Like it or not, submitting Word format electronically is now required in many situations for filling out applications, forms, etc. Any other word processor that cannot read AND write Word format is never going to gain market share. And only being able to write "Hello world" in Word is not enough.
For example, I tried to use Abiword to write a two-page grant proposal that had to be submitted electronically in Word format. I had to include some simple graphics (two data plots). I wrote something and sent it out. Fortunately it got checked by someone else before going to the sponsor- in Word it had the wrong number of pages, really screwed up formatting, etc. I had to find a Windows computer and use Word to fix everything.
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Like it or not, submitting Word format electronically is now required in many situations for filling out applications, forms, etc. Any other word processor that cannot read AND write Word format is never going to gain market share. And only being able to write "Hello world" in Word is not enough.
For example, I tried to use Abiword to write a two-page grant proposal that had to be submitted electronically in Word format. I had to include some simple graphics (two data plots). I wrote something and sent it out. Fortunately it got checked by someone else before going to the sponsor- in Word it had the wrong number of pages, really screwed up formatting, etc. I had to find a Windows computer and use Word to fix everything.
Then I found this on the abiword web site: "There are no plans to support binary MS Word export." http://www.abisource.com/twiki/bin/view/Abiword/F