Writing on a Mac

kayleamay · Apr 2, 2010

My little ol' Acer laptop is on it's last leg and I'm considering buying an iMac. I used to have (and love) a Mac, but it was during another lifetime when I spent more time using Excel than Word.

I've read mixed reviews on iWork Pages. Apparently, some users have had difficulty when trying to export into Word. Has anyone here had experience with this. I suppose I could always use Office for Mac, but I'm not sure of it's reliability either.

I been salivating over the iMac for months now, but I can't help but wonder if it's going to make writing and saving text files in a shareable format difficult.

What say you?

(Please say that the iMac is like salve for the writer's soul, because I really, really want one.)

Deleted member 42 · Apr 2, 2010

Office for Mac is so interchangeable that I've been sending back mss. to publishers on Windows for years using Comments and Tracking both, without a problem. There are sometimes odd differences so that a phrase at the bottom of p. 23 on windows may be partly at the top of p. 24 on a mac, for example, but these really are very minor.

STKlingaman · Apr 2, 2010

I have Word for Mac, works great
and all the keys are in the same place
on a Mac.
It will take some time getting used to Mac,
but fewer problems is it's reward.

kuwisdelu · Apr 2, 2010

I love iWork and Pages. I usually use RTF when sharing with people, but I haven't really had trouble with .doc or compatibility.

Selah March · Apr 3, 2010

Another Word for Mac user here. No problems thus far.

scarletpeaches · Apr 3, 2010

kuwisdelu said:
I love iWork and Pages. I usually use RTF when sharing with people, but I haven't really had trouble with .doc or compatibility.

I know I've sent you stuff written on a PC but can't remember if I always changed to RTF first.

I know aadams73 has a Mac, too. I think they can read docx files, but I'll leave it to the more knowledgeable boonmistress herself to answer.

kayleamay · Apr 3, 2010

Thanks, everybody. I appreciate it.

iMac with Office sounds like the way to go.

Snowstorm · Apr 3, 2010

I have a MacBook Pro with Word for Mac. I love it, love it, love it

kuwisdelu · Apr 3, 2010

scarletpeaches said:
I know I've sent you stuff written on a PC but can't remember if I always changed to RTF first.

I know aadams73 has a Mac, too. I think they can read docx files, but I'll leave it to the more knowledgeable boonmistress herself to answer.

I don't remember if you did or not. In any case, I opened it.

Macs can actually read .docx out-of-the-box using TextEdit. Ironically, Pages can only read .doc.

Also somewhat ironically, the comment feature works fine when I open .doc in Pages, but not with RTF. But for some reason, many word processors (OpenOffice included) have problems with RTF's comments feature....

IMO, iWork is far more worth the $79 than Mac Office is worth the... whatever they're trying to sell it for now.

JPStarr · Apr 16, 2010

The iMac is like salve for the writer's soul.

Caveat the first: I don't write on an iMac. However, I am bi-computational and spend most of my actual writing time on a MacBook. The other computers shall remain nameless.

Caveat the second: I don't write with iWork Pages. I do use a combination of MS Word, Open Office, and WriteRoom.

Caveat the third: This reply is mostly just an excuse for me to quote the text you had in white. Because that was really neat. Thanks for that.

Get the iMac.

John

charlotte49ers · Apr 16, 2010

I have the 27" w/ Word and I love it. I can see my WIP so much easier, too.

There is a screenshot in this blog post, if you want to see:
http://www.amandaplavich.com/2010/03/22/my-new-computer-is-made-of-awesome/

aadams73 · Apr 16, 2010

I only just saw this...

I love my Macbook. I'd be all over an iMac if I could justify its purchase.

But, I also have to say, I really dig Windows 7. It's slick and fast and the only reason I don't use it to write anymore is that the space bar on my keyboard sticks.

To answer your question though, I use OpenOffice and I've never once had a problem saving or sending in any format required of me.

If you can afford the iMac, I say go for it. You won't be sorry. But you'll still be doing just fine if you shoot for a Win 7 machine. Microsoft actually did something right.

Deleted member 42 · Apr 16, 2010

aadams73 said:
I really dig Windows 7. It's slick and fast and the only reason I don't use it to write anymore is that the space bar on my keyboard sticks.

Have you gently pried the key cover/cap up and off, then cleaned the area with a cotton swab dampened in isopropyl alcohol?

aadams73 · Apr 16, 2010

Medievalist said:
Have you gently pried the key cover/cap up and off, then cleaned the area with a cotton swab dampened in isopropyl alcohol?

I have with no result. It's quite new (but not new enough to return) and I've spilled nothing on it. I suspect it's just some odd factory defect.

Deleted member 42 · Apr 16, 2010

aadams73 said:
I have with no result. It's quite new (but not new enough to return) and I've spilled nothing on it. I suspect it's just some odd factory defect.

Then I suspect that the "scissors" mechanism is kerfunct.

It's about 8.00 US for a new one. If it's a desktop, I'd think about a new keyboard, but if it's a laptop, you might want to try replacing the key.

maestrowork · Apr 16, 2010

I use iWork (Pages) for most of my writing projects. Abandoned Office Bloatware back in 2008 and never look back. Love Pages - it does what I need to do and can read and write Word docs.

Also, Open Office or Neo Office is available - both are excellent substitute for MS Office. The Mac has been a dream to use so far. I've had it since 2006 and not a single issue. Just virus-free for almost 5 years is call for celebration. No more Windows for me!

aadams73 · Apr 16, 2010

Medievalist said:
Then I suspect that the "scissors" mechanism is kerfunct.

It's about 8.00 US for a new one. If it's a desktop, I'd think about a new keyboard, but if it's a laptop, you might want to try replacing the key.

It's a desktop. I kinda like the idea of ripping into it because it's a good and comfortable keyboard otherwise.

Thanks for the tip.

maestrowork · Apr 16, 2010

The iMac really isn't that expensive. The cheapest model is well built with a 21" flat screen, bluetooth keyboard and magic mouse, and it's less than $1200. Sure you can get a $800 PC running Windows but then you will have to add all those virus/malware software. Lol. I've dealt with both PC and Mac in the last 5 years and I must say the IMac is well worth the price, if you can afford it (or get on an installment plan).

Deleted member 42 · Apr 16, 2010

The prices for used but still lovely "luxo jr." iMacs are shockingly good.

No, they won't run Snow Lepard, but this visually disabled user loves loves loves that I can angle the screen really really close to me, without losing deskspace.

Locally, the Luxo iMacs are under 100.00. They run current apps mostly, use current Web browsers, etc. so they're super for writing systems.

maestrowork · Apr 16, 2010

You can get a cheap PowerBook G4 for about 150-200 and it runs Snow Leopard. Yes, it does because I installed it on my 2004 model.

Sara Lou · Apr 16, 2010

I bought a Mac specifically for Scrivener, an AMAZING writing program which you can't use with anything but a Mac. I know it's crazy to buy a computer for a 30$ writing program, but I am really happy I did.

vsrenard · Apr 16, 2010

I use Scrivener for writing/planning. When I have to share, I export to Word. Works well and Scrivener is awesome. Better than anything I had on my PC.

vfury · Apr 17, 2010

Also chiming in on the awesomeness of Word for Mac and Scrivener.

I write my drafts on Scrivener, then export it as a .doc file to back-up and give to readers.

Writing on a Mac

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