[kman42]

My friend is lawyer and needs Wordperfect compatibility. MS Office doesn't have it in the Mac version (it does in the Win version).

Does anyone know if Open Office or KOffice has it? I don't want to have him installing fink, etc unless it will work for him.

thanks,
kman

[Tsilou B.]

OpenOffice does not read WordPerfect files at all
KOffice reads them, but has no support for styles, frames, or graphics.
Abiword has limited support for WordPerfect files, too.

I would buy MacLinkPlus. It's $79 or $39 if you upgrade from an old version (MLP used to be included in Mac OS 7.6). MacLinkPlus has a much better WordPerfect filter than any version of Microsoft Office for Windows and has no problems with graphics, styles, etc.

[hudson1]

Another alterntive is to download a free version of WordPerfect for Mac and run it in Classic (many have reported that runs fine in Classic).

There are two files to download, one is WP 3.5e and the other is a small updater for OS 8/9 (this update is what allows good Classic compatibility). You can find them on this page:

http://acmfiles.csusb.edu/corel/wpmac.html

[GORDYmac]

Ah, WordPerfect for Mac 3.5e. Was there ever a better Word Processor? I had to give it up when I came over to OS X. I have Office now.

I need a moment...it still hurts...

[kman42]

Apparently, he is using a newer versioon of WP, so the free mac version can't read the files.

This just seems silly to me that MS didn't put a WP filter in the mac version, but they did in the PC version of Office. That just seems like a no brainer.

kman

[darrick]

actually, the now free version of wp for mac opens all mac wp files. it's a super app. i've got too many macros and scripts working with it to give it up easily; it's my one classic app.

with an eye to the future, i have noticed that there is a sort of plugin for openoffice for wp files, but i do not know if it will work with the mac version of openoffice. look here: libwpd

abiword, another unix word processor, says that it will open wp files but that seems to mean windows wp files; anyway, i could not get it to work for my wp files.

for now, i am very, very happy with running wp in classic, except that it runs my tiBook's battery down. (when i'm trying to save my battery and i need to open an old wp file, i will use maclink.)

[kman42]

Originally posted by darrick:
actually, the now free version of wp for mac opens all mac wp files. it's a super app. i've got too many macros and scripts working with it to give it up easily; it's my one classic app.

with an eye to the future, i have noticed that there is a sort of plugin for openoffice for wp files, but i do not know if it will work with the mac version of openoffice. look here: libwpd

abiword, another unix word processor, says that it will open wp files but that seems to mean windows wp files; anyway, i could not get it to work for my wp files.

for now, i am very, very happy with running wp in classic, except that it runs my tiBook's battery down. (when i'm trying to save my battery and i need to open an old wp file, i will use maclink.)

Does the free Mac WP open the newer PC WP files? That is what he is using at work.

kman

[darrick]

my impression is that it will, either by itself or with maclink, and also that it can save to a windows wp format.

i would double check with others tho; the mac app is getting old and the windows formats (wp and word) keep advancing, so i am not sure this functionality still works as it was originally designed.

the way i use it is i print to pdf and i share those pdf files with windows users. my clients send me word docs, which i open with TextEdit.

[darrick]

the free download can be hard to find and figure out:

this should be all the files you need (it's via ftp)

a summary of the installation and other links

hope this helps

[Busemann]

The next Office for Mac will be unveiled next week. Perhaps the new word can read wordperfect documents..