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Office & productivity software: Poll: Which word-processing software do you use?
- 10/3/07 4:58 PM
I have my foot in two doors on this one
by XMattingly - 10/3/07 8:22 PM In reply to: Poll: Which word-processing software do you use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I've never had to use Word professionally, but I can get around in the program just fine and am familiar enough with it to say that I really don't like it. I'm a graphic designer, and I can't count the number of times I've had someone hand me a Word file, and had to rebuild the document from scratch just to have something a commercial printer can use. It seems like a decent program for doing simple things like typing letters or creating invitations, but for anything else it tries to be, Word fails miserably.
Honestly, I use Mac OS' TextEdit for typing letters. It's simple, easy to use, and it's actually pretty darn flexible. Plus it can work with Word files - with the caveat of ignoring embedded graphics from said Word docs. Though, if I need to do any heavy lifting I resort to InDesign or Illustrator.
Office -Word so far so good...
by DDT3 - 10/3/07 8:23 PM In reply to: Poll: Which word-processing software do you use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Personally I tried Office 07 for 2 weeks and bought it immediately. Now Word by itself, I don't have an opinion yet one way or another. But the tremendous improvement to Outlook and it's linking with the new business contact manager did it for me. The first time I got through with a Word doc. and got ready for the cumbersome task of saving, opening an e-mail, dragging the attachment etc. and saw there was just a button ready to "e-mail" one click and it was attached & ready to go, I was delighted. Saves me a ton of time (some of which I do spend looking for where they moved something)
Vista, I HATE with a passion to the point I think Microsoft should be sued for fraud & false advertising (different story) but Office 07 is a big step in a good direction, and yes...I'm a dyed in the wool Office user, too old to learn new tricks. My 12 yr. old daughter has Open Office on her PC and took right to it, but too hard for me to have to learn. I may find things I don't like and some changes seem useless, but overall 07 is fine with me.
Word vs WordPerfect
by jeffneumanlee - 10/3/07 8:31 PM In reply to: Office -Word so far so good... by DDT3Well, I have the latest of both programs. The Word I use because it easily translates into xml, which I can then lift into my web page. I wrote my book in WordPerfect. It does exactly what I want and not what it thinks I want. And then I publish into PDF. WordPerfect is easier to use and has more features that I actually use. Word's new interface is cool.
jeff
Counterintuative Does Not Begin to Cover It
by sld12day - 10/3/07 8:25 PM In reply to: Poll: Which word-processing software do you use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I am using MS Office 2007, much to my chagrin. I have to remember to save everything in compatibility mode prior to sending documents to anyone or they cannot open them, the menus are confusing now causing me to not be able to find half of the commmands I need quickly, if at all...the list just goes on and gets worse from here. I used to teach Office Apps at the local Vo-Tech; if I had to teach these programs today, I'd make myself look like a bumbling idiot.
Microsoft needs to realize that change for the mere sake of change is going to cost them dearly in the long run; change for the sake of making things better and more efficient for all - now that makes sense. This applies to Vista as well - don't get me started on that!
MS Word 2003 is ok, but I loved WordPerfect
by jpachner - 10/3/07 8:25 PM In reply to: Poll: Which word-processing software do you use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I still prefer the old pre-Corel WordPerfect, though I used it years ago. It did everything I needed it to (fairly complex text editing, table of contents, linking images to text etc.)elegantly, without a lot of layers to stumble through. MS Word has always seemed clunky in comparison. I have so many text files though I would be very hesitant to change.
WordPerfect Office X3 is feature-rich & robust; Google is ok
by neil123789456 - 10/3/07 8:26 PM In reply to: Poll: Which word-processing software do you use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have used MS Office 97, MS Office XP, Corel WordPerfect Office X3, and Google's online office. (I've also used OpenOffice years ago, but not for a long time - I didn't like it too much at the time).
The glaring weakness I see in both Google's and Corel's office software is the non-existence of a Microsoft Access compatible application; there is no database application whatsoever in both these products. I understand that MS Office Standard edition also lacks the Access (database) application, but there is no office substitute that I'm aware of which includes all 3 applications: Word, Excel and Access.
I personally like WordPerfect the best; it somehow just seems to operate smoother. Plus, you can actually change the interface at the click of a button to either WordPerfect, MS Office or WordPerfect classic (5.1).
WordPerfect has a lot of options for importing and exporting many types of files, and converting them to WordPerfect format or just leaving them in their original file format (MS Word, RTF, text, etc.). Importantly, you can actually edit and save the files in their original format. This feature is unlike MS Office XP, which forces users to convert Access databases into Office XP files (which are not backward compatible with Office 97 Access files!) if any changes are made, which is generally the whole point usually of using Office software (making edits and new files).
Corel WordPerfect is a very feature-rich and deep program, allowing you to even create automated tasks, templates, and custom toolbars. It also has several other valuable features. Importantly, it is a robust, reliable, sound application which does not crash or freeze frequently (if it ever does). Currently, you can download a time-limited fully functional trial version at Corel's website. But just a word of warning: the download file is massive! I believe it's about 250 megabytes if I recall correctly! So you probably won't want to download this if you have a slow dial-up connection to the internet.
Corel WordPerfect is affordable particularly if you purchase it as OEM software with a new computer or qualifying computer peripheral.
I see two great weaknesses with Google's office: first, you must be connected to the internet and you cannot be offline. Second, because it is stored by Google, any documents you make with that office application are being shared and stored somewhere in cyberspace. That means that any document which contains sensitive / confidential data is relatively insecure and ultimately vulnerable to unauthorized viewing by a hacker. I certainly would not create a spreadsheet using the Google office which details my personal finances any more than I would store credit card information in any online email service. As far as I know, the Google documents you create are not even encrypted.
