# "Pages" for Macintosh -- Windows Equivalent? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 10, 2013, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pages-for-macintosh-windows-equivalent/668477 "2013-09-10T05:20:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pages-for-macintosh-windows-equivalent/668477/1 "2013-09-10T05:20:06Z")
A contact asked me to prepare some documents in “Pages” format. He said I’d need a Mac computer. Lum! I’m a Windows kinda guy! I’ve never so much as touched a Mac. Is there some functional equivalent? Maybe some friendly emulation software, or a conversion shareware thing? Maybe a site or service? I’d thought that the great Mac/Windows wars had settled down with a comfortable level of mutual compatibility and comprehensibility. The ideal was to maximize everyone’s ability to get work done. Like, .pdf files open on both Macs and Wins, and same with .jpg files and lots of others. “Open Office” makes it easy for people to open word processing and spreadsheet files.) I Googled, and found instructions on how to open a Pages file on a Windows machine. But what about creating Pages files? (What is Pages, anyway? First I’ve ever heard of it!) ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pages-for-macintosh-windows-equivalent/668477/2 "2013-09-10T05:27:43Z")
It’s Apple’s word processor. Roughly on a par with OpenOffice and similar. It’ll open most .doc files, in my experience, though it usually mumbles about format changes when it does. In fact I’m not even sure it has its own separate format. I’d send him a Word document and see what he says about it. ETA: it does have its own format. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pages-for-macintosh-windows-equivalent/668477/3 "2013-09-10T05:32:54Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > (What is Pages, anyway? First I’ve ever heard of it!) [Pages](http://www.apple.com/iwork/pages/) Maybe look at Page Maker or Quark or some other desktop publishing software? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pages-for-macintosh-windows-equivalent/668477/4 "2013-09-10T05:51:49Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > [Pages](http://www.apple.com/iwork/pages/) > Maybe look at Page Maker or Quark or some other desktop publishing software? Pages is a word processor, not a publishing platform. Just send the guy a .doc file. Pages will read it fine. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pages-for-macintosh-windows-equivalent/668477/5 "2013-09-10T06:11:25Z")
I don’t see why you can’t say to him ‘I don’t work in pages or have a mac, but pages will read a word file’. He’s asking for something non standard in most professional environments, which isn’t a reasonable request in my book. And I work on a mac. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pages-for-macintosh-windows-equivalent/668477/6 "2013-09-10T06:13:04Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > Maybe look at Page Maker or Quark or some other desktop publishing software? God no. No one works in those anymore, not even designers. That would create a file that no one can open. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pages-for-macintosh-windows-equivalent/668477/7 "2013-09-10T10:29:39Z")
🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RickG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rickg/32/5174_2.png) [@RickG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickG)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pages-for-macintosh-windows-equivalent/668477/8 "2013-09-10T15:30:57Z")
If you have an Apple ID (which is free), you **may** be able to access the public beta of [Pages for iCloud](http://beta.icloud.com). It should work in Google Chrome. But, yeah, probably better to use Word and ask the client to open it in Pages. Unless this is a complex, page-layout-critical document, that should work fine. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pages-for-macintosh-windows-equivalent/668477/9 "2013-09-11T03:54:18Z")
Thank you, all and every! I’ll try sending him both .doc and .docx files. Failing that, since this is a very simple document (the only font enhancement I use are italics) I’ll send him a flat .txt file with italics on and italics off codes. Much relief! The information age should never fall victim to obstacles that impede communication. It’s hard enough to make ourselves clear already! ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pages-for-macintosh-windows-equivalent/668477/10 "2013-09-11T04:26:39Z")
You’re nicer than me. I would have sent it as a .wps. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pages-for-macintosh-windows-equivalent/668477/11 "2013-09-11T04:38:58Z")
