[Veltliner]

I am currently using Apple Works for writing.

I'm not very satisfied. The typo correction is so awkward, that when you stop in the middle of a text ( which is in my case, let's say, on page 78) to make an edit, you have to start all over again at the beginning.

I like the "screen appearance".

But I would rather shop for another program, and do not want to spend over 200 Dollars for Microsoft Word, which is overloaded with features that may be good for a big business office, but that I will never use.

PS: what I also do not like at Apple Works is, that is does not have macros (earlier versions, yes, but they obviously dropped this feature).

Any suggestions?

Which word processor do you use?

[Big Mac]

AppleWorks has been dead a long time. You have a lot of choices in word processors. I personally use Mariner Write.

[TETENAL]

NeoOffice is free and feature-rich, but it is sort of ugly and un-Mac-like.

Personally I like Pages a lot. Maybe the new version of iWork to be released next week contains a spread sheet application as well, so it would make a better replacement for AppleWorks.

[OreoCookie]

Take a look at Nisus Writer and Papyrus. Papyrus requires very little resources. If you are a writer and interested in writing books, perhaps Ulysses might be worth a shot.

[TheoCryst]

Another vote for NeoOffice, which has been advancing rapidly recently in its Mac-ness (and is completely free). If it's still not your cup of tea, I'd recommend Apple's iWork (for a mere $79). But don't buy a copy until after MWSF, which will most likely introduce an updated version.

[All_Insane]

I like Abiword. Its free and I've had good experiences using it. Here's a screenshot of Abiword for Mac.

[lpkmckenna]

Originally Posted by Veltliner 

PS: what I also do not like at Apple Works is, that is does not have macros (earlier versions, yes, but they obviously dropped this feature).

If macros are essential, Word 2004 is probably the way to go, but it's a dead-end as M$ is dumping Visual Basic in the next version of Mac Office.

If the next version of Pages has excellent Automator and Applescript support, it could be a macro-lovers dream. We'll see on Tuesday. (While I'm dreaming, I'd like a pony.)

NeoOffice is fine. Give it a try. Can't lose with free.

AbiWord is beyond ugly. Nisus Express still hasn't caught up to the original Nisus, and its "do-it-all" drawer is too cramped for me. Mellel is kinda niche-y.

Originally Posted by Veltliner 

Which word processor do you use?

TextEdit for most things, Pages for quick'n'pretty things, Word for work-related stuff.

[cgc]

I'd recommend you try both Nisus Writer Express or Mellel. I personally use Nisus Writer Express but lots of people love Mellel, really a personal taste.

[mduell]

OpenOffice, NeoOffice, AbiWord

[Veltliner]

Thanks to all of you for the replies.

Now I have quite some applications to try out.

For me, the looks are important. For hours and hours you look at that page, and if it's ugly, it can turn you off.

That has always been my main concern with PCs: ugly, ugly, ugly!

[brettcamp]

TextEdit for most things. $0
Scrivener for projects involving lots of research. $35
Mellel for academic writing.
Word when there's no choice and editors are using it for comments and change tracking.

Not sure what they're charging for Mellel now but it's reasonable. The style management is so complicated I quit using it but it has some great features and far surpasses Word for interface and logic. But for lots of people, TextEdit or XPad are enough and they're both free.

[JKT]

Originally Posted by brettcamp 

Word when there's no choice and editors are using it for comments and change tracking.

Actually, you can use NeoOffice/OpenOffice.org in this instance - just the interface is worse than Word's (which is already bad enough in some respects, though a lot better than OpenOffice.org for commenting in particular).

[Shades of Gray]

Originally Posted by brettcamp 

Not sure what they're charging for Mellel now but it's reasonable. The style management is so complicated I quit using it but it has some great features and far surpasses Word for interface and logic. But for lots of people, TextEdit or XPad are enough and they're both free.

I have been using Word since 1990 and consistently using Styles. But Mellel is far better with styles than Word; yes, it takes a while because Mellel does not follow Word's convention, but worth the effort.

For multi-lingual capability Mellel is the best.

I use NWE for quick and dirty, Mellel for academic writing, and Word only when absolutely necessary for Windows users (less and less).

I used Papyrus this past summer to publish a book, and it worked well.