contenders; part three examines the online word processors challenging the desktop heavy hitters. Review by Zaine Ridling

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

• Part 1: MAJOR WORD PROCESSORS - Intro
      OpenOffice.org/StarOffice
      Microsoft Word 2007
      WordPerfect X3
• Part 2: SECOND-TIER WORD PROCESSORS - Intro
      TextMaker
      Atlantis
      Papyrus WORD
      AbiWord
      Ability Write
      EIOffice
      PolyEdit
      602 Text
  
• Part 3: ONLINE WORD PROCESSORS - Intro
      Google Docs
      ThinkFree Office Write
      Zoho Writer
  
• Summary: Final Thoughts and Recommendations
  

Introduction, Part 1: Major word processors 

If ever a maxim fit, one size does not fit all applies accurately to word processors. First rule: Choose your word processor according to your environment and needs, and inherent in that choice is choosing your format. Second rule: be happy with your choice, because statistics show you're not likely to change.

How a word processor is judged depends on what role one assumes. For example, a graduate student has more exacting demands from a word processor than a supervisor, who uses her database program to issue memos and take notes that can be directly shared on task rather than a rerouting communication through a word processor. The same goes for a self-employed person compared with one who merely uses a word processor to primarily write letters. Many novelists never used word processors, and they still do not, as a word processor's emphasis on formatting and layout is often a distraction to writing. Thus what role one assumes will define need, and need will determine what one demands from their word processor.

Perhaps the biggest arguments occur between the failure to look beyond the word processor itself and consider instead the format. Documents are written to be shared, and on top of old world printing, it's been Adobe's PDF (Portable Document Format) that has enabled it most. The commoditization of Microsoft's Office Open XML format (MS-OOXML) with OpenOffice's OASIS OpenDocument Format (ODF) through the interoperability work of Novell will only mean that where before PDF was the primary format vehicle for sharing documents (along with HTML, XML, and .doc), documents will merely be shared directly through XML. Already, with the help of online word processors, one can upload a document to say, Google Docs, and a manager, teacher, or entire group can have read/write access to any number of documents among many formats. The reality is that it doesn't matter which word processor you use as long as it makes your work easier and more efficient. The commoditization signifies that as formats become more interchangeable, what specific word processor is used becomes irrelevant to the life of the document.

However, it's important to go a step further now that ODF is ISO-certified as the international standard for creating office documents. Before there was an ISO standard universal document format, all applications sought to support as many formats as possible to increase their interoperability. While some formats would have allowed better interoperability, e.g., RTF (Rich-Text Format), they were not used by the market-leading vendor (Microsoft). Thus, all programs should write import/export filters for the OASIS OpenDocument Format (ODF) shared by OpenOffice. The first thing OpenOffice did was not lock itself into its original format (SXW), but wrote filters for Microsoft's file formats as a way ticket to the game. Doing so directly contributed to the creation and adoption of ODF for OpenOffice and has helped the entire office field arrive at a truly Open Standard Open Document Format (ODF). This is critical because not only is ODF increasingly supported by more applications (almost all the online word processors do so), for the purpose of document life and control, it should be the only format used by governments and companies, as Georg Greve notes.

Let us be clear: the choice is not between being able to interoperate with Microsoft � thanks to Novell and Corel doing interoperability work for them � or being stuck in some ODF ghetto, unable to read Microsoft documents. Everyone wants to interoperate. The question is how. The problem is Microsoft. The solution lies with Microsoft. It's 2007, and it's time that Microsoft followed the same standards everyone else, instead of insisting the world bend to their ways. Microsoft's MS-OOXML doesn't disrupt this propensity. It's not only unacceptable, but quite strange that even now we can't all freely share documents with one another, no matter what operating system we like to use. (For example, Microsoft Office 2007 documents cannot be read or opened in the Mac version of Office!) But we can send each other email, read each others blogs and websites, even if you are on Windows, I'm on Linux, and Uncle Fester is using OS X. Why isn't that the norm for everything? It ought to be. The bottleneck is Microsoft. FOSS software is happy to interoperate with any other software. Why won't Microsoft? That is the $64,000 question in 2007. All this only matters if you intend to use Microsoft Word. The good news is that there are many good alternatives.

Which word processor is the best? Depends on whom you ask. The good news is that there are several great choices among word processors now, including online word processors that bring needed collaboration and publishing features, centered around the ODF format, which is not tied to any specific word processor vendor.

Thus this review won't champion a "winner," because most of the word processors reviewed were either good or very good. With so many good choices in the word processor category, it's impossible to say someone shouldn't use something like TextMaker or Atlantis if they like it, are productive with it, and it suits their needs. And debates between Word and OpenOffice often come down to cost and control in the end for businesses; personal preference for individuals. So you don't feel cheated, if you skip to the very end, I do offer my own personal choices within each category and the briefest reasons why.

What to consider in a major word processor 
� Suitability. Does it meet your needs in your business, at home, at school, or in whatever role you use it? Can you work with one at home and another at the office?

� Ease-of-use. A short learning curve. This is where the user interface (UI) makes the difference. Does it have a solid Help file to get you started?

� Power. Does it handle complex or large documents well? You'll notice a word processor's performance quickly, but sooner or later, you're going to need power.

� Default file format. The two de facto formats around the globe are OASIS OpenDocument (ODF) format and Word's binary .doc format (2007 has the XML-based .docx format, but only WordPerfect and OpenOffice will have conversion filters for it). Which will you choose, and which will you need to use in your work? Can it export to: (1) ODF, (2) Word, (3) PDF? You may not need additional format choices, but if you share your files with others, you will. Online word processors, however, offers a lovely workaround solution to this age-old compatibility problem.

� User Interface. Is it familiar or distracting? Can you find features easily? Can you setup and build your documents without frustration? In other words, does it aid or hinder your work?

 

 

 

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OpenOffice.org 

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WHAT TO LIKE

• Open file format. OpenOffice.org is the first office suite (and word processor) to use the new OASIS OpenDocument Format, the future-proof ISO certified international standard for office documents (ISO/IEC 26300:2006). OpenDocument is designed for the future, not the past. ODF is overseen by the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) and is supported by Microsoft rivals IBM, Google, and Sun Microsystems, among other companies. Here's a detailed comparison of OpenOffice.org and Word 2007 formats according to the OpenDocument Fellowship. To top it off, the OpenDocument Foundation has finished an ODF Converter for Microsoft Office. With the ODF converter (only for Word at this time), Microsoft Office users can save their documents in the ODF format from the File menu just like any other doc type. The ODF converter can be installed into all versions of Office ranging back to Microsoft Office 97. Below is a screenshot of how it sits within the normal context of the File, Save, and Open (or "Office") menu, but is not integrated within the Save As subdialog.

Note that it is Microsoft who is funding the third-party writing of the ODF plugin for Office 2007 via "MCAN" (Microsoft-Clever Age-Novell), not the other way around. And as Rob Wier notes, Microsoft seems to have designed it to intentionally annoy users: "Since Microsoft is the one providing the, "Funding, Architectural & Technical Guidance and Project co-coordination" one would think that they would contribute more in the area where they are uniquely qualified to assist, the full and native integration of the ODF support into Office." OpenOffice.org has .doc support and while Novell has promised to share the results of its MS-OOXML-to-ODF converter efforts with the OpenOffice.org project, but I agree with Walt Hucks, who suggests "waiting for the [OpenDocument Foundation's] DaVinci plugin to be completed and released later this year. It will allow users to natively use OpenDocument Formats, even as the default file format, while preserving Microsoft-specific features in ODF files (and hopefully, specific features of other applications as well, including those which Microsoft Office does not understand or support)." The list of features not supported by the MCAN ODF converter is long, as in really long. This means that if you're an OpenOffice.org user who must use Word 2007, save all your files in .doc format only using Compatibility Mode. This is your best chance for conversion between the two programs.

As of 2006, ODF is the ISO certified international standard for office documents, not MS-OOXML, nor .doc. For any other vendor, it's easier to write a conversion filter for ODF than will ever be for MS-OOXML, among other reasons for the sheer sake of supporting Microsoft's backward compatibility with its previous proprietary formats over the past 18 years. Corel has announced it will support both ODF and MS-OOXML in the next WordPerfect version. That was more than seven months ago as of this writing and no word yet on their progress, or lack thereof.

• Broad language support. Use OpenOffice.org in your own language, how much easier is that! Its Native Language Project is one of its most popular for contributors.
   
• Largest document capacity of any word processor tested: 65,535 pages saves to an XML file only 3.59M in size. Typically documents saved in ODF format are 20-25% smaller than Microsoft's new MS-OOXML format for Word 2007.
   
• Great multi-platform support (including 32- and 64-bit OSes), Windows, Linux, Solaris (x86 and SPARC), OS X, and Google Docs and Spreadsheets.
   
• A strong academic word processor, given the ability of anyone � notably university departments � can specify a citation standard on their own, and its ability to handle large documents with ease. OpenOffice.org's new ODF Toolkit Project will only expand its use in the future and among many other applications.
   
• Enhanced PDF management and direct export to LaTex. These two features alone make it invaluable for academic use, and OpenOffice.org's PDF export has been refined to be highly accurate among colors, links, tables, and images. Paper use in business and academia is fast declining, and with built-in PDF document creation ability, it's one less app you'll need to buy.
   
• Bibliography (or citation) database. Accurate, customizable, and extensible bibliography database, and while OpenOffice.org's Base isn't very powerful, StarOffice's Adabas D is if you want to go even further. It looks like you'd expect, but works well and never loses a record.
   
• Book view is handy, and the flexible print preview is very fast.

• Customizability. Unlike Word 2007, you have far more control over OpenOffice.org's workspace and UI. Although Microsoft claims that less than 5% of all users ever change any of the default settings in a program, I suspect it's a far higher percentage. Depending on your role vis-a-vis the software � student, writer, manager, support, legal, etc. � eventually you're going to want to customize a part of the tool you use every day, if for no other reason than greater efficiency and workflow.
   
• Document Wizards let you save your creations as a new style, which speeds up template creation.
   
• Document recovery is excellent, since I had two electrical failures and managed to get back where I was working each time.
   
• Attractive, clean, familiar interface, provided you're not enamored by Microsoft's Ribbon in Word 2007 (pardon me, I meant to say "Fluent UI" � see below). Interfaces eventually change, but for now, if you're comfortable with the traditional Windows office application interface, then OpenOffice.org will suit you.
   
• All the advantages of Open Source; that is, no vendor lock-in of either licensing, file format, or technology. Your documents are in no danger of being made obsolete by the next version's file format changes. Also, as ODF is also an Open Standard, it lets you choose which software you want to use. If implemented in other software programs, you're not limited to programs that use ODF as their default file format, viz., OpenOffice.org, or subject to the poor converters of ODF files from other sources. You're free to choose the word processor you like most.
   
• Easy to learn and use. If you've used any word processor � especially Microsoft Word � in the last dozen years, then you already know a lot about OpenOffice.org. OpenOffice.org's learning curve is slight and the suite is highly customizable.
   

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WHAT NOT TO LIKE

• Suite-dependence. OpenOffice.org/StarOffice cannot be installed as a standalone app, as it is integrated into a full suite of programs. Then again, this can be considered a strength. Once it's open, everything is fast thereafter. But OpenOffice.org's slow startup speed is due to the fact that the JAVA Runtime Environment is loading rather than a solitary DLL file.
   
• Narrow dialog windows. Many scrolled lists in dialogs such as Customize > Add Commands are too narrow, unfortunately require both horizontal and vertical scrolling within list panes, cutting off text. Unforgivable in the 21st century.
   
• Word Count dialog could provide more stats. No keyboard shortcut for Word Count dialog either. Just add this as an option to the status bar.
   
