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Replacement for Apple Pages?
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Forum Regular
Join Date: Oct 2003
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I am tired of waiting for Apple to make Pages equal to or better than Pages '09. Are there DTP alternatives that are easy to use?
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Last edited by imdipped; May 15, 2015 at 12:50 PM.
Reason: added DTP)
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Forum Regular
Join Date: Mar 2001
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Since I don't use pages and refuse to pay for MS Word as a subscription service, I'm embracing Open Office, which is free and quite powerful.
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Managing Editor
Join Date: Jul 2012
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Forum Regular
Join Date: Oct 2003
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Years ago I looked at Scribus in combination with Inscape and Gimp, and also Scrivener. Scribus was ok but it wouldn't output to a MS format. I needed that because what I do has to be shared with people who don't have a Mac and aren't computer literate. I have fallen back to outputting to pdf. They can read that but can't make changes. I will look at Scribus again and see what the available outputs are now. This is all home office stuff that I do for my wife's involvement in various community service organizations.
I read the MacNN articles last week and heartily agree. I went through the ClarisWorks/Appleworks and iWork '08/'09 and now Pages 5.0 conversion headaches and would really like to embrace Open Source.
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Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: West Michigan
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Yeah, unfortunately there is little evidence that Apple intends to move back to powerful software (or even understands that there is such a need). Open Source has come a long way. As I am forced further and further away from Apple's feature-depleted crippledware I have been looking into a lot of open source solutions. Currently I'm pretty happy with the Libre Office / Open Office suites. I think you'll find what you need there, without having to resort to MS Office. Unfortunately, if you are looking for good software that provides the old "Apple Experience" of easy-to-use-yet-powerful, you will have a hard time finding it. Even Apple themselves no longer seem capable of pulling that off. Mostly what you'll find now is "easy but limited" or "difficult but powerful." You might also try looking at some of the old-school solutions that are still around and being updated, such as Mariner Write or Nissus.
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Forum Regular
Join Date: Oct 2003
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I use LibreOffice but my problem is putting graphics where I want them and keeping them there. I find that they move after I close the document and then reopen. Also it is not easy (for me) to place the graphic unless I anchor them to the page instead of to paragraph or to character. I don't recall if I convert to pdf and then send as an attachment if the graphic has moved when the receiver gets it. I use LibreOffice for general word processor use but Pages when I do graphics.
I have just installed Scribus 1.4.5-r2 but still have the problem I've always had. I don't know how to install ghostscript.
I agree with panjandrum. I think Apple ultimately doesn't want you to have their software on your hard drive (No discrete software). They want the software to be in their cloud.
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Last edited by imdipped; May 15, 2015 at 08:38 PM.
Reason: last sentence)
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Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: West Michigan
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Wow, just today I decided to work in Page again for a bit, and realized that Apple has removed the "Two Up" view option, which I specifically wished to use on my current project. What kind of complete idiots are currently in-charge at Apple? It's downright absurd. I guess that what all those Windows users always said was true is finally becoming true: Apple makes computers for idiots. Never used to actually be the case, but clearly those in charge at Apple are dead-set to make that a reality. I think this may just be the last straw for me. If Windows 10 looks as good as hoped, it may be time to move (I would have probably already done so if MS hadn't screwed the pooch so badly with Windows 8). The only reason to stick with the Mac OS all these decades is because the entire Apple ecosystem worked so well, even for professionals. Apple quite clearly no longer cares about anyone with needs beyond the most-basic, making the entire ecosystem broken. Why stick with anything Apple if the vast majority of Apple's own software packages are designed so poorly?
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Atlanta, GA
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Originally Posted by panjandrum
Wow, just today I decided to work in Page again for a bit, and realized that Apple has removed the "Two Up" view option, which I specifically wished to use on my current project. What kind of complete idiots are currently in-charge at Apple? It's downright absurd. I guess that what all those Windows users always said was true is finally becoming true: Apple makes computers for idiots. Never used to actually be the case, but clearly those in charge at Apple are dead-set to make that a reality. I think this may just be the last straw for me. If Windows 10 looks as good as hoped, it may be time to move (I would have probably already done so if MS hadn't screwed the pooch so badly with Windows 8). The only reason to stick with the Mac OS all these decades is because the entire Apple ecosystem worked so well, even for professionals. Apple quite clearly no longer cares about anyone with needs beyond the most-basic, making the entire ecosystem broken. Why stick with anything Apple if the vast majority of Apple's own software packages are designed so poorly?
It pains me to say it, but after working with Photos and the fact that iPhoto can't even be installed anymore, I am in total agreement with you.
I still love Apple hardware, and I very much like OSX, but if the apps aren't there .... (they used to be, but slowly dying off)
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- MacBook Air M2 16GB / 512GB
- MacBook Pro 16" i9 2.4Ghz 32GB / 1TB
- MacBook Pro 15" i7 2.9Ghz 16GB / 512GB
- iMac i5 3.2Ghz 1TB
- G4 Cube 500Mhz / Shelf display unit / Museum display
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Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nobletucky
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Originally Posted by panjandrum
Wow, just today I decided to work in Page again for a bit, and realized that Apple has removed the "Two Up" view option, which I specifically wished to use on my current project. What kind of complete idiots are currently in-charge at Apple? It's downright absurd.
It's the effect of the mobile platform taking over everything, and Apple wanting parity between their mobile and desktop apps. Unfortunately, they can't fit the features of the desktop app into the mobile version, so they dumb-down the desktop app. It's like a baseball coach telling his best hitter "Don't hit the ball so hard. You're making the rest of the team look bad." It's sort of the same as what's happening in web design. That whole "responsive" design thing, where sites look ok on your phone but look and act like ass on the desktop. It's what they call "progress" in the 21st century.
At least Pages '09 still works under Yosemite. If you had it installed before upgrading to Yosemite, it should still be there in your Apps folder.
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