[DM-MUG] words and pages

[John Kisner]

I've had an interesting six months playing around with alternatives to=20=

MS Word.  The arrival of Pages from Apple complicates things.  Thought=20=

I'd summarize here.

***
MS Word.  This software is "work" to get comfortable with.  I started=20
using it for an editing project last summer, sending files back and=20
forth with a fellow in Illinois.  Like a lot of newer software, Word=20
assumes it knows what you want to do.  It sometimes takes over the=20
formatting of complex documents, and it was frustrating to me as a=20
novice.

My first step up from a C-64 was a Sanyo computer that was advertised=20
as 96% DOS-compatible -- and it turns out that missing 4% was=20
everything that wasn't purely text-based.  Likewise, Word is hard to=20
replace in a shared-work environment because you can't always trust=20
other word-processing programs to open and save to the format=20
correctly.  For instance, the document I'm editing uses "=C3" (check=20
mark) symbols to mark changes from the previous edition.  When opening=20=

the file in NWE, the check marks were converted to something else.

***
Text Editors.  At the meeting last night, Bailey mentioned using a text=20=

editor.  These are in vogue for those who supply content for magazines,=20=

books, etc.  By minimizing the bells & whistles, you maximize=20
compatibility with your edit and layout team.  But not very interesting=20=

for most home users, who don't worry about collaboration.  We like to=20
have access to some bells & whistles.

Between Word and Text Editors is a really exciting and eclectic array=20
of choices.  AppleWorks was my program of choice for years, but it has=20=

not aged well.  Under OS X it does not seem to do a very good job=20
choosing the correct gutter between columns, and I've also had some=20
printing issues.  My quest was to find something that "wasn't Word" but=20=

worked better than AppleWorks.

***
(NWE) Nisus Writer Express 2.  $59 or $99 for a family pack.
http://www.nisus.com/Express/

The one I've used the most these last two months for my own writing. =20
It has a great interface, and the thesaurus is really well implemented.=20=

  It can be visible in a sliding drawer that is always "on", sort of=20
like spell check.  For those still in school, it does footnotes and=20
endnotes, but no indexing or table of contents.  It's a beautiful Mac=20
program.

My main "issue" with NWE is that there is no outline/bullet list=20
feature yet.  A recent upgrade added several new features, and I'm sure=20=

everything "the rest of us" really need will be incorporated soon.

***
(MW) Mariner Write 3.6.1.  $60 or $100 for a bundle with Mariner Calc.
http://www.marinersoftware.com/sitepage.php?page=3D12

I bought the bundle, partly because Calc was able to handle a=20
spreadsheet I needed to make that had many more columns than what Excel=20=

or AppleWorks could handle.  (Calc is not my favorite spreadsheet, and=20=

seemed slow compared to the other two, but it is always hard to adjust=20=

to features being implemented differently, etc.)

No indexing or table of contents, but does have all the other stuff:=20
outlining, columns, footnotes, etc.  I'm not sure why, but I found it=20
hard to get excited about Mariner Write.  Bailey seems to get excited=20
about new graphic tools the same way I get excited about document=20
software, but it's harder to put my finger on "Why?"  All I know is=20
that I love NWE but haven't used MW hardly at all.

***
Mellel.  $29 or $59 for a family pack.
http://www.redlers.com/generaloptionswithmellel.html

On the Mellel page is a link to a nice feature comparison for Mac word=20=

processors.  Interestingly enough, last summer MW was among those=20
compared, but not Open Office.

I thought that Mellel would be the "winner" when I ordered it, MW, and=20=

NWE in a spasm of support for 3rd World software publishers last=20
summer.  It looked perfect for my girls to use, since it appeared to be=20=

the strongest "anti-Word" for those still in school.  The interface is=20=

slick, much like NWE, with the sliding drawers like the "mail boxes" in=20=

Mail.  It has no support for columns, which killed it for me -- an odd=20=

thing to be missing in a program that is so rich in document management=20=

tools.  My girls (7th and 5th grades) didn't seem to like it much=20
either, but partly that was because they don't like change very much. =20=

For whatever reason, they seem more comfortable with NWE.

It didn't work out for my family, but Mellel deserves a long look. =20
It's features are perhaps better suited for higher education (term=20
papers and thesis') than mere book reports and creative writing.

***
(RTS) RagTime Solo.  Free download, or $25 for a copy on CD.
http://www.comgrafix.com/

Back in the days of OS 6 & 7, RagTime was my favorite piece of=20
software.  It combined layout and spreadsheet functions ON THE SAME=20
PAGE.  I'd lost track of the program in the mid-90s, but rediscovered=20
it when OS9 was king.  A new version supports OSX, and best of all=20
there is a FREE version for those engaged in non-commercial use.

Current word-processing software allows "tables" to be embedded, but=20
RagTime is quite different: real spreadsheets with formulas and=20
functions in one container on the same page with word containers and=20
picture containers.  Without the printed manuals, this can be tricky=20
software to get started with, but the user has a lot of control over=20
layout and where text will "flow" when the container on one page is=20
full.  If your newsletter wants to continue page one's story on page=20
eight, you can do that easily here.

I started using RagTime again right before Pages came out from Apple. =20=

Essentially RagTime is much more powerful for page layout, but harder=20
to use.  For the price, RagTime is hard to beat, but it doesn't really=20=

seem like a "modern" OSX application at this stage.

***
iWork.  $79.

I used Keynote to create a slide show used for the graduating=20
6th-graders at Clive Elementary.  It's really a great piece of=20
software.  Only thing it didn't handle very well was a soundtrack.  I=20
had to turn it into a QuickTime movie to play songs over the course of=20=

several slides.  I hope they fixed it in iWork, but regardless this=20
program is head-and-shoulders better than PowerPoint.

Pages seems to do it all.  It clearly has more page layout power than=20
any word-processor I've tried -- but have not tried to do layout with=20
Word, so I might be missing one of that program's strengths -- and it=20
does most of what RagTime does.  And this is just version 1!  It makes=20=

my head spin what Pages will be able to do in a few years.

A few years ago, there were dozens of developers creating great=20
productivity apps for Mac.  I remember when Trapeze came out.  I=20
ordered early and got a free shirt, and it was "my" spreadsheet in a=20
crowded world competing with Wingz and ClarisWorks and Works, etc.  I=20
used WriteNow for words -- no shirt to lock me in, but it was bliss to=20=

use -- and there were a half-dozen other good choices out there.

It's good that Apple is creating great software to challenge=20
Microsoft's near monopoly on Mac productivity, but it must be painful=20
for the little guy's who were already doing a good job of providing us=20=

with some choices.  It's hard to find a better value than iWork=20
(assuming you also have use for KeyNote), and hard to find a better=20
alternative to Word at any price (for when we work in isolation from=20
teams that center on Word or text editors).  But I just wanted to=20
remind everyone that alternatives abound that are simpler than Word.

Years ago, I used WriteNow or AppleWorks because Word seemed too=20
expensive.  Nowadays, I use the alternatives because they're simply=20
better.  Pages complicates things for me, as I'm sure it will for you.=