• Outlining is solid and very similar to Word 2003, only its more customizable with acute positioning, character, and graphics options. Still, this is one of OpenOffice.org weaker points and is no longer enough to get by. Fortunately it shares all the same keyboard shortcuts as outlining in Word 2003 which reduces your "switch time" when moving to OpenOffice.org.
   
• No Horizontal Page Setup format. Time to provide a Horizontal template for OpenOffice.org. I understand that Writer is primarily a word processing application, but with all the advanced tools for drawing and tables you can pretty much use it to build any type of document � as long as it scrolls vertically. How about a horizontal template that allows users to build documents that scroll left-to-right. This would be great for creating workflows, family trees, organizational charts, and storyboarding.
   
• That big fat download. Someday maybe just OpenOffice.org can be updated without having to download the entire program. Someday. At least OpenOffice.org added automatic updates.
   

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CONCLUSION
OpenOffice.org seems to taken the best features of Microsoft Word 2003 � such Format Painter, document recovery, hosted templates, nested tables, Edit > Paste special, etc. � but left out the bloat; for every feature is not mimicked. So if you're a fan of Word 97-2003, then you already know your way around OpenOffice.org. OpenOffice.org 3.0 is due late 2007/early 2008, as many word processors are due to be upgraded over the next year. Don't look for OpenOffice.org to share the Ribbon feature of Microsoft Office. Microsoft has forbidden products that directly compete with it to implement the Ribbon, not that anyone would want to. While a move to OpenOffice.org or StarOffice need not accompany a migration away from Windows, these suites can pave the way to such a move in the future � a measure of flexibility that one cannot expect elsewhere, and still retain your documents' integrity. Novell will aid in this by offering interoperability between OpenOffice.org OASIS OpenDocument Format (ODF) and Microsoft MS-OOXML format later in 2007. Beyond the anti-Microsoft emotional element, OpenOffice.org's code development is open to all and its recent ODF Toolkit Project allows developers expand ODF's range of use in other applications, and to improve the ability to use OpenOffice.org as a programming framework for creating and processing OpenDocument (ODF) documents rather than to use it as a desktop application. It is based on the OpenOffice.org source code, and can be tailored to process ODF documents outside traditional office desktop applications.

Thus OpenOffice.org stands and falls on its own reputation. It has a bright, secure future, and its user community brings a lot of excitement to it, making it fun.

StarOffice should be included with OpenOffice.org because it's often a choice of businesses for its support options. The differences between StarOffice and OpenOffice.org are subtle but distinct. The source code available at OpenOffice.org does not consist of all of the StarOffice code. Usually, the reason for this is that Sun pays to license third party code included in StarOffice, but which OpenOffice.org does not have permission to include. StarOffice costs $70 (or $35 for an Enterprise license), whereas OpenOffice.org is free (but the OpenOffice.org project does take donations!). So if you're feeling generous and you're a long-time OpenOffice.org user, consider buying a license to StarOffice. Those things which are present in StarOffice but are not available on OpenOffice.org are not extraordinarily different but include:

• Certain fonts (including, especially, Asian-language fonts)
• The database component Adabas D
• Additional templates
• Extensive Clip Art Gallery
• Some sorting functionality (Asian versions)
• Additional file filters
• Commercial spell checker and thesaurus
• Migration assessment tool (Enterprise Edition)
• Macro migration tool (Enterprise Edition)
• Configuration management tools

LINKS
OpenOffice.org 2.x Features - http://www.openoffice.org/dev_docs/features/2.0/index.html
OpenOffice.org FAQs - http://www.openoffice.org/FAQs/mostfaqs.html
Wikipedia - OpenDocument (ODF) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDocument
OpenOffice.org Wiki - http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Main_Page
Sun ODF Plugin for Microsoft Office 2003 (screenshots) - http://www.sun.com/software/star/openoffice/
ODF Alliance - http://www.odfalliance.org/news.php
 

REVIEWS
Various OpenOffice 2.x Reviews - http://www.openoffice.org/product/reviews.html
CNET - http://reviews.cnet.com/OpenOffice_2/4505-3524_7-31624261.html
eWeek - http://www.eweek.com/print_article2/0,1217,a=163156,00.asp
Financial Times - http://www.ft.com/cms/s/1c5e53b8-b205-11d9-8c61-00000e2511c8.html
PCPro - http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/80012/openoffice-2.html
ComputerWorld - http://computerworld.com.sg/ShowPage.aspx?pagetype=2&articleid=2742&pubid=3&issueid=66
PCMag - http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1851003,00.asp
vnunet.com - http://www.vnunet.com/personal-computer-world/software/2140229/openoffice-org
Good Gear Guide - http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/index.php/taxid;1730094674;pid;1587;pt;1#cb
Sun Microsystems - http://www.sun.com/software/star/staroffice/reviews.jsp



 

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Microsoft Word 2007 

___________________
WHAT TO LIKE

• The new user interface. If you like it, then you're going to love Word 2007. Although I found the Ribbon more useful in Excel than in Word, the stated goal for it was to make more of Word's features accessible, as they had become buried deeper and deeper, thus resulting in the dreaded bloat word over the past several versions. CTRL+F1 toggles the Ribbon on and off. You can also use the ALT, Tab, Arrow, and Enter keys to navigate the ribbon, and can still use any KeyTip with the ribbon collapsed. Note: Microsoft has renamed the Ribbon the "Microsoft Office Fluent User Interface." No thank you, I'll stick with Ribbon.
   
• Live Preview � which includes the ability to preview changes such as examining font changes or table formats without changing the setting and then reversing it via undo � is helpful, though WordPerfect has had this feature for several years.
   
• Word 2007's desktop publishing features. Word 2007 embeds a broad array of desktop publishing features to the word processor. From Themes to tables to graphics, it really lets you be creative and professional with your documents. In my opinion, this may be the best reason to buy Office 2007 � for its desktop publishing features and power. In fact, you may even save money by doing so.
   
• Building Blocks. Word 2007 can be used to assemble documents from frequently-used or predefined content such as disclaimer text, pull quotes, sidebars, cover pages, and other types of content. This will help ensure you don't spend needless time recreating content or copying and pasting between documents; it also helps ensure consistency across all of the documents created within your organization. With this feature, Word finally catches up to WordPerfect's Quick Styles.
   
• Recent Documents are now fully displayed and expanded. When you click the Office button in Office 2007, the Office menu appears, containing a two-pane view somewhat similar to the Windows start menu. When the menu appears, the right pane is fully consumed by the Recent Documents list. The list was designed to be friendly, clear, and self-explanatory; and it is.
   
• Contextual spelling is really useful; absolutely helpful.
  
                                      
   
• One-click access to references. Hold down the ALT key and click any word, and depending on which reference you have selected under the Review tab, Word 2007 will either translate it, define it, find a synonym, or look it up using the Encarta Encyclopedia.
   
• Word 2007's outlining abilities remain the strongest in the field, in large part because they're easy to master. If you routinely create complex or long documents, you either need an outlining program, such as Microsoft OneNote, or one that will let you think on the fly. Word 2007 lets you do that with both speed and ease. Planning a document is a little bit like putting a puzzle together. You try a piece here and then over there. A topic you thought was minor suddenly looms larger in importance. When you're brainstorming and plotting, it's important to keep an open mind. Word's Outline view is an incredible outlining tool. It lets you move large blocks of headings and text from one part of your document to another, and rank headings and their accompanied text higher or lower in relative importance. In Outline view, you can even show or hide different parts of your document, to focus your attention on what's important at the moment. Best of all, Outline view is just another document view, so you don't have to outline in a separate document.
   
• Live Word count and Zoom slider are integrated into the status bar. I've championed more informative and accurate word count dialog in text editors and word processors for years, and still few get it right. But Live Word Count on the status bar is a boon to writers everywhere.
   
• Expanded document capacity from previous versions, now each document can 32,755 pages long.
   
• Contextual Tabs show features related to the selected object. Whenever you select or insert a picture, table, chart, or any other object, the specialized tools for working with that object appear as additional tabs in the Ribbon. When you click away from the object, the tools put themselves away. To quickly bring forward the Contextual Tabs for an object, simply double-click the object. (This could also be a feature to dislike, as it creates havoc in PowerPoint, for example.) Several additional tabs will pop-up depending on what you�re doing. For example, select a table in Word or a chart in Excel and new tabs appear to help you edit the design (layout, color, and so on). This is similar to the context-sensitive menus that pop-up when you right-click on an object, except in this case they use the graphically rich Ribbon. In fact, applications will add tabs from other applications -- if you paste an Excel chart in a Word document, then click on the chart from within Word, Word adds three tabs you would ordinarily see in Excel to manipulate the chart -- all without leaving Word.
   
• Built-in Equation Editor. Finally, and it's snazzy.
  
                                      
   
• Themes. How fast can you create a great looking document? The structured editing of Themes comes to your rescue with galleries or stunning choices. Think of Themes as custom styles in the hands of a graphic designer. Notable is color themes which take shades of any chosen color and make it consistent throughout a document, tables, borders, lines, boxes, backgrounds, and so on. For those who compose regular newsletters and brochures, this is one of the best reasons to acquire Word 2007.
   
• Graphics. Tables and Charting now take seconds rather than a minute, even complex ones. Really striking is the new Smart Art feature. From flowcharts to relationship charts, Smart Art lets you produce some stunning diagrams. With the Smart Art Gallery you can pick a design, then fill in a panel with the text you want to appear in the diagram (the description of the steps in your flowchart, for example). Need to add an item to a diagram? No problem; use the small outline attached to the diagram to enter a new step in the flowchart and Office redraws the diagram, any connectors, and adjusts font size appropriately.
   
• A better programming model. Visual Studio Tools for Office gives developers a greater level of confidence that applications will do what they're supposed to. VBA was then; Visual Studio and .NET programming tools are now.
   
• Little things. Using ALT+Drag to box-select text is useful for grabbing specific parts of text. However, selecting text within a table using ALT+Drag will open the Research Pane.

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WHAT NOT TO LIKE

• New document format compatibility. The new file format, .docx, is needlessly complex XML for a document specification, weighing in at almost 7,000 pages compared to ODF's 600 (ODF uses existing standards such as W3C; Microsoft has chosen to stick with tradition and create their own standards for MS-OOXML). For the meantime � as in the next two years � if you don't upgrade to Word 2007, you will need the Office 2007 Compatibility Pack. If you want to hold out for Office 2009 while using Word 2003, then this Pack allows for previous versions going back to Office 2000 to save files in the new .docx format. As mentioned above in the OpenOffice.org section, the Microsoft-funded "MCAN" group (Microsoft-Clever Age-Novell) has released an ODF plugin for Word 2007, but the list of unsupported features by the MCAN ODF converter is very long, and the problems they face are insurmountable. If you're an Word 2007 user who must also use OpenOffice.org, save all your files in .doc format only using Compatibility Mode. This is your best chance for conversion between the two programs. The poor performance of the ODF plugin was expected, given the poor technical approach sought by Clever Age in light of the non-standard XML implementation of the MS-OOXML formats. Ironically, this favors the ISO-certified ODF format, making it a better choice around the world. In the end, despite its "open" moniker, the Microsoft MS-OOXML format remains strictly proprietary, as Microsoft refuses to disclose the difference between its published file specification and its actual one to other vendors and developers. What this means is business as usual: if you use Microsoft Office 2007 to create your intellectual property, you're going to need Microsoft software to read those files properly and accurately. Below is what a 6039-page spec looks like, and ask yourself if anyone other than Microsoft will ever be able to fully and correctly implement the specification. Frankly, that's because it's a product specification, not a specification for office document data.
  
                                                          
                                                                 The MS-OOXML specification, all 6,000+ pages.
  
