Some mornings, I just want to kill my computer

Azraelsbane said:

I hate Word. I hate it! I need to find something better. Any suggestions?

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I have been using MS Works, which is their "cheapo" combined word processing/spreadsheet item. Mine is several years old and came on floppy discs. It has served me well. Both the processor and the spreadsheet are simple to use, and lack the incredible number of options that make MS Word so complicated (for me, at least--I have to use Word at work) but for which I (and, I suspect, most other people) have no use. It is sort of a "Word for Dummies", I guess, but I like it very much. And on the two occasions when I have had to e-mail a 350-page novel, the recipients were able to read it, and print it, with no trouble, as MS Works is compatible with MS Word. I am on the whole an ignoramus when it comes to word-processing programs, but Works works for me. Does anyone else use it?

Scrivener.

http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.html

But then I'm on a mac.

I have gotten off of Word and Pages entirely. I used to work in TeXShop but that was because I was a geek.

If money is a problem, then you might want to stop by http://zoho.com . I hope Google buys them. They have the concept of Real Word Processor Features and Offline Applications down pat. Google Docs is Notepad in comparison.

I'd highly reccomend Open Office, using 2.1 right now and have been for quite some time. Or if you're a space freak (or want a good portable program you can fit on a usb key) you might want to look into Abi Word.

I'm a big fan of open source programs, not just because they're free but sometimes they do a better job than something you'd pay 500+$ for, can't argue with that.

Word can be a pain, yes, but try being stuck for months upon months of only being able to use the Microsoft Works word processor.... I swear to God, it's a good thing I wasn't stuck with Shelley Duvall in a remote hotel up in Maine or I'd have pulled a Jack Torrance by now.

Incidentally, I destroyed by first computer when I was...oh, 21, I believe. I powered it on and there were tons of files missing upon startup (I was guilty of shutting the PC off with the 4-second hold too much in those days..I know, I know!) and so I beat the tower rather mercilessly with my fists, and then laid it on its back and stomped it over and over again before taking a hammer to it.

I then drove to Walden books in the mall and picked up a copy of Les Miserables from a plucky little store manager I still talk to to this day.

Never got beyond page 50 though...

And I no longer do the 4-second count power button shut down...

Ahh..the memories.

-BS

WordPerfect

Conversion between Word and WordPerfect isn't nearly the problem it used to be, and I doubt any serious publisher out there is still using Word '97.

I know a pretty fair number of writers who use WordPerfect, and have no problems at all. I do, for one. The trick, like with any software, is staying up to date. If you do, there should be no problem using pretty much any word processor you wish, be it Word, WordPerfect, OpenOffice, or even WordStar, which a fair number of pro writers still adore.

I have Word 2003, Wordperfect X3, and OpenOffice 2.2, and have never had a problem with converting ordinary files from one to another.

Jamesaritchie said:

Conversion between Word and WordPerfect isn't nearly the problem it used to be, and I doubt any serious publisher out there is still using Word '97.

I know a pretty fair number of writers who use WordPerfect, and have no problems at all. I do, for one. The trick, like with any software, is staying up to date. If you do, there should be no problem using pretty much any word processor you wish, be it Word, WordPerfect, OpenOffice, or even WordStar, which a fair number of pro writers still adore.

I have Word 2003, Wordperfect X3, and OpenOffice 2.2, and have never had a problem with converting ordinary files from one to another.

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No, but I know plenty of publishers using Word 2002, which is pretty crufty. And as you know, while it's certainly true that word processors are more interoperable than they used to be, the text of books is more often than not archived by publishers and printers digitally these days. I often find myself looking at text files for reissues and buy-ins that were saved on whatever diabolical engine lost the format wars in 1997. Equally, if you use a word processor that has a small market share and a proprietary file format, there is a slight but real risk that it might not be around in 2017 and nobody will have bothered writing legacy converters for it.

It's not a huuuge problem, granted, but I think the best practice is to use whatever software you like and to save to something simple and portable like .rtf. There's less to go wrong in the long term.

Ravenlocks said:

I always turn off the "define styles based on your formatting" option...

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Most people who have a problem with Word have never heard of styles. Which is why they have a problem

Doogs said:

What dark sorcery powers Mircosoft Word?

This morning I powered up the laptop, opened my revision file, and discovered that, for whatever reason, Word had decided to double-tab EVERY SINGLE ONE of my paragraphs for three consecutive chapters.

WTF?

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Two words: Windows Vista. Don't let it happen to you.

I bought a new laptop with Vista on it. Suddenly, everything else in the universe has to be upgraded. The print driver that comes loaded automatically...doesn't actually drive the printer. Vista is not compatible with my email. Or my Palm pilot. Or anything else that you want to do.

Even worse, my all-in-one printer, copier, fax now mysteriously tries to send faxes by itself about 6 times a day. To a number that's been disconnected. And it won't quit, no matter how often I press the "cancel job" or "stop" buttons. Even in the middle of the night. Even when it's in sleep mode and the computer is turned off. I'm not kidding.

It's so annoying that I just want to pitch the whole thing through the patio window.

Another plug for open office

I'm a Word refugee. One of the things I like about Open Office is that it stores files more compactly. The WIP that was 700+kb in Word was about 100kb in open office.

That tells me something about the inefficient code built into word. I've had no problems moving between open office/rtf/ and doc formats.

JoniBGoode said:

Two words: Windows Vista. Don't let it happen to you.

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I've had Vista in my in-basket for six months. I put a skull and crossbones on the case, to remind me not to get drunk and open the damn thing.