Google's great advantage, however, is the price tag: free. It doesn't get any more affordable than that, unless they offered to pay you to use it!
I hope you found this information and my opinions helpful.
database for Corel
by flyingscot4 - 10/3/07 9:47 PM In reply to: WordPerfect Office X3 is feature-rich & robust; Google is ok by neil123789456to neil123789456
I haven't looked lately, but at one time I believe that Paradox was part of the Corel suite. I don't think that it was compatible with anything else, much less Access. Personally, I disliked the program, but I don't like Access either. I am actually interested is trying out the new Lotus Suite to see what has happened to it. I'm sure that I will stay with WP, but just for the hell of it...
Paradox database
by neil123789456 - 10/4/07 12:46 AM In reply to: database for Corel by flyingscot4I seem to recall that Paradox was once owned by Borland, maybe primarily used as a software platform for database applications. Then Corel bought Borland (or at least the rights to Paradox), and I'm not sure what they did with it. I think Corel eventually sold those rights again to another company. It's unfortunate that they never tightly integrated Paradox into their office suite - that would have made it a great competitor against Office XP Professional edition.
Thanks for mentioning the Lotus suite by IBM; I think I'll give that I'll give it a try too just to see what it's like.
WordPerfect Office X3 is feature-rich & robust; Google is ok
by robert7440 - 10/4/07 6:48 AM In reply to: WordPerfect Office X3 is feature-rich & robust; Google is ok by neil123789456Paradox IS included in WordPerfect X3 Professional Edition. Does anyone remember WordStar? I started on that back around 1984/5. Then when I transferred (Navy) to another station, I had to learn WordPerfect. I have done my best to have WordPerfect on any computer I use. I'm the type that hates to have to read the documention, I prefer user-friendly software. I've opened the books on Wordperfect, Quattro Pro, Presentations, and Paradox very few times. WordOffice? I have to keep the books by my side whenever someone sends me anything more than a simple Word document. My kids love Presentations with the "Show On The Go" option, they can create a Powerpoint-type slide show, and show it on ANY Windows computer, and the teachers watch the show amazed at how well done their "PowerPoint" presentation is!
MS Office without options
by donaldavis - 10/3/07 8:31 PM In reply to: Poll: Which word-processing software do you use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Microsoft programming has slowly been taking away user options for years and the newest Office 2007 is the last straw in that direction. It has almost no user options for setting icons and deciding what is important for me to see on my screen. "We know what you need..." For the first time since version 2002, I have had to use "Help" to find simple functions that were not only intuitive before, but allowed me the option of putting them on the taskbar. Now we have these multiple taskbars that I can't change.
And, oh yeah, the files produced are not compatible with other people's Office or even my own Windows Smartphone. And that's the ultimate kick in the ass by Microsoft.
WordPerfect Office 12
by pville - 10/3/07 8:39 PM In reply to: Poll: Which word-processing software do you use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Does everything I need and then some.
Relatively inexpensive ($20.00 on average).
Would not give up WordPerfect if MS gave me a free copy of Vista Premium along with MS Office 2007.
WordPerfect
by acbar8 - 10/3/07 8:50 PM In reply to: Poll: Which word-processing software do you use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Poor old Corel! Poor old WordPerfect! It's simply the most intuitive and easiest to use of all the full-featured word processors out there for XP/Vista - for over 20 years it has had "reveal codes" that really reveals the codes, something that Word hasn't yet mastered - and it keeps track of things like footnotes and formats easily without freezing up. It's whole-document, not paragraph, oriented, a fundamental flaw with Word that no amount of patchwork can cure. Why isn't WP number one? Simply the coercive power of MS Office, sold as a package at a volume discount to businesses too great to turn down. Nobody familiar with both would choose Word over WordPerfect if the competition were head to head on word processors alone and the near-universal availability of the former weren't a factor. I use it in spite of these concerns.
Word Perfect, you fools!
by fesch - 10/3/07 8:53 PM In reply to: Poll: Which word-processing software do you use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
It's been around forever, constantly improved, always better than MSWord. I won't bother trying to educate you as to "why?" you have to try it to understand. Only downside is most people can't read earlier versions because their computers only read Office. Goes to the heart of the "monopoly" question. So, I write in Word Perfect (nine books, 300 magazine articles, and counting) and convert to Office for transmission. Pain in the neck. Microsoft arrogance.
Word Perfect 12
by tjharper3301 - 10/3/07 9:13 PM In reply to: Poll: Which word-processing software do you use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I used Word Perfect at the the USDA at the headquarters of the Farm Service Agency in Washington, DC for 10 years. As someone has already pointed out, the reveal codes are absolutely essential and I cannot find them in MS Word. I still use WP and, fortunately, Word Perfect 12 came already installed on my latest computer. It will transform any other word processor document or file to Word Perfect or to MS Word. It works as well with most other spreadsheet programs like Excel as well. WP 12 allows the writer to work in the original WP 5.1, the classic mode or Microsoft Word, or WP Legal or WP 12.
Microsoft Word Usage
by feemery - 10/3/07 9:13 PM In reply to: Poll: Which word-processing software do you use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
In the pre-Windows days (i.e. DOS--remember that) I used just about every wordprocessor around, it was fairly easy to construct new printer drivers. My favorite was PC-Write. The advent of Windows made that more difficult to do. Hence, my company standardized on MS Word and we all learned to use it.
It is nearly universal, and thus to communicate by using attachments to your e-mail (and I am a diehard Eudora user) one needs to have MS Word. This is especially true if you are in a small office as I now am.
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