  Why does this matter? Let's say you want to use Word 2007 but save your documents to an open format, e.g., ODF. The new ODF converter in its first release is like many 1.0 releases: awful except for the simplest documents. Expect it to improve, but as of now, it's unusable through several sample attempts. Also, the ODF converter is not part of the Save As subdialog under the File (Office) menu, nor can ODF be defined as the default file format. Fair enough, that's typical and predictable of Microsoft, but there is also no keyboard shortcut to save as ODF. Redefining a keyboard shortcut to "Save File As Other Formats" only brings up Microsoft's formats along with RTF and TXT. Point is, Microsoft wants to make it easy for you to use their proprietary format, and a tad more difficult to use any other.
   
• OGA, Office Genuine Advantage. Microsoft increases piracy detection by forcing users to submit to their "genuine advantage" program. Microsoft Office is well-connected to the internet through many of its features such as templates, updates, and references. Access or download any one and if your copy of Office isn't validated, then your software goes into Reduced Functionality Mode, preventing you from creating or saving any documents. Typical of any anti-piracy measure, it punishes and harasses honest users most. Worse, if you use Microsoft Office 2007 to create your intellectual property, if Microsoft one day decides your copy is not genuine, you could effectively be locked out of your own copyrighted material.
   
• It's Microsoft, whatever that's worth; often a positive:
      � Large amounts of capital and available resources that dwarfs competitors (except for Google);
      � Microsoft is the established leader for office software, with significant mainstream brand equity;
      � Large and very significant influence over partners and complementary suppliers;
      � Interoperability amongst office products and ancillary lines of business;
      � Microsoft appeals to corporations and large institutions;
  
  It's Microsoft, whatever that's worth; sometimes a negative:
      � Not free and in fact can be very expensive for a small business, non-profit, or an emerging market;
      � No easy-to-use collaboration tools that rival the leaders in the online office space (more on this in Part 3);
      � Web-based delivery is not a core competency. Microsoft would potentially need to reorganize operation, although their
           FlexGo initiative seeks to allow users to pay for Microsoft Office on a per use, subscription basis each month;
      � Microsoft's proprietary file format locks your files to a corporation.
   
• New user interface. You'll love it or hate it, until you are accustomed to it. But if you're an old Word horse, it takes time to find everything. In the UI redesign, the alternative to allow the Ribbon to dock as a sidebar would have allowed more of the document to be visible given new letterbox 16x9 monitors. This was considered and rejected for some reason. Other UI complaints:
      (1) An extra step has been added to almost every keyboard shortcut;
      (2) The Options dialog is resizable, but its subdialogs are not. Why?
      (3) Unlike previous versions of Word, you cannot customize the Ribbon, only the Quick Access toolbar (what we know as the Title bar);
      (4) The Ribbon is too fat, being 47 pixels thicker than that of Office 2003; its icons are too large; and its rows are too spread out;
      (5) A nice UI touch would be an onscreen toggle of what the F-keys do, even if you rekey them.
   
• Dependencies are everywhere. Certain apps and features work only when used with the Office System servers. Office SharePoint Server (formerly SharePoint Portal Server) is the keystone. Excel spreadsheets can be managed centrally, but only via SharePoint's Excel Services. Word document collaborations and PowerPoint's Slide Library require SharePoint, too.
   
• Full citation dialog scrolls instead of expands, which is an incredible blunder, although I've never known a single researcher or writer to trust their references to a form. Researchers might keep them in databases, but it's one of their own making, because they know their fields. Secondly, pulling a reference from Word's Master List is far too labyrinthine. Simply copying the functionality of the Endnotes program would have been smarter. Worse, while sources are saved as XML, Word 2007's documentation styles are XSLTs, making it incredibly difficult for anyone to create their own, e.g., a university department or in-house publishing division. Compare with OpenOffice.org which uses the ZOOM standard, which can work with z39.50, and the newer SRW (SOAP) and SRU (RESTful) protocols. Why Microsoft is reinventing the wheel (again) with citations makes Word 2007 unattractive for future academic use, most notably for graduate students, writers, and scholars.
   
• The Help Menu is gone (as are all menus), and the About box is moved to the "Resources" page within Options. It contains all of the information about updating and getting support for Office, which tech support will hate. I can see users yelling in the phone: "Where is it?" not to mention this box is now buried six clicks deep. Why not put this at the bottom of the File menu or somewhere in the View tab? Also, the Help file (or "system" as Microsoft calls it) is virtually useless. Using the index often returns inaccurate results. Most of the topics are thin on content and it's as if Microsoft would flesh out the Help file contents as time went on, rather than when the product was released.
   
• Microsoft Word is still a de facto standard. As Bob Sutor notes: "The basic problem with a de facto standard is that it is controlled by a single vendor who can, and often does, change it whenever the vendor decides to do so. This frequently happens when a product goes from one major version to another. At that point, everyone else who is trying to interoperate with the information created in the owning vendor�s product must scramble and try to make their own software work again."
   
• Price � by itself, the most expensive word processor here.
   
• Licensing � the most restrictive of the word processors listed here. Anti-piracy checks are now mandatory. Microsoft's Office Genuine Advantage (OGA) program will require mandatory validation of Office software. Also, any Office Online templates downloaded from within the Office 2007 Microsoft Office System applications will require validation of legitimacy. OGA is a sister program to Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), launched in July 2005 as a program that automatically checks a user's version of Windows to ensure it is not counterfeit or pirated. Microsoft has integrated this check directly into the next version of Windows, Windows Vista, as part of what it is calling a "Software Protection Platform." Like Vista, Microsoft wants to enforce the "one license per device" restriction rather than one license to each user, which discourages hobbyists.

___________________
CONCLUSION
With the 2007 version, Microsoft Word has become what I always dreamed it would someday be: a killer desktop publishing app built-in to my word processor! In my view, that's its biggest draw. The whole point of Microsoft's redesign of Word's user interface is to enable users to spend more time writing and less time formatting. In a way it succeeds and can save you time, but at the price of spending more time overall inside the word processor itself constantly tinkering. As Oliver Rist of InfoWorld states: "Microsoft's other goal for Office 2007 is to differentiate itself as much as possible from its new competitors." This new version is particularly aimed at office workers who spend years with various versions of the program and make their living with Word as their primary office tool, but won't bother to study the program and learn it. But expect your learning curve of Word 2007 to increase if you're a long-term current user. New users should have little problem adapting the new user interface. Word 2007 embeds a broad array of desktop publishing features to the word processor, and if your work employs composing brochures, stylish reports, this is your word processor. But in order to master it, set aside time to learn it.

However, it falls short in the academic arena and students and researchers should be advised not to use Word 2007's bibliographic feature. If your work demands consistent graphic documents, such as brochures, catalogs, extensive reports, or broad collaboration on projects, then Microsoft Word 2007 is well worth your time and money. If you're a student, scholar, or writer, I cannot recommend Word 2007. With regard to its new file format, it's safer to save your documents in the binary .doc format for reasons of both backward and forward compatibility, as the MS-OOXML specification will never be implemented by anyone other than Microsoft. Simply put, that means if you use and save documents in Office 2007's new file format, your data will be locked-in by Microsoft and the only way you'll have reliable, readable access to it is by, through, and of Microsoft alone.
 

LINKS
FlexGo: Microsoft's Pay-as-you-go Computing - http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/flexgo/default.mspx
Microsoft Office Fluent User Interface (doc file) - http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/2007office/docs/2007OfficeUIFS.doc
Open XML Formats FAQs - http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/HA101723691033.aspx
Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for the 2007 formats - http://www.microsoft.com/office/preview/beta/converter.mspx
Word Team blog - http://blogs.msdn.com/microsoft_office_word/
Word 2003-2007 command reference guide - http://officebeta.iponet.net/en-us/help/HA100744321033.aspx
System Requirements for Word - http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA101668651033.aspx
ODF Add-in for Microsoft Word 2007 - http://sourceforge.net/projects/odf-converter
PDF add-in - http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA101675271033.aspx

REVIEWS
Jeff Kirvin - http://kirvinonwriting.blogspot.com/2006/05/microsoft-word-2007-review.html
ZDNet - http://review.zdnet.com/word-processors/microsoft-word-2007/4505-3529_16-32143055.html
PC Pro - http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/100139/word-2007.html
PC World - http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,128266/article.html
Oliver Rist - http://weblog.infoworld.com/smbit/archives/2006/10/living_with_off.html
The Register - http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/23/microsoft_office_2007_uptake/

 

 

________________________________________________

WordPerfect X3 

___________________
WHAT TO LIKE

• Power throughout the program. WordPerfect accommodates both the dilettante and expert. If you only dabble as a letter writer, then WordPerfect will make you feel good about writing. Two things that still separate WordPerfect from the pack are its streaming code architecture and its Reveal Codes feature. Both of these contribute directly to the speed of the program and its strong user retention, i.e., once your learn WordPerfect, you never want to let it go.
   
• Word count button on the status bar. I love this. You may never use it, and if not, you can remove it. Unlike Word 2007's live word count, you must click the button to update it; still, it's a nice touch.
   
• Paste without formatting allows HTML content to be included in a WordPerfect document intact. This is highly convenient for dropping content into a file and retaining its accuracy.
   
• Save without MetaData feature is something everyone should copy. When sharing files between companies or divisions, this eliminates any confidential or sensitive file info from the document.

• Enhanced PDF lets you not merely export, but import and edit PDF files, and although it re-exported incorrect colors on my test, the text was fine. You can also save to SWF format (Flash).
   
• Graphics handling has long been and is still a pleasure in WordPerfect. Much like TextMaker, WordPerfect lets you do anything with a graphic, and you don't have to dig around in a dialog to do it.
   
• Table of authorities. WordPerfect has useful features for creating tables of authorities in legal documents, along with other features lawyers love, such as the ability to convert old DOS documents and bring them up to the current day.
   
• Keyboard shortcuts. After decades, WordPerfect still shares most of the same keyboard shortcuts from the original DOS program. Once you learned them, they were burned into your brain for good.
   
• Color schemes for the UI seem to be the rage, and Corel has three that all are attractive. They did a great job here, I just wish they had copied their own unique gray and silver UI used in the CorelDRAW suite.
   
• Workspace manager feature allows you choose between WordPerfect or Word keyboard shortcuts, menu structure, and toolbars. If you switch to the Word equivalents, your documents are also saved in .doc format.
   
• Announced ODF and MS-OOXML support for next version. Corel, who has committed to broad interoperability between OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Office, is an original member of the OASIS Technical Committee on the OpenDocument Format, and Paul Langille, a senior Corel developer, is one of the original four authors of the OpenDocument specification, so support for this format is only natural. It will be interesting to see how successful they are and whether they will be able to convert MS-OOXML documents with accuracy. Efforts within the first year have been embarrassingly bad.
   
• Full setup took only 10 minutes, and while that seems long, it loaded over 540M onto the HD, because WordPerfect is not sold separately. In a second test, setup took only 3 minutes and just over 178M when loading WordPerfect and the minimal components in the suite.
   
• Corel is not perfect but it has brought fresh air and new life to WordPerfect, which had grown stale and had taken advantage of the loyalty of long time WordPerfect users through versions 8 through 11. Corel has one thing going for it and that is, it doesn't feel the pressure to compete head-on with Microsoft, instead choosing to work alongside, but persistently seek to build a better word processor � and this, from a traditional graphics company! Now if only everyone else would just steal the best wordcount dialog ever created, then I'd be ecstatic.

 

• Little things like zoom, word count, and numerous other display options for the status bar, along with the ability to adjust margins with the mouse onscreen make WordPerfect a fun, powerful word processor that can handle every need.

___________________
WHAT NOT TO LIKE

• Exporting to XML and HTML left troubling changes, as graphics didn't wrap or text flows were disrupted, and in one instance, a new section was translated as insert page. Clean XML text, however, was clean easily readable with a browser or RSS reader.
   
• WordPerfect is not sold separately from its suite. But wait, you say, almost every other word processor here shares a suite, too. While the WordPerfect suite is cheaper than Microsoft Office across the board, some might only want WordPerfect itself, as good as it is. (Corel does the same thing with its CorelDRAW suite � you get/pay for Photo-Paint and several other apps whether you use them or not.)
   
