I have a dream of word processing program that has the functionality of Word without the $519.00 price tag. Although I have been using Microsoft Word for years, I am thoroughly sick of looking at the cost of upgrades ($129!).
It's time for something new and cheap.
There are a surprising number of options for Windows word processors in the Open Source and freeware circles. While they are not universally flawless in interpreting Microsoft's proprietary .doc format, they do a pretty good job.
So, in the name of education, I've downloaded four free, alternative word processors for Windows. I opened up a basic, 80-page document I created in Word to see how well the programs could do when considering legacy documentation from Word.
I've instituted the following rating scheme (out of ten) so it's easy to compare between programs:
Conversion: 2/2 for a flawless import; 0/2 for a disaster
Satisfaction: 2/2 for lack of nag screens, use of logical shortcuts; 0/2 if I want to throw things while using the program
GUI: 2/2 for a professional and welcoming interface; 0/2 it looks like someone made it in 10 minutes
Usability: 2/2 if the functionality is easy to learn or use; 0/2 if my work flow is interrupted trying to find functionality
Support: 2/2 for decent documentation; 0/2 if there is no help available
Let's see how the programs handle.
Website: http://www.openoffice.org/
Download size: 51,777 KB
Rating: 9/10
My first impression when I opened up OpenOffice.org Writer was "oh hey, it looks like FrameMaker." On further investigation, the program resembles a FrameMaker-Word hybrid.
OpenOffice.org Writer opened my 80 page document and kept my styles sheet intact. It did, however eat my page numbers. When trying to figure out how to get my page numbers back into the footer (my first attempt resulted in a page number in the middle of my first heading) OpenOffice.org flashed a light bulb in the bottom right corner of the screen. It was a less-invasive version of Clippy, the infamous MS paperclip. The catch was that I was just clicking through a dialog and I have no idea what triggered the help, or what relevance the topic it chose had to my current non-task.
On further investigation, it turns out that my page numbers did import, the interface "hid" them on me, probably because my choice of excessive font size.
The help seems adequate: procedures are covered well, and peppered with icons and screenshots. I tried finding out what the "Standard" button in the Style dialog did in the help, but couldn't find it. I had to resort to clicking it to find out.
You can save to doc, html, and a variety of other formats including the OpenOffice.org specific format.
I'm impressed.
|
Conversion |
Satisfaction |
GUI |
Usability |
Support |
|
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
http://www.software602.com/
Download size: 15,729 KB
Rating: 8/10
Opening 602Text was like opening a lightly prettier version of Word. There's even a little field in the tool bar that displays your word count - too bad it increases the word count by 1000 over what Word and OpenOffice Writer report for the same document.
The program disables some functionality until you register 602Text. This shouldn't annoy you very often unless you have a burning desire to add things like barcodes to your documents.
602Text appears to be friendlier than Word is to people writing manuals or books. It adds the ability to format on a chapter basis.
The program comes with WinHelp for assistance. I didn't have to use the help to figure anything out, but the colour choices they made were a bit painful.
My gut reaction is that 602Text would be roughly as annoying as using Word, just in different areas.
You can save as doc, html, and text.
|
Conversion |
Satisfaction |
GUI |
Usability |
Support |
|
2 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
Website: http://www.abisource.com/
Download size: 3,841 KB
Rating: 6/10
AbiWord was pretty familiar when I opened it - a slightly toned down version of Word, so it's more like WordPad on a first glance.
AbiWord removed my footers. I added the page numbers in easily, but the program crashed when I tried to apply a style to the text in the footer. When I reopened the document and tried to fix the footers again (I hadn't saved my edits before the crash), I was unable to add page numbers or modify the footer in any way.
Then I noticed that AbiWord also reset my margins to a default of one inch and didn't retain paragraph spacing (1.5 line spacing, and 6pt above each paragraph). The program also claimed that my paragraph style was "None," which, of course, I could not edit.
The word count was 100 words higher than OpenOffice.org or Word.
The online help does not appear to be up to date: it says that AbiWord cannot save to the doc format, only rtf and an amazing number of other formats. However, I saved my document as a doc without any problems.
Table support is primitive. Even after reading the help a few times, I couldn't figure out how to add a table to my document. Also, the AbiWord documentation warns that opening Word documents that have complicated tabling may pose problems.
AbiWord seems to have potential, but right now it looks like more hassle than it's worth.
|
Conversion |
Satisfaction |
GUI |
Usability |
Support |
|
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
Website: http://www.besoftware.com/
Download size: 51,425 KB (note that the company is in Germany, so download speeds are slower than usual)
Rating: 7/10
RagTime annoyed me instantly by running a slideshow-styled tutorial on start up that was nearly impossible to get out of (I couldn't Alt-Tab away from it, it would take over the screen again). The tutorial was, however, very professional and it gave a good overview of the product's capabilities. When I finally got the program itself open, it reminded me vaguely of FrameMaker.
You can import doc files - RagTime gives you conversion options when you open a doc - but you cannot Save As anything other than a RagTime format. Exporting is limited to RagTime formats and pdf.
RagTime maintained my paragraph spacing, but lost my 1.5 line spacing. The program also misinterpreted my footers. There was no word count functionality.
I was impressed with the potential for RagTime to be a great layout tool for brochures and projects with a mix of pictures, statistics, and text. The WinHelp that came with the program do a decent job of getting you through a foreign interface.
However, I don't think I'd be inclined to use it as a pure word processor.
|
Conversion |
Satisfaction |
GUI |
Usability |
Support |
|
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
My favourite option of the four programs was OpenOffice.org. Although it is probably overkill for most of my typical home projects, I am impressed with the functionality and flexibility of the program. Bottom line: this program has Word's functionality and then some. A lot of the tasks I tried (like applying a watermark to my pages) were easier to accomplish in OpenOffice.org Writer than they are in familiar Word!
602Text appears to be a solid alternative as well and a good choice if you're most familiar with Word's interface. It's certainly not hard on the eyes.
I think that AbiWord might be a good choice in a year or so: creating tables is a must-have ability as far as I'm concerned.
While RagTime has some nifty features for layout, I don't think the program is going to catch on any time in the near future.
|
Product |
Conversion |
Satisfaction |
GUI |
Usability |
Support |
Total |
|
OpenOffice.org |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
9 |
|
602Text |
2 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
8 |
|
AbiWord |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
|
RagTime |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
7 |
If you are curious about looking into other word processing or office suite alternatives, try http://www.msboycott.com/thealt/.