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AbiWord vs. MS Word, For Now

Gsurface writes "If you have decided that it is time to kill MS Word, then it is time to look for an alternative. Flexbeta.net compares AbiWord, part of a larger project known as AbiSource, with MS Word and asks: is AbiWord a worthy MS Word replacement? Not to ruin the ending but according to the article the only draw back to AbiWord is that it currently does not feature a grammar checker, though a plug-in is in the works." (Also on this front, AbiWord's native Mac OS X version is labeled experimental, but seems to work very nicely.)

10 of 511 comments (clear)

  1. No. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    If I can't open powerpoint, excel and text documents from other applications in open/star-office, then it's no good to me. I tried using it, but got tired of being unable to read stuff that other people send me and tired of them not being able to read what I do. And since 99.95% of the people I deal with use MS, I have to use MS. Period. Sorry.

  2. OOo by sstory · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I've been using OOo for 3 months now, and I think it's the best replacement.

  3. That's no draw-back by orthogonal · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    the only draw back [sic] to AbiWord is that it currently does not feature a grammar checker, though a plug-in is in the works.

    My wetware grammar checker inform me that it's "drawback".

    Compounds often change through time from two words, to hyphenated words, to a single word.

    But most software grammar checkers are useless to anyone who knows how to write, producing all sorts of false positives and missing important things like subject-verb agreement or distinctions between nominative ("who") and accusative ("whom") cases.

    Get yourself a copy of Strunk and White's The Elements of Style for fifteen bucks, and read it. It's actually a pretty engaging (and slim) volume; you'll enjoy reading it.

    (I got mine free for taking the SAT when I was twelve and getting a high-ish (600+) on the Verbal section. Any other Slashdotters pass through Hopkins's CTY/OTID gauntlet?)

    Learn why the way I made "Hopkins" into a possessive is actually correct, and try and memorize that "try and" should be "try to", and that unique does not take a qualifier, because there's only one of anything that's really unique.

  4. Editors by rgf71 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I dunno. What's the latest version of VI?

  5. How about OpenOffice? by jumex · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Why not try OpenOffice? http://www.openoffice.org/

    It is a solid applications suite, and offers a good replacement to MS Office, in my opinion.

    --
    "Your 'Gin n'tonic Futon Brain' sure makes you smart!"
    "That's 'Positronic-photon Brain', you idiot!"
  6. Re:BIG SIGH by caitsith01 · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    So you're up all night drinking and the best thing you can think of to do is post about grammar on a computer geek website?

    They aren't kidding when they say 'news for nerds', are they?

    --
    Read Pynchon.
  7. Re:IKEA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    If its one thing the British Empire gave the world I'd like to think the ability to form an orderly queue is one of them, but sadly we never had much of a chance in Saudi. Then again looking at some of the dumb bastards who jump the bus queue every evening it seems standards are slipping at home, too. I'll have to remember the trip the next one under a bus when I get the chance.

  8. Re:IKEA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    > If its one thing the British Empire gave the world I'd like to think the
    > ability to form an orderly queue is one of them, but sadly we never had much of
    > a chance in Saudi. Then again looking at some of the dumb bastards who jump the
    > bus queue every evening it seems standards are slipping at home, too. I'll have
    > to remember the trip the next one under a bus when I get the chance.

    I don't see many people native to the UK pushing in front of queues at bus stops. Not do I remember reading about any deaths caused by people waiting for a bus.

  9. Re:Not worth the time to read it, summary below... by GoodbyeBlueSky1 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Score:5, Insightful? Where's the proof? How is this not a troll? I say, sir, that you are full of shit.

    --
    why? forty-two.
  10. Re:Not worth the time to read it, summary below... by soybean · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    And you are welcome to say that. I stand by what I say. Do you have proof that refutes my claim? Why do you think it's a troll? You think one can't find incompatibilities?