• Still no Unicode support. Although you have the option of saving a file in "Unicode text," I could not get the file to render properly under alternate language apps. This limits WordPerfect's appeal in markets outside of North America and Western Europe.
   
• Corel is not perfect but this version should not have been sent to manufacturing with the PDF editing problems it has. You can't realistically publish or edit an imported PDF document because of the extensive conversion errors made by WordPerfect. Corel is not afraid to build service packs for their products early and often, but they should not have to with WordPerfect because there's no rush to compete with another company's release schedule; i.e., it's only competing with itself, not Microsoft.
   

___________________
CONCLUSION
On almost every front, WordPerfect meets every challenge. From compatibility to PDF export to file format to graphics to power to broad choice within the UI, WordPerfect's flexibility makes an ideal word processor. This year Corel has promised to provide support for both OpenOffice.org OASIS OpenDocument Format (ODF) and Microsoft's MS-OOXML within the program, although by Summer 2007, Corel was still bogged in this effort, and has refused to comment publicly on any further timeline on when a converter would be ready. Given the complexity of the MS-OOXML spec, I'm eager to see how accurate Corel's conversion filters will be, and who (or what) will be blamed if they're not. Which format will be dominant in ten years around the globe we'll see, but Corel is offering cover by splitting their bet � if you use one format, you'll still have WordPerfect to convert it to the other for you.

Ultimately, WordPerfect suffers because it's no longer the sole major competitor to Microsoft Word, and its WPD document format is essentially obscure, forcing it to support every other format it can. Years of "We're number 2!" cheerleading has not brought the software a larger slice of the market. Perhaps WordPerfect isn't different enough to make you want to switch from Microsoft Word, but who cares, it's a significant upgrade for current users and it makes a great word processor for students at any higher level. And if you want a familiar, customizable interface rather than Word's Ribbon, WordPerfect has you covered. And if you're a current WordPerfect user, you should be using this version, so upgrade now!

 

LINKS
[BetaNews] Corel: ODF One Choice Among Many - http://www.betanews.com/article/Corel_ODF_is_One_Choice_Among_Many/1165015068
WordPerfect FAQs - http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite/us/en/Product/1152105039094
Wikipedia - WordPerfect - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WordPerfect
WordPerfect Universe - http://www.wpuniverse.com/

REVIEWS
eWeek.com - http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1917723,00.asp
Software in Review - http://www.softwareinreview.com/cms/content/view/36/1/
WordPerfect vs. Word (ongoing) - http://www.wpvsword.com/
IT Reviews - http://www.itreviews.co.uk/software/s355a.htm
PC Pro - http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/57568/corel-wordperfect-office-12.html
TG Daily - http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/01/17/corel_wordperfect_officex3_release/
PC Magazine - http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1565988,00.asp
ZDNet - http://review.zdnet.com/Corel_WordPerfect_Office_X3_Standard_Edition/4505-3524_16-31660600-2.html
 

________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

Introduction, Part 2: Second-tier word processors 
 
Remember: one size does not fit all. Choose your word processor according to your environment and needs. Don't let the world "alternate" lull you into thinking these word processors are mediocre. They are anything but so. Some have been around since the 1980s, the rest in some form since the early to mid-1990s. So like many office suites, these word processors have had time to mature, although their ambition and target user do not always match each other. Unlike the big three word processors above, they won't take long to master, and they don't waste time on superfluous features that don't work, such as Word 2003's crippling Master Document feature. Instead, you get a word processor built to create professional-looking documents with ease and efficiency.

Who are these word processors built for? Anyone, really; anyone who neither needs nor wants a full office suite. Look around at your family � your mom, retired uncle, nephew, gamer buddy, sports-crazed neighbor, or drunken sot of a best friend may never need the high-end features of Microsoft Word. In comes "alternate" word processor to save them time, money, and allow them to sidestep years of frustration. However, just because you don't see high-end features on some of these alternate word processors doesn't mean they don't have them. SoftMaker Office, 602 PC Suite, and EI Office are highly refined programs that have gained critical attention and loyal users around the world. Another quality that many of these powerful alternates share is their stability � no Zero-day attacks, no VB macros to exploit, and other ordinary Microsoft vulnerabilities and dangers.

While the following word processors are not dominant, they demand a specific purpose for using one of them. Often that reason is no other than to master a smaller feature set while accomplishing the same tasks one would otherwise do in the larger word processors covered in Part 1. Another reason might be simply compatibility (with Microsoft Word) without having to use Word itself. Whatever the reason, you won't find dissatisfied users of these word processors.

As for format, many come with their own proprietary format, which are almost useless if you want to share documents. All save in Microsoft's dominant .doc format. None will save in Microsoft Office 2007's MS-OOXML format. And of the seven word processors reviewed in this section, only TextMaker has an ODF import feature (but no ODF export). These word processors are not necessarily built for everyday business use, however, several could handle the task in small businesses if needed.

There are two shared traits of all these second-tier word processors: (1) each tries to match the look and feel of Word 97-2003, and often they want to bring that look and feel to a variety of platforms, and (2) they release major updates only rarely. The reason is simple: with a delimited feature set and a file format based on the market leader, there's no need to upgrade; these programs do what they need to do and no more. Bugs are ironed out with minor updates.

Which word processor in this second tier is the best? Depends on what criterion used. The most refined is TextMaker, while the most innovative is 602 PC Suite, and the most attractive UI lies with EIOffice. The others work, but don't fare so well with regard to speed and power. In other words, they quickly crash with larger documents, and frankly, that makes them useless. Still, keeping with Part 1, this review won't champion a "winner." Download, evaluate for a week composing a variety of documents; check for conversion accuracy, and consider their upgrade history � do they fix bugs? does the program tend to crash? Is its customizability suitable? and so on. If not, uninstall and try another.

 

What to consider in second-tier word processors 
� Suitability. Does it meet your needs in your business, at home, at school, or in whatever role you use it? Can you work with one at home and another at the office?

� Ease-of-use. A short learning curve. This is where the user interface (UI) makes the difference. Does it have a solid Help file to get you started?
 
� Power. Does it handle complex or large documents well, especially if you share and import with other word processors? You'll notice a word processor's performance quickly, but sooner or later, you're going to need power.

� Upgrade history. How often is the program updated? How often is a major upgrade released? Are bugs fixed in a timely manner?

� User Interface. Is it familiar or distracting? Can you find features easily? Can you setup and build your documents without frustration? In other words, does it aid or hinder your work?

� ODF as native file format. Although it could not be considered as part of this review given the age of many of these programs' last upgrade, users should look to see if any word processor they choose in the future will support the OASIS OpenDocument (ODF) format as a native file format, not just as a plugin. It's an ISO certified open standard XML document format that is being used by more and more office suite applications.

 

 

 

________________________________________________

TextMaker 

___________________
WHAT TO LIKE

• Well-designed throughout. TextMaker is the most polished and refined of all the alternate word processors. Imagine taking the best and most-used features of Word 2003, vastly expanding its document creation power, and throwing in a healthy dose of perfectionism throughout the user interface. Forget your imagination and just check out TextMaker. I'm betting you'll love it because it will never slow you down.
   
• Large document capacity at 4,096 pages. Moreover, TextMaker handled the document with ease, the .tmd file's size only reaching 32M.
   
  
• Broad control via Properties dialog. I love this. You can control a lot of your document's properties from one dialog, from protection to meta data to word count statistics and more. Take note: this is good design when you can conflate numerous, similar tasks in one large, easy to use dialog.

• Fast. As in damn fast. From opening itself to opening documents to handling linked spreadsheets to navigation and printing, TextMaker seems to do everything in an augenblick (blink of an eye). It will never hog your memory, never have a memory leak, and it will outwork you every time.
   
• Multi-platform support. It's a good day when I have a choice of OS when using TextMaker. It looks great on Linux.
   
• Affordable. At only �/$69.95 (that's a real bargain in USDollars) for SoftMaker Office, this is a bargain for this kind of stability.
   
• Graphics handling is one of TextMaker's strengths, splitting work between an object and text mode, letting you add and edit a graphics file with ease and speed. Most programs make this a real pain. TextMaker gets it.
   
• References. TextMaker handles indices, bibliographies, tables of content well, even letting you set up a bibliography database using its database component, DataMaker. Yet another feature that allows you to be productive as a student, researcher, writer, or transcriptionist.
   
• Customizable keyboard shortcuts. Every program should have this. It's not just for power users, it's for everyone. Enough said.
   
• Full, working trial version. If you're going to try a new program � especially another word processor � it should be able to do everything it claims it can do without having to purchase it first. TextMaker loads everything for its 30-day trial.
   
• Internal file manager dialog lets you easily search, print (without opening if you like), delete, and/or rename without going outside the program. Very handy when working with multiple files.

 

• Little things, such as control over the UI, default file format, keyboard shortcuts, toolbars, dictionaries, and so on give you control not only of your documents, but of the program itself. That's rare.

___________________
WHAT NOT TO LIKE

• Too dependent on Microsoft. Maybe this isn't a criticism, but in 2007 it is. TextMaker has only ODF import abilities right now, and no ODF export. Traditionally, TextMaker's .doc file conversion has been extremely accurate. It's own .tmd format is fine, but like any other proprietary format, hardly supported outside of TextMaker itself. However, if you regularly interact with .doc files at the office or school, TextMaker mirrors every element and you'll be able to use it transparently with Word 97-2003. Let's hope SoftMaker adds full ODF support soon, and that (1) ODF can be defined as the default format, and (2) we don't have to wait for the next full version to do so. Moving to ODF would put TextMaker among the big three word processors, given its broad abilities.
  
• TextMaker is no longer sold separately from its suite, which includes the spreadsheet, PlanMaker. SoftMaker would say this is a 2-for-1 benefit, as both are so easily integrated with one another.
   
• No PDF export. Perhaps this is too expensive, but this would be a welcome addition to this word processor.
   
• Too long between upgrades. Although there were regular updates, it took SoftMaker four years to issue its next major upgrade to TextMaker. Perhaps they were trying to conquer too many platforms. And since these alternate word processors don't go for feature bloat, there are fewer new features to merit a full upgrade over time.
    

___________________
CONCLUSION
Make no mistake, TextMaker is among the strongest contenders in this DonationCoder.com word processor review. It will never frustrate you, never disappoint you, and never empty your wallet. It will, however, tackle virtually any task you can throw at it. By every measure, I would highly recommend TextMaker to anyone.

 

LINKS
Tips and Tricks for TextMaker 2006 - http://www.softmaker.com/english/tipstm_en.htm

REVIEWS
SoftMaker Press page - http://www.softmaker.com/english/ofwpress_en.htm
 

 

 

 

________________________________________________

Atlantis 

___________________
WHAT TO LIKE

• Document power from small to large, to mega-sized. I work with large plain text and basic data files that can be opened with almost any program, but how surprising it is to find a word processor like Atlantis that can open a 10,000-page document with the same ease as a 50-page one. Save time was virtually instantaneous.
  
• Elegant and polished user interface. The love is in the details, and Atlantis is never ugly in any of its toolbar or graphical customizations.
   
• Document bar. I've always liked document bars or tabs in text programs wherever I find them. Atlantis's document bar resides just above the status bar and like the status bar, can be toggled off.
  
  
• Control what's seen on the status bar. I love this. You can control a lot of your document's properties from one dialog, from protection to meta data to word count statistics and more. Take note: this is good design when you can conflate numerous, similar tasks in one large, easy to use dialog.

• Good support. Atlantis has one of the best and most well-managed forums of any word processor, thanks to a responsive administrator and a lively, creative user community.
   
• 30-day Trial version is fully functional, as it should be. If you're going to disable your trial version, then how would a user ever be able to evaluate your program honestly? Atlantis lets you see what you're paying for, and you get to decide if it's worth it. I say it is.
   