I really like Pages (yeah, I’m a Mac user) but yeah, even though I used Pages to create my resume, I exported it to a Word .doc file to e-mail to potential employers. I’m pretty sure anybody can open a .doc file, regardless of which platform they’re using - Windows, Mac, or Linux. And as long as my formatting is limited to the “basic” stuff, there isn’t much difference between my Pages document and the exported .doc file. If your contact uses Pages, he should know darn well that Pages can open .doc files. Unless he’s one of those embarrassing Mac users who doesn’t realize that his computer can read damn near any kind of file. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pages-for-macintosh-windows-equivalent/668477/12 "2013-09-11T05:07:08Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > You’re nicer than me. I would have sent it as a .wps. Grin! Every so often, I bump into an old .wp file (Word Perfect.) Not too long ago, someone sent me a Word .dot template file, and I couldn’t open it (even in Word!) Fortunately, he was able to send me a readable .rtf file. > [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > I really like Pages (yeah, I’m a Mac user) but yeah, even though I used Pages to create my resume, I exported it to a Word .doc file to e-mail to potential employers. I’m pretty sure anybody can open a .doc file, regardless of which platform they’re using - Windows, Mac, or Linux. And as long as my formatting is limited to the “basic” stuff, there isn’t much difference between my Pages document and the exported .doc file. > > If your contact uses Pages, he should know darn well that Pages can open .doc files. Unless he’s one of those embarrassing Mac users who doesn’t realize that his computer can read damn near any kind of file. I have a little more information. He uses Pages to export or convert to EPUB files. He said, quotha, “All the Windows apps pile junk into the file.” I don’t know what he means by that, but we’re now experimenting with him opening my .doc and .docx files. This is a relief, as I was starting to look at used Macs on Ebay, and was going to ask y’all here what model I should buy. Perhaps I won’t need “dual citizenship!” ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pages-for-macintosh-windows-equivalent/668477/13 "2013-09-11T05:57:26Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > [Pages](http://www.apple.com/iwork/pages/) > Maybe look at Page Maker or Quark or some other desktop publishing software? Uh . . . the 90s just called . . . or even the late 80s. Use Adpbe InDesign. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pages-for-macintosh-windows-equivalent/668477/14 "2013-09-11T09:51:59Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I have a little more information. He uses Pages to export or convert to EPUB files. He said, quotha, “All the Windows apps pile junk into the file.” I don’t know what he means by that, but we’re now experimenting with him opening my .doc and .docx files. Take _any_ word-processing file, regardless of platform, and open it in a text editor. You’ll find all sorts of formatting crap in there, wrapped around the actual content. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pages-for-macintosh-windows-equivalent/668477/15 "2013-09-11T13:43:02Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Uh . . . the 90s just called . . . or even the late 80s. > > Use Adpbe InDesign. Yeah! (already noted upthread, but thanks for joining in) At least my link was correct. ---
**Author:** ![RickG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rickg/32/5174_2.png) [@RickG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickG)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pages-for-macintosh-windows-equivalent/668477/16 "2013-09-11T14:11:16Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > I really like Pages (yeah, I’m a Mac user) but yeah, even though I used Pages to create my resume, I exported it to a Word .doc file to e-mail to potential employers. I’m pretty sure anybody can open a .doc file, regardless of which platform they’re using - Windows, Mac, or Linux. And as long as my formatting is limited to the “basic” stuff, there isn’t much difference between my Pages document and the exported .doc file. I actually think sending formatted documents for review should never be done in Pages **or** MSWord format. You should send your resume as a PDF. The big advantage is that the formatting won’t get screwed up by Word or OpenOffice or Pages when the document is opened. PDF is more universal than .doc or .docx. This does not apply to the OP, whose work needs to be imported into another doc. Maybe RTF is most universal for that purpose. It formats **text** , but not the document as a whole, and that sounds more like the goal here. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pages-for-macintosh-windows-equivalent/668477/17 "2013-09-11T15:40:43Z")
> [@RickG](#): > > I actually think sending formatted documents for review should never be done in Pages **or** MSWord format. You should send your resume as a PDF. The big advantage is that the formatting won’t get screwed up by Word or OpenOffice or Pages when the document is opened. PDF is more universal than .doc or .docx. > > This does not apply to the OP, whose work needs to be imported into another doc. Maybe RTF is most universal for that purpose. It formats **text** , but not the document as a whole, and that sounds more like the goal here. Yeah, RTF is what I was going to recommend. Just don’t do anything fancy with it, as some of the fanciest stuff is only loosely supported by non-Microsoft software. But it would be fine for just plain italics. Assuming Pages can open it, HTML is also another choice for simple text markup. And, since you can encode it by hand, it has the advantage of letting you be absolutely sure there’s no extra junk in there. Heck, it would be pretty close to those text files the OP mentions–mostly plain text with a notation for italics. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pages-for-macintosh-windows-equivalent/668477/18 "2013-09-11T20:40:02Z")
I just checked, and rtf retains the text and font enhancements I want. (Not many!) So, if .doc or .docx fails, that’s my next step. Thanks!