• Affordable. At $35, this is a bargain for this word processor.
   
• Almost every menu item has its own keyboard shortcut. And they are well thought out.
   
• Word count dialog is loaded with information, a boon to writers and editors.

• Broad user interface customization from the status bar, document bar, keyboard shortcuts, toolbars, menus, sounds, Atlantis lets you set the program up based on how you work, not how it thinks you should.
  
• Customizable keyboard shortcuts. As noted above, every program should have this. It's not just for power users, it's for everyone. Enough said.
   
• Full, working trial version. If you're going to try a new program � especially another word processor � it should be able to do everything it claims it can do without having to purchase it first. TextMaker loads everything for its 30-day trial.
  
• Little things, such as the overall attractiveness of the UI, extensive sources for help, internal update check, the open pictures dialog (below), and the attention taken to footnotes and endnotes make Atlantis a popular word processor for good reason.

___________________
WHAT NOT TO LIKE

• Nonexistent graphics handling. It's not a good sign when even the Help file doesn't include a sample photo inserted into a page with word wrap and picture anchor options. Too bad, as this really spoils what should be a necessary feature.
  
• Spellchecker and thesaurus languages could be increased. Atlantis attracts loyal users from around the world, and while it has thirteen European languages, many new users elsewhere would enjoy these features in their native language.
   
• No PDF export. Perhaps this is too expensive, but this would be a welcome addition to this word processor.
   
• Limited file formats. Atlantis preserves efficiency by using the de facto standard Microsoft .doc format, along with RTF and text, but that's about it. A nice option for version 2.0 would be to upgrade to ODF format and eventually including a .doc-to-ODF converter.
    

___________________
CONCLUSION
Atlantis is a fine word processor in so many ways, until you stumble across one of its deficiencies, and then it frustrates you, forcing a workaround, as in the lack of comments converted from a .doc file to its graphics shortcomings. But its power lies in its customizability. If you're wanting a word processor to dance with you rather than dictate to you, and one that packs power and speed into its document length, Atlantis should be at the top of the list.

 

LINKS
Atlantis news and changelogs - http://www.atlantiswordprocessor.com/en/news/

REVIEWS
Atlantis CNET page - http://www.download.com/Atlantis-Word-Processor/3640-2079_4-10510652.html?sb=1&v=1  

________________________________________________

 

 

________________________________________________

Papyrus WORD 

___________________
WHAT TO LIKE

• The clipboard. The gray area outside the document boundaries on the Papyrus (WORD, the word processor component) workspace can serve as a clipboard. Just drag-n-drop text and photos there to include later.
  
• Text macros. Imagine this as a mini-AutoHotkey feature for text built inside your word processor. Very handy (but get AutoHotkey too).
   
• Precise font sizes. Papyrus can also display and print font sizes in decimals � 11, 11.5, 11.25, 11.75pt and so on.
  
• Papyrus can be installed using a USB flash drive. We all love being able to take a program with us. By being a stand-alone word processor, it's not dependent on resident, system files, allowing you to take your work � and your favorite word processor � with you.

• Non-modal dialogs. You don't have to close a dialog to keep working on your document. If you're working with styles or fine tuning a photo, you can leave the relevant dialog open and continue working. Just drag it to the side of the workspace. Very handy and saves time.
   
• Intelligent cut and paste prevents two spaces or no spaces from occurring when inserting or copying text to another location.
   
• A good student word processor. Papyrus makes it really easy to include and edit research papers with a table of contents, index, bibliography, footnotes or endnotes. One less thing to worry about: just get writing.
  
• Mark multiple, discontinuous text or sections and make changes simultaneously. Wow! Let's say you misspelled a term in two or more ways throughout a long paragraph or document. Instead of finding and replacing each separate term, just highlight them all using either the CTRL key or using the Mark button, and then input one correction for all. That's clever and innovative. Tip: You can do the same for graphics, setting or editing their properties at the same time.
  
• Resizable dialogs, especially the Options dialog. Every program that does not have this option, please steal it.

 

• Affordable. At $35, this is a bargain for this word processor.
   
• Word count dialog is loaded with information, a boon to writers and editors.
  
• Customizable keyboard shortcuts. As noted above, every program should have this. It's not just for power users, it's for everyone. Enough said.

• Broad user interface customization from the status bar, document bar, keyboard shortcuts, toolbars, menus, sounds, Atlantis lets you set the program up based on how you work, not how it thinks you should.
  
• Excellent PDF export. Loaded with options all the way through PDF 1.7, Papyrus lets you share and store your files securely and accurately.
  
• Merciful pricing. Like TextMaker, Papyrus sells as an Office product which also includes a database, spreadsheet, and desktop publishing components, but allows everyone to buy the program for �/$99, another gift to those of us who have to suffer from a weak USDollar. Version upgrades, however, are half the price of the program.
  
• Little things, such as being able to assign additional hotkeys to your function keys, an array of templates and tutorials included, both Windows (Vista ready) and OS X versions, and that they English version is the exact same as the German version of the program.

___________________
WHAT NOT TO LIKE

• Dialogs do not close after applying changes. There's no Okay button, just Apply buttons within the dialogs and when you press them, the dialog remains open. Esc does the trick.
  
• Although it shares the .doc format, Papyrus has its own .pap format. Fortunately, the several .pap documents I created � included ones with a table of contents, headers/footers, and footnotes, converting with great accuracy to .doc format.
   
• Poor kerning. Although kerning was set to 0, every document in Papyrus looked unfinished and stretched Overall, this resulted in an unattractive document.
   
• Limited file formats. While Papyrus will save to the de facto standard Microsoft .doc format, it brings its own .pap format to the program as the default.
    
• Nonstandard Help file. Although Papyrus's Help file is layered, it first introduction is merely an HTML file with links.

___________________
CONCLUSION
What others lack, Papyrus more than makes up for, as its power, depth and breadth of features, along with its graphics abilities are fused into a highly stable, tightly-coded program. That Papyrus is a mature program shows. The only two things that threw me were its HTML Help file and its poor kerning. Otherwise, Papyrus brings a lot of advanced features to its word processor strengthened by its other office components. While Papyrus doesn't have a online user forum, it offers a surprising variety of phone and email support options. It's easy to see why anyone would want to register Papyrus: it's truly a robust document solution.

 

LINKS
Papyrus 12 features - http://www.rom-logicware.com/new_v12.htm

REVIEWS
AppleLinks - http://www.applelinks.com/index.php/more/charles_moore_reviews_papyrus_office_12_office_suite/
Low End Mac - http://lowendmac.com/misc/05/1121.html
 

 

 

________________________________________________

AbiWord 

___________________
WHAT TO LIKE

• Built for writing. AbiWord has the tools needed for students to compose papers within any discipline. What it lacks in an Equation Editor it makes up for by offering accurate import of them from LaTex or any file. Taking many of its cues from Microsoft Word over the years, you'll find common paper elements, such as headers, footers, footnotes, endnotes, table of contents, bookmarks, etc. Yet there is no index feature for writing longer documents. But that's okay: this is a small word processor, and we don't expect a kitchen sink of features within.
   
• Variety of export options. RTF, .doc, HTML, .mht, all readable across OS platforms. For PDF, you'll need to rely on a third-party app.
   
  
• Keyboard shortcuts for almost every option. This should be encouraged and AbiWord's authors took time to layout a broad set of keyboard shortcuts. However, there is no option to customize them.
  
• Plug-ins extend AbiWord in many creative ways. AbiWord's website provides a clever Plug-in Matrix listed according to their function. Most of them work very well.

• Multi-platform support. Linux, OS X, Windows, your choice. Excellent!
   
• Open Source. It's free, but if you use it and like it, consider promoting it and/or helping in some way with the AbiSource project.
   
• Graphics handling is basic, but allows every text-wrapping option around an image or object. This only matters when you need it, and trust me, you'll need it.
   
• Plugins. AbiWord handles plugins with ease. Set your cursor on a word and within a click it can be defined, searched using Google, looked up using Wikipedia, or translated by Babelfish. Other plugins can be downloaded and easily installed.

• References. AbiWord shines with footnotes, endnotes, indices, and table of contents. It's clear the authors went a long way toward securing these features, and their quality makes a difference.
   
• Open source. It's supported and used by many, and it will never cut into your wallet. Better, you can take it with you on other platforms.

• Little things, such as document history, revision control, directional text (Right-To-Left or Left-To-Right), and complete control over table creation make you smile.

___________________
WHAT NOT TO LIKE

• AbiWord cannot handle large files, and never has been able to. Even saving a five-page .doc file blanked the program screen for six seconds on a fast machine, and this has been true for years now. Even a light-duty word processor needs more power than for mere letter-writing tasks.
  
• Even though AbiWord is open source, its development has been slower than expected. This is reflected in the lack or features common to other small word processors, such as PDF export, ODF support, and better graphics handling. It will be interesting to see how soon (or if?) AbiWord will support ODF as a native file format.
   
• .DOC conversion is poor. I was surprised at the various files I created either in Word 2003, or saved as a .doc file in other programs were so poorly converted. AbiWord added spaces before and after periods, changed the font every time Times New Roman (I should not have to modify the Normal style to open a document in its originally formatted font on my own machine). In one file, it deleted the title paragraph altogether and right-formatted the first paragraph.
   
• User Interface (UI) inconsistencies. Pressing a letter to jump to the desired font in the font list dropdown box does not work; inserting a photo made the first paragraph disappear for a few seconds (see below). I uninstalled and reinstalled with no better luck, even testing on a different machine under XP with similar problems.  

AbiWord continues to suffer from broad weaknesses between its sluggish DLL and erratic UI anomalies

Help file needs updating. In several places, the Help file was incorrect, viz., concerning its interplay with .doc format. Also, the Help file blames program crashes on Windows and overallocating resources. The system used to test had 4G of memory and even with four documents open, it was only taking up 30M of memory. Finally, if I left the program open too long, it froze on me.

___________________
CONCLUSION
While AbiWord is a good word processor in many ways, its performance consistently falls short, primarily with file handling. If a small word processor is going to lure you away from the Big 3 (StarOffice/OpenOffice, Word, and WordPerfect), then it better be good. AbiWord, however, is not good enough to justify the move unless you have very light word processing needs.

 

LINKS
Planet AbiWord blog � http://planet.abisource.com/

REVIEWS � http://www.abisource.com/reviews/
 

 

 

________________________________________________

Ability Write 

___________________
WHAT TO LIKE

• UI is refined, with thin toolbars, shadows under the menus, choice of visual styles, the ability to dock or float toolbars anywhere, and a clean look throughout, even in its dialogs.
   
• Menus includes useful features, such as the items found on this Insert menu, often buried in other programs.
   
  
• Menus includes useful features combined with easy-to-remember keyboard shortcuts, such as the items found on this Insert menu, often buried in other programs.

• Free support via email or phone for its latest version.
   
• Labeling is easy and has a good layout, making the task simple and fast.

 

• Affordable. Prices for Ability Office suite licenses vary according to type � non-profit, government, educational, multi-user, OEM, etc., and you can buy the entire office suite or individual modules, such as Write at will. Write was listed at $27.95, with the full Pro suite listed for $69.95.
   
• PDF export is available as well as Word, WordPerfect, RTF, HTML, TXT, among others.
   
• You can download and install older versions. Something you don't see everyday, but a nice option.
   
• Full, working trial version. If you're going to try a new program � especially another word processor � it should be able to do everything it claims it can do without having to purchase it first. Ability Write (or its Office suite) loads everything for its 45-day trial.
   
• Internal photo manager dialog provides the right options and makes it easy to insert the right graphic.

• Little things, such as great Help file, mail merge, good macro support are well written. Also, the Ability Office website is pretty fantastic, answering many questions and hiding nothing.

___________________
WHAT NOT TO LIKE

• Weak engine. Document capacity is questionable at best, but pasting and copying operations are intolerably slow � even in its native file format � taking over 7 seconds to copy seven pages of text and paste it using keystrokes. I did not fully test the document capacity of Ability Write because I didn't have the time to wait on the program. I could not open a txt, rtf, or doc file of over a few megabytes. The program crashed every single time. This alone makes the program worthless in my view, which makes me wonder: will the spreadsheet open my data or will it, too, crash? Also, after each crash, it would reset all my options back to the program's default, not even remembering my last file opened.
  
• Page setup does not allow you to set a top margin smaller than 0.70 or a bottom margin smaller than 0.78 for some reason. That's strange.
   
• In order to download the evaluation version of the program, you must be registered on the Ability website. When I returned to download and install another module of the office suite for evaluation, it did not recall my registered email and password.
   
• .doc conversion is poor, especially with embedded graphics or charts and tables. Write almost always converted any other font into Arial. Thus, it's odd to base your word processor and spreadsheet UI on Word and Excel, but then not be able to convert the .doc format well.
    
• Fields made text difficult to read, as they were inserted in gray boxes.
  
• References are all but forgotten. While you can insert footnotes, there is no endnote option, nor ones for a table of contents or index.

___________________
CONCLUSION
Whereas Ability Write is a highly attractive word processor, its performance from file handling to conversion to an overall lack of speed leaves it wanting. Oddly, Ability Write has collected plenty of positive reviews around the web, though I don't know why. For an affordable suite, you'd be better off with StarOffice or OpenOffice. Idiosyncrasies also mar Write's attraction, such as the arrow keys will not activate submenus, but only kicks you to the next menu; typing the first letter of a font does not jump to that part of your font list, and when you reopen the font list, it opens to the top of the list, not your present font; and no dialog was resizable. Its inability to handle references well; that is, to write a simple term paper makes Ability Write a poor choice among this group.

 

LINKS
Ability Office website - http://www.ability-usa.com/index.php

REVIEWS
National media reviews - http://www.ability-usa.com/reviews.php (Testimonials box list)  

 

 

________________________________________________

EIOffice 

___________________
WHAT TO LIKE

• Yet another great design and elegant UI, only better. EIOffice doesn't have integrated as part of its name for nothing. The entire suite shares the same interface. Built to mimic Office 2003, it really goes farther than Microsoft ever took that version of its suite. It includes task panes for easy navigation, autorecover features, customizable keyboard shortcuts (and menus and toolbars), even a choice of how the UI looks.
   
• Live links are easy to create, impossible to break. Unlike any other word processor, you can create a link between documents and document types. Just copy (bookmark, URL, spreadsheet, formula, cell reference) and paste (as link). You can change the link source all day and it will still retain the link intelligently!
   
  
• PDF export, along with document imaging. I love this and wish more word processors offered the ability to save your document not just as a variety of text document types (rtf, txt, htm, doc), but you can save the document as a PNG, BMP, TIF, or JPG file.

• Character enclosures. Developed in China, EIOffice supports Chinese Characters and Asian Layout also allows Asian and Latin characters to be combined or enclosed using any number of shapes and text order. This could also be highly useful for students in some disciplines such as linguistics, logic, and math.

• Evermore Software's website. No, it's not the program itself, but Evermore's website enhances the program, along with bringing you EIOffice-related news from around the web.
   
• Linux support. EIOffice isn't just Windows, I can have it in a Linux flavor, too (all the more reason it should support ODF in its next version).
   
• Floating application toolbar allows you to switch quickly among various apps. I didn't think I'd like it, but it's handy and instantaneous; it even remembers your last open document.
   
• References. EIOffice handles endnotes, footnotes, indices, tables of content exactly like Word 2003, and that's good.
   
• Customizable keyboard shortcuts. Every program should have this. It's not just for power users, it's for everyone. Enough said.
   
• Full, working trial version. If you're going to try a new program � especially another word processor � it should be able to do everything it claims it can do without having to purchase it first. EIOffice loads everything for its 30-day trial.
   
• Plot and insert math functions directly in a document as an editable image. This includes right-angle coordinates, trigonometric functions, conics, exponents, logarithms, polar coordinates, parameter equations, and custom expressions. This is a really cool feature.

 

• Little things, such as broad control over the UI, well-designed dialogs that simplify complex features, customizable keyboard shortcuts, the ability to save layouts and workspaces, versatile print preview, and so on give you exact control not only of your documents, but of the program itself. That's a beautiful thing.

___________________
WHAT NOT TO LIKE

• Font rendering remains a visible weakness. Nicholas Petreley nails this persistent, major flaw: "...the fact that it occasionally drops characters may be the explanation as to why Evermore Software has not enabled font anti-aliasing or other font smoothing techniques available in Java. These features can slow down performance significantly. Without them, the fonts in EIOffice look anywhere from aesthetically challenged to downright homely. The problem is worse on an LCD monitor than on a CRT, but let's face it, it's the twenty-first century now and there's no excuse for such ugly font rendering, whether it's a Java problem or an EIOffice problem. Fortunately, documents print much better than they appear on screen, and the fonts are smoothed when giving presentations." Menus and dialog share the same flaw.
  
• Poor execution throughout. From font rendering problems to quirky dialogs to nonstandard dropdown menus to slow cursor speed, EIOffice does not earn its hefty price. For $99, it obviously has style, just too little execution.
   
• No PDF export. Perhaps this is too expensive, but this would be a welcome addition to this word processor.
   
• Too long between upgrades. Although there are regular updates, just as SoftMaker took four years to issue its next major upgrade to TextMaker, Evermore has annual "versions," but that has more to do with licensing than revision or innovation. When you're only trying to keep up with Microsoft Office (2003), your feature set is determined for you. But why not innovate on the Linux platform to leverage its power and advantages over Windows?
  
• Subscription license. Evermore offers EIOffice on an annual subscription basis for $99, and while the program doesn't change significantly year-to-year, this could be a hindrance.
   

___________________
CONCLUSION
EIOffice is arguably the most advanced and complete of all the second-tier word processors. However, its weaknesses are glaring, even distracting, as if the program was built, but the tedious details were never finished. Its greatest strength � its cloning of (and improvement on) Microsoft Word 2003 � is also its greatest limitation. It's seamless integration of word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation apps is stunning. And I didn't even mention its Science Editor, which is a fully integrated math and science editor designed to support complex illustrations and equations directly in the active document. If all this sounds like a bargain at $99, download EIOffice and spend a month working in it; it may well be what you've been looking for all along.

 

LINKS
EIOffice Development - http://www.chinatechnews.com/2004/05/18/1151-latest-edition-of-eioffice-goes-on-global-market/

REVIEWS
Flexbeta - http://www.flexbeta.net/main/printarticle.php?id=62
Nicholas Petreley - http://software.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=04/05/27/158237
CXO Today - http://www.cxotoday.com/cxo/jsp/article.jsp?article_id=969&cat_id=911  

 

 

________________________________________________

PolyEdit 

___________________
WHAT TO LIKE

• Solid UI. Customizable and flexible in themes, PolyEdit's user interface is quite polished. Imagine a high-end text editor like UltraEdit converted to a word processor and you get the idea. Toolbars can be docked anywhere with ease, and you can even choose which icon to associate with PolyEdit files. A nice plus is that PolyEdit is a multi-document interface, using tabs to list open documents.
   
• Large document capacity at 3,100 pages. Even though its website claims "unlimited file size," that's not really true. Yet PolyEdit handled the (.doc) document with relative ease, and did the same for RTF format.
  
  
• Import/Export strength. PolyEdit is designed around its import and export abilities, and while it doesn't yet import ODF files, it covers just about every other format on the Windows platform, including RTF. You can also save files in Unicode by default, a big plus. It has its own ETF (Enhanced Text Format), but I can't imagine using it, as it doesn't include any benefits over other formats.

• Responsive. One thing required in a word processor is does the UI keep up with the speed of my typing. I'm a fast typist and PolyEdit is faster than I am, which is nice.
   
• Email client built-in. Though I'm not a fan of kitchen sink programming, several reviewers loved this feature. Someone will have to explain it to me.

 

• Affordable. At only $27.95 it won't bust your software budget.
   
• Useful Tools throughout. Spend some time with PolyEdit and you quickly get the idea that it was built with user feedback. Digging into the Tools menu provides the evidence with integrated features such as (free) WordWeb dictionary, advanced Intellicomplete (think autocomplete or autocorrect), mail client, the ability to encrypt a file, line sorting (more like line and block editing), a clipboard catalog along with "snippets" that can include notes, clipboard items, and reminders. And the icing? There's a toolbar for every one of these features.
   
• Full, working trial version. If you're going to try a new program � especially another word processor � it should be able to do everything it claims it can do without having to purchase it first. PolyEdit lets you download and install everything for its 30-day trial.
   
• Informative wordcount dialog adds value to any second-tier word processor and PolyEdit even assigns it a keyboard shortcut: CTRL+T.

 

• Little things, such as Paste Special, a clean uninstall, UI themes, minimize to the system tray, clipboard purge are cool. You can even edit the PolyEdit tips in the Help > Tips dialog. PolyEdit is not all bad.

___________________
WHAT NOT TO LIKE

• References. The lack of either a footnotes or endnotes feature all but eliminates PolyEdit for academic consideration. Wow, now there's one heck of an omission for a desktop word processor.
   
• Graphics handling is another glaring weakness of PolyEdit. No wrapping, no editing, no formatting, photos are just plopped in as if you tossed a rock in the soup.
   
• Too dependent on Microsoft. I lodge this as a criticism because while PolyEdit is rarely updated, with every year it remains tethered to the Microsoft-only way of doing things, it has by now become a form of constricting its future development. For PolyEdit, the clock stopped ticking in 2003; Word 2003, that is.
  
• Funky formatting. Importing a modern Word .doc, PolyEdit stripped every bit of formatting for some inexplicable reason. Adding a new paragraph also randomly added wide spaces between paragraphs, despite not making any other changes.
   
• No PDF export. As with other second-tier word processors, perhaps this is too expensive, but this would be a welcome addition to this word processor.
   
• Poor choice of keyboard shortcuts. Keyboard shortcuts are all over the place in PolyEdit, and I blame that on converting the program from Russian to English. Some commands have keyboard shortcuts, such as subscripts, but superscript does not, nor do title and sentence case.
    

___________________
CONCLUSION
PolyEdit exhibits good design, but poor execution. And its faults really stand out, to the point of making it unusable for business and academic use. And let's be frank: without those two groups of users, your word processor is pretty much dead on the side of the road. Most development on PolyEdit was complete years ago, in 2003. Too bad, as this could be an outstanding word processor in its own right with continued work.

 

LINKS
PolyEdit on Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PolyEdit (Yea, maybe someone should work on this.)

REVIEWS
CPU - http://www.computerpoweruser.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles/archive/c0505/39c05/39c05.asp
 

 

 

________________________________________________

602 Text 

___________________
WHAT TO LIKE

• Built for writing, and isn't that what word processors are for? 602Text brings both structure and utility to a lot of good ideas. Whether it's composing research papers, small business writing such as proposals, light desktop publishing, brochures, or simply memos and faxes, 602Text provides a sensible, affordable solution. And you won't regret having its feature set at hand. 602 Software has been in business for over twenty years, so they're not a here-today, gone-tomorrow software company. Most of all, you'll appreciate how 602Text works between text and object modes. Much like TextMaker in this regard, working with graphics and tables suddenly is easier than you imagined, which always provokes me to ask: Why don't other word processors do tasks this way?
   
• PDF export is nice, and being accurate is a bonus.
   
• Good document capacity at about 3,000 pages. Even better, large files are not sluggish.
   
  
• Styles dialog gives you control over styles, where to apply them, dependencies, keyboard shortcuts, font properties, etc. with ease.

• Liberal license model. Already affordable at $40, its multi-user licenses allow you the same number of installations on employees' home systems.
   
• Mail merge that works! Okay, I shouldn't get so excited about a feature that actually works, but try finding many mail merge features in word processors that aren't a pain in the eye. In 602Text, you can merge directly to email, fax, printer, file, or even save all merged data to a new file. After opening your main and source documents, the mail merge wizard is two steps.
   
• Graphics handling is one of the strengths of 602Text, splitting work between an object and text mode, letting you add and edit a graphics file with ease and speed. Most programs make this a real pain. 602Text (and TextMaker) gets it.
   
• References, with a caveat. Yet another second-tier word processor that handles indices, bibliographies, tables of content well, even letting you set up your own database using ODBC. Its glaring omission is the lack of endnotes.
   
• Customizable keyboard shortcuts. Every program should have this. It's not just for power users, it's for everyone. Enough said.
   
• Full, working trial version. If you're going to try a new program � especially another word processor � it should be able to do everything it claims it can do without having to purchase it first. 602PC Suite loads everything for its 30-day trial.
   
• Barcodes and labels that work and are easy to setup. I can even cut and paste postnet barcodes into other apps. Labels are aided by a active visual within its dialog to let you know exactly what you're setting up.

 

• Little things, such as crosshairs on the rulers for exact positioning, form fields, object and HTML link lists, clever print preview leave a positive impression.

___________________
WHAT NOT TO LIKE

• Mono-platform support. You only get 602Text in one OS: Microsoft Windows. I understand why (market share), but that doesn't let others share a great program.
   
• Lack of customizable keyboard shortcuts. Maybe I'm asking too much, but given what 602Text already provides, maybe not. 602 Text raises expectations with so many good ideas, but you want it go just a little further. This is one area that's needed, since 602Text's keyboard shortcuts are miserly at best.
  
• File format choices are limited. Like most of the second-tier word processors, the need for efficiency forced them to adopt the dominant Microsoft Word .doc format as the native file format, and 602Text doesn't go much further, allowing you to save formatted text in either .doc or .rtf formats.
   
• No AutoCorrect feature. While 602Text does have a block AutoText feature, it does not include AutoCorrect. While the rest of us use AutoHotkey for this, 602Text users should have this option available.
   
• Help file not included. It's a PDF file and must be installed separately. Come on!
   
• Complex documents are inconsistently converted. While a thesis created in Word 2003 was converted almost flawlessly (the header font was altered), when tables and different layouts were applied within the same document, the distinctions were lost during conversion. Unacceptable for such a long-term Microsoft Word clone.
   

___________________
CONCLUSION
I've used and recommended 602PC Suite to friends for over a decade because it's a clever program that serves one's needs between word processor and spreadsheet. Also, like so many of the second-tier word processors listed here, the learning curve is minimal, meaning you can get straight to work. 602Text has long been a solid word processor, with almost no bugs, and it had features years in advance of Microsoft Word, such as barcodes, wordcount on the toolbar, statistics in the Properties dialog, and best of all, 602Text treats objects and text in separate modes, reducing complexity and eliminating the source of many user errors. This makes it ideal for of all people, students writing research papers. Because of the attention to extras and details, 602Text can serve the student's needs well. 602Text is not without weaknesses, and as noted, they stand out. While the program generously gives you many cool features, it quickly takes them back by not providing one or two more options (endnotes, ODF support, no autocorrect, a weak dictionary).

 

LINKS
602PC Suite Knowledge Base - http://support.software602.com/kb/

REVIEWS
602PC Suite Reviews page - http://www.software602.com/products/pcs/reviews.html
 

 

________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction, Part 3: Online word processors 
 
Online, or Web 2.0, word processors have received a lot of press attention in the past year. Almost all of that attention has focused on the potential and promise of online productivity software, even some suites like Zoho and ThinkFree. However, just as potentiality is not actuality, Web 2.0 word processors are still in their infancy, tethered to the broad limitations of trying to shoehorn the browser into a desktop application mold. Regardless of browser type, you must enable cookies and JavaScript (which allows it to run on any platform).

Online word processors are also judged by what one intends to do with them and how. For example, if you intend to run a small business through online applications, you'll only succeed if your productivity needs are slight at best, and you're willing to subjugate performance to ubiquity. If you're an individual who has come to think the idea of not buying, loading, updating, and tweaking office software on your system is worth handing over to a Web 2.0 company who will do all that for you, then you may well be a candidate. For light users, you're going to be surprised at how well these apps will serve your needs, perhaps going so far to replace current desktop suites.

The primary strength of online word processors are their accessibility through various file formats, file sharing, and collaboration. Document mobility cannot be overrated. The secondary strength is online storage. It allows you to create documents and spreadsheets without the need to save to your local hard drive (although you do have the option to save a copy to your hard drive, if you like). Because online word processors save to a secure, online storage facility, you can access your documents from any computer, and, in the event of a local hard drive crash, you won't lose your saved content online. The tertiary strength is obvious: collaboration capability.

What to consider in online word processors 
� Suitability. Does it meet your needs in your business, at home, at school, or in whatever role you use it? Can you work with one at home and another at the office?

� Collaboration features. Are they easy to setup? Do they work as intended, with the ability to grant levels of access?
 
� Power. Does it handle complex or large documents well, especially if you share and import with other word processors? You'll notice a word processor's performance quickly, but sooner or later, you're going to need power.

� Scalability. Can it grow when your needs grow?

� User Interface. Is it familiar or distracting? Can you find features easily? Can you setup and build your documents without frustration? In other words, does it aid or hinder your work?

� File format support. Does it support the OASIS OpenDocument (ODF) format as well as .doc format? And don't forget about PDF support; you'll eventually need it. (None, however, support Office 2007's MS-OOXML format.)

 

 

________________________________________________

Google Docs 

___________________
WHAT TO LIKE

• Good file format support. Though Google Docs doesn't try to match Microsoft Word's overpowering feature set, it does let you create fully formatted documents complete with pictures, tables, and hyperlinks. You can also upload documents as ODF, .doc, RTF, HTML, and plain text files and download documents in ODF, .doc, RTF, HTML, and PDF formats. The program has more power than you see on the menu. For example, if you upload a Word file with footnotes or endnotes, Google Docs displays the notes correctly, lets you edit their content, and exports them correctly � although you can't create new notes within Google Docs unless you make tricky manual edits to the underlying HTML.
   
• Fast, as in responsive. I was delighted to find how much Google Docs' speed had improved over the past six months. Editing and formatting is just as fast as a desktop app, and it shares the familiar Windows/Word keyboard shortcuts.
  
• Broad control via toolbars and menus. I love this. You can control a lot of your document's properties from one dialog, from protection to meta data to word count statistics and more. Take note: this is good design when you can conflate numerous, similar tasks in one large, easy to use dialog.

   

• Affordable. For $50 a year, you can upgrade to the Google Apps Premier Edition that includes the whole Google Apps package plus many new business-oriented features, including access to Google Apps' APIs and partner solutions (so it�s easy to integrate with existing systems), conference room scheduling for Calendar, 10Gb of inbox storage, extended business hours phone support, and mobile access to your email on BlackBerry devices (just in case you can't get enough at the office). Though the apps throughout the "suite" are freely available to all, the differences between the premium and free versions are listed in this comparison table.
   
• Changes in any document can be subscribed to via RSS. You can invite other people to read or edit your document by entering their email addresses on a form, and a toolbar notifies you if someone else is editing a document at the same time as you are. Revisions are synchronized every few seconds. If someone else deletes a sentence while you're adding words to it, a popup lets you preserve the words you were adding, but if you want to get back the sentence that your colleague deleted, you'll have to click on a Revisions tab and extract the sentence from the earlier versions that Google Docs stores automatically. A convenient button lets you compare two earlier versions, with the differences highlighted by color-coding. Being able to view your documents' revision history and roll back to any version can be a lifesaving feature. Below is the revision page.

 

• Direct HTML editing. If Google Docs doesn't let you do something, click on the 'Edit HTML' tab and do you own editing. Some changes like margins won't show up until you print or publish, but this at least lets you extend the program beyond its stated limitations.

 

• Collaboration made easy. Isn't this the great advantage over desktop app? Even with Microsoft Office 2007's Live offering, with Google Apps, you're not carrying the massive bulk and upkeep of the application on your system. All that dirty work is done before you ever logon.

 

• Shared API. Companies like Application Exchange are already taking advantage of Google's APIs to integrate Google Apps into your website. There are others coming online, but by placing your account database (and other tools) at hand online, where time is money, money is saved.
  
• To remove headers and footers when printing, open the Page Setup (or Print...) dialog of your browser and remove their parameters. (This applies to all online word processors.)

   

• Little things, such as file integration, expanded document tagging, post to blog, publish the document by direct print, email or to an unique URL created by the editor, wordcount dialog, limited font and styles control, words can be added to your dictionary, and the ability to upgrade to a Premier account make Google Docs a hit.

___________________
WHAT NOT TO LIKE

• Your data on Google's servers. Depending on what you intend to share and your level of privacy, this may not be for you. Corporations are notorious for handing over private data to government authorities when asked. AOL, AT&T, and now MySpace are infamous for this behavior.
  
• Lack of customizability. Unlike desktop apps, Google Docs cannot be customized, such as its keyboard shortcuts. However, I suppose one would use an AutoHotkey script to do some of the customization work.
   
• No full paragraph justification. A limitation of running a word processor through a browser.
   
• Document size limits. Each document can be up to 500K (even while Gmail allows you 20Mb per file), plus up to 2Mb per embedded image, and each user can only have 5000 documents and 5000 images.
    
• No footnotes or endnotes yet. Currently, Google Docs does not have an endnote or footnote feature, although endnotes could be created manually, like we did in the old days.
  
• Cannot embed a spreadsheet in a document. You can create tables all day, but embedding and linking to a spreadsheet is not available.
  
• A system for bulk-handling of docs. I can see where businesses could upload and publish from five to fifty docs at the same time.

___________________
CONCLUSION
Google Docs is here to stay If you've ever worked with FrontPage 2003, that's where Google Docs is at (on a word processing level).. While Google has taken baby steps so far, they continue to iron out the kinks and have so far managed to keep its interface stupid-simple. After all, isn't the whole point with a pared down word processor to get in, get out, and share your work? By not complicating the interface, users can dive right in � browser familiarity alone gets you past first base. An autosave feature that doesn't just save, but saves versions every minute will never let your document die from a power surge or outage. There are lots of obvious advantages to an online word processor such as Google Docs, and if you want to see why, start here.

 

LINKS
Google Docs & Spreadsheets Blog - http://google-d-s.blogspot.com/
Google Docs & Spreadsheets Help Center - http://docs.google.com/support/
Google Docs & Spreadsheets Tour - http://www.google.com/google-d-s/tour1.html

REVIEWS
PCWorld - http://blogs.pcworld.com/techlog/archives/003783.html
ComputerWorld - http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9007884
CNET - http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-9239_7-6627472-1.html
 

 

 

________________________________________________

ThinkFree Office Write 

___________________
WHAT TO LIKE

• File. TextMaker is the most polished and refined of all the alternate word processors. Imagine taking the best and most-used features of Word 2003, vastly expanding its document creation power, and throwing in a healthy dose of perfectionism throughout the user interface. Forget your imagination and just check out TextMaker. I'm betting you'll love it because it will never slow you down.
   
• Your browser's menu bar is closed so that ThinkFree's keyboard shortcuts don't interfere with the browser's keyboard shortcuts.
  
  
• File handling, synching, and archiving is excellent. You can upload up to five documents at a time, and the maximum size can be up to 10Mb. You can also sync your files between your local drive and "WebTop" folder (below) on ThinkFree's server space. You can also archive your files into one zip file and download it to you local drive anytime.

• Active spell-checking. Right-click on a red-underlined word and correct it on the fly. Nice.
   
• 1Gb of online storage, along with offering a variety of useful templates, a document viewer (which is superfluous)
   
• The closest thing to Microsoft Office 97-2003 online. If you're hooked on Microsoft Office "classic," then ThinkFree Office seeks to clone all but Outlook. No support for Office 2007's file format, so if you're using that version on your desktop, save everything in Compatibility Mode, i.e., .doc format.
  
• Little things, such as post to blog, document tagging, doc exchange (a publishing feature), ThinkFree desktop, (which is a Microsoft Office 2003 clone), portable, and iPod editions; a full-screen mode that while seemingly not so great, could be nice when showing documents to others in conference. 
  

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WHAT NOT TO LIKE

• UI is cluttered. ThinkFree's user interface for its "Power Edit" mode just crams too much onto the screen, as if it's pretending to be a replica of Word 2003.

  
  

• Ads must be closed each time you open a document, unless you enjoy looking at them or having them take up valuable browser space. ThinkFree even chops off the page for you.
  
• Very slow. ThinkFree is overly Java-dependent (Runtime/Script), so any move you make churns the engine and often displays a "Connecting to the web folder. This could take 30 seconds or longer to complete" dialog. Signing on and opening a document was equally slow, which defeats the purpose of easy document creation and file handling. I might as well launch OpenOffice for the first time and get a cup of coffee.
   
• Lots of error messages. One that kept recurring was the following, despite trying to save it locally on my HD in a d:\thinkfree\ folder.

 

• Default format is .doc. An XML format is provided, but there's little to do with it. Others include RTF, TXT, HTML, and fortunately, PDF. However, your only realistic choice is Microsoft's proprietary binary .doc format.
  
• Would not display work in Opera, but would with Firefox and Internet Explorer. Opera is a highly standards-compliant browser. Come on!
   
• Graphics handling is poor and slow. If you are inserting a picture, make sure to select "tight" layout, as anything else is virtually unworkable.
   
• Opening a document from ThinkFree's WebTop start page did not work. Doing so, gave me a garbled page. Instead, I had to open the file directly from my local HD every time. I figured I was doing something wrong, so I went to a second and third computer with the same result below, which was not my document!

• Choppy text rendering. Just like EIOffice above, ThinkFree does not enable font anti-aliasing or other font smoothing techniques available in Java (even though it uses a good bit of AJAX code), so no matter which font you choose, you'll swear you're going blind. This translates into its menus and dialogs, too. Inexcusable.
  
• ThinkFree does not remember your last file location. A true pain, as ThinkFree's Open dialog starts with the ThinkFree\WEBTOP folder every time. I could never figure out where this mythical folder was (it was not in the thinkfree folder within the user profile folders of either XP or Vista). Apparently it's part of ThinkFree's server space, but despite saving files there, I could not see any to open. And while this folder seemed to appear on my desktop inside the dialog, no corresponding folder existed on my system. Every time, I had to sift through drives and folders to get back to the last file.

• The only way to open a file is to logout, and then login again. Yet another major pain. And when I selected the document (checkbox, too) and chose Quick Edit, it jumped me into View mode each time. Even when I was in Quick Edit mode, the button at the top of the screen indicated I was still in View mode.
  
• Quick Edit mode dropped most formatting, as does any formatted text pasted into ThinkFree. There is no Paste Special command. When I finally managed to get into Quick Edit mode, my document above looked like this:

• No ODF support. If your files consist of Microsoft's .doc format, then ThinkFree has you covered. Anything else, and you're on your own: convert, then upload in order to use this online word processor.
  
• Email tech support with 48-hour turnaround. You can get this with the Premium edition, but 48 hours is a long time to wait.
  
• Help is virtually nonexistent. When I sought help through F1 or the Help menu, it opened a sign-on page that re-opened the same document I was editing. When Help finally came up, it was simply ThinkFree's FAQs. (This was true between both IE7 and Firefox.)
  

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CONCLUSION
While ThinkFree Write gives a good impression on setup, its execution is deeply flawed. In fact, everything that was good about Google Docs � lightweight, responsive, easy to use, familiar tools, etc., are all garbled in ThinkFree. Though the website proclaims it's still in beta (since 2000?!), it's time to take training wheels off and get serious. There's not a lot to recommend here, and compared to Google Docs and Zoho, Although some reviewers raved about ThinkFree, it left me scratching my head, as if the ThinkFree team was way over their heads.

 

LINKS
ThinkFree Docs (Search, Share, and Publish) - http://www.thinkfreedocs.com/

REVIEWS
ComputerWorld - http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9007884
ExtremeTech - http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1952434,00.asp
CNET - http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-9239_7-6627472-1.html
 

 

 

Zoho Writer 

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WHAT TO LIKE

• Clean, clear UI. Perhaps the best layout of all the online word processors, Zoho Writer provides clear text, a moderately dark gray background (which can be switched with eight other backgrounds), a sidebar of files and templates, icons in the status bar for various info and search features, along with two toolbars that give you almost everything you need at hand for document editing.
   
• Print Preview mode allows you not only to see how your document will look, but to save it as a fully-formatted HTML file. If you're using a basic HTML editor to create individual pages or to format papers for online publishing and display, Zoho Writer will make your documents look great and be readable across browsers.
  
• Template library is loaded. Listed four to a page, Zoho's template library is easy to navigate, search, and has a broad array of designs for students and small business.

• Works equally well among the three major browsers, IE, Firefox, Opera, even Safari (JavaScript must be enabled, of course).
   
• No file size limits. Unlike other Web 2.0 word processors, Zoho Writer does not impose file size limits. Upload that dissertation, but remember it's going to take a little longer.
  
  
• Robust Insert dialogs. Every Insert dialog is full-featured, providing full options with dropdown menus, and even a click-n-drag table creation feature familiar to desktop apps.

• ODF support, along with PDF, HTML, .doc, RTF, and TXT. PDF import is not supported, and as expected, Microsoft Office 2007's MS-OOXML format is not supported, but Zoho does intend to according to its roadmap.
   
• Quick Format lets you quickly control the look and borders of any element in your document, whether it's a paragraph, heading, style, etc.

• Unlike Google Docs, Zoho Writer has full justification for paragraphs. It may seem small, but for professional-looking documents and readability among columns, full justification is often better.
   
• Compare versions, even rollback to previously saved (or autosaved) versions within your documents' revision history. When you select the 'Show Diff' button, the changes are highlighted to show the changes from the previous version. Each successive version is labeled 1.1, 1.2, 1.3.... 

• Little things, such as easy document tagging, post to blog, customizable toolbars (in Options), encrypted document save, and Zoho even lists its keyboard shortcut list in its FAQs. If you need more, much like Google Docs, Zoho provides an expanded suite of products. For example, the Zoho Notebook is a pretty incredible Microsoft OneNote copy, only you can save in it! If nothing else, such a notebook is a boon for students and business users that only enhances Writer's feature set.

___________________
WHAT NOT TO LIKE

• Spell check is only in English. How are my Euro friends going to spell check their language? English is great, but let's at least get the six major languages of the world on board. You can write in any language except RTL (Right to Left), such as Arabic and Hebrew. Support for those will be available later.
   
• Wordcount is cheated for now. The Wordcount dialog is accessed by saving your document, and then in the bottom right corner, this small popup dialog appears, providing minimal information. Keep your eyes open because it only appears onscreen for three seconds. On the flip side, this feature is scheduled soon to become a button.

• No Help file, only FAQs. While Zoho Writer is simple and straightforward, it's only courteous to provide a help file.
   
• No way to hide or minimize the explorer sidebar. While it's a small issue, it would be nice to be able to slide the (file) explorer sidebar closed.

• PDF Export lacking. While fine for text, Zoho Writer's PDF Export feature tends to drop formatting in tables at times. I'm willing to forgive this because everyone by now has a PDF print program on their system. (Just remember to turn off headers and footers before printing.)
   

 

___________________
CONCLUSION
Zoho Writer combines the best of both word processing and HTML worlds in one online package. You can even use a CSS file as a template for your documents (more support for this on the way, too), making Zoho Writer a natural frontend for blogging. Faster than any other online app reviewed here with regard to upload speed, UI responsiveness, and navigation � you really get to see what AJAX can do here. Zoho Writer doesn't waste space, either. By combining text, icons, toolbars, tabs, buttons, a sliding sidebar file explorer, along with a tight workspace, it clearly is built for productivity. Good design is when you take the best of others and bend them to your needs. With Zoho Writer you can get right to work with no learning curve at all. Even better, you can create (or learn!) a lot of cool HTML, and to a lesser extent CSS code with the documents you create using it. After using it for a short while, I'm willing to bet you'll like it better than your desktop word processor � it's that good.

 

LINKS
Zoho Writer FAQs - http://writer.zoho.com/public/help/zohowriterfaq/fullpage
Read/Write Web - http://www.readwriteweb.com/

REVIEWS
ComputerWorld - http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9007884
ConsumerGuide Products - http://products.howstuffworks.com/adventnet-zoho-writer-review.htm
CNET - http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-9239_7-6627472-1.html

________________________________________________

Other online word processors that were considered but not included in this review, because we didn't feel they were up to the same quality as the other online tools at the time this article was published (June 11, 2007):

 � Ajax13
 � FlySuite FlyWord
 � Glide Write

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	SUMMARY   Summary  As word processing continues its steady progression from the printer to electronic documents like PDF and eventually to the web, the most successful word processors will be those that are best able to put words online, for all to read. For now, the landscape will remain fractured among traditional paper-and-printer word processors to hybrids like Microsoft Word 2007 to online apps which have come astonishingly far in the past year due to creative coding using AJAX. And let's not forget the most prolific force of writing we've seen in history: blogging. Blogging tools alone have moderated any expanded use of word processors and unleashed a generation of creative catharsis that I hope will never diminish. Telling someone which word processor is best is like telling someone which browser is better; I'll leave that up to you. As you've read through the review, there are many good choices, and always more than one that will fit your needs and workflow. And if you reread it, you'll notice that the major word processors are in a gray area right now, still tied to the desktop (naturally), but wondering how to tie themselves to the web. All the second-tier word processors suffered � by design � from cloning a former version of Microsoft Word. A good idea which has outlived its usefulness. But whether you'll ever use them or not, the online word processors are exciting. They each are limited by their canvas, the browser. But there is something nice about never having to upgrade, to install, to update, to validate your word processor software if it's done (online) for you. Finally, my only advice is to look beyond any one word processor and seek openness in your choice of file format. Do not allow yourself and your data to be locked-in to the whim of any one vendor. ODF can be used by any word processor if the vendor so chooses, and it satisfies the criteria outlined by Sam Hiser of: "(1) being developed and maintained in an open, multi-vendor, multi-stakeholder process that protects against control by a single organization; (2) being the only openly-available standard, published fully in a document that is freely available and easy to comprehend; (3) being the only format unencumbered by intellectual property rights (IPR) restrictions on its use in other software, as certified by the Software Freedom Law Center; and (4) offering interoperability with ODF-compliant applications on the common operating system platforms of Windows, GNU/Linux, and OS X, along with most online word processing apps." For myself, here are my own personal choices within each category and the briefest reasons why. Major Word Processor StarOffice/OpenOffice, because of its universal file format in ODF, it's roadmap, and the fact that it is Open source.           Runner-up: Microsoft Word 2007, because it's essentially a desktop publishing app now. Second-tier Word Processor TextMaker for its polish, accurate .doc conversion, and multi-platform support.           Runner-up: 602Text, for its stability. Online Word Processor Zoho Writer, because of its strong HTML formatting and feature set unique to any word processor online or desktop, and its ODF support.           Runner-up: Google Docs, because it's fast, easy, and never loses a document nor lets you make a mistake. __________________________________ This article was written by Zaine Ridling, an occasional DonationCoder.com reviewer who runs The Great Software List.   GO BACK TO REVIEWS..

 

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