# What word processer are you putting on your new Mac? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 28, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-processer-are-you-putting-on-your-new-mac/645392 "2012-12-28T16:31:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-processer-are-you-putting-on-your-new-mac/645392/1 "2012-12-28T16:31:02Z")
I am surprised to learn this new Mac Mini does not come with a word processor. Nor is there one on the Ipad Mini. This leaves, not tech savvy, Me wondering how on earth I will access all the Appleworks documents from my last Mac Mini? I discovered this when I loaded everything I wanted on a jump drive only to discover I couldn’t open any of it. When I search I get too many results, and I’ve no idea what to look for, to be honest. My needs are few, I assure you. So what about all you new Mac for Christmas people, what are you using to view Appleworks documents? ---
**Author:** ![Implicit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Implicit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Implicit)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-processer-are-you-putting-on-your-new-mac/645392/2 "2012-12-28T16:58:15Z")
Pages is the standard Apple word processing program and it should open Appleworks 6 documents. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-processer-are-you-putting-on-your-new-mac/645392/3 "2012-12-28T17:16:15Z")
I am putting MS Office, and LibreOffice on my computers. (The latter more for Base, because I deal with a lot of documents with complex formatting that gets chewed to shreds if I don’t stay with MS Office for the word processing.) TextEdit is a low-powered word processor that will already be on your Mac, but it won’t handle AppleWorks. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-processer-are-you-putting-on-your-new-mac/645392/4 "2012-12-28T18:13:37Z")
TextWrangler Crude but it works for me. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-processer-are-you-putting-on-your-new-mac/645392/5 "2012-12-28T18:16:37Z")
Pages is a good word processor for $20. I wouldn’t pay the premium for MS Word. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-processer-are-you-putting-on-your-new-mac/645392/6 "2012-12-28T18:38:14Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > Pages is a good word processor for $20. I wouldn’t pay the premium for MS Word. The Office suite (Word + Excel + Powerpoint) is around $100. It’s a “premium” if you only use Word, but not a bad deal if you have use for all 3. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-processer-are-you-putting-on-your-new-mac/645392/7 "2012-12-28T18:48:39Z")
I haven’t actually used a word processor for years, so: nothing. On the rare occasions I need to read a word file someone else has sent me, I upload it to Google Docs. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-processer-are-you-putting-on-your-new-mac/645392/8 "2012-12-28T18:57:54Z")
Any word processor that serves your needs is the right one… as long as you have to serve only yourself. The argument for all of the freeware and alternative products is just that; from the typing side, they all look and work pretty much alike. Use whichever one works for you. However… if you are going to work with shared documents and other users, you have to work within the established standard, which is (overwhelmingly) Word. Compatibility between Word and other tools is theoretical at best and tends to blow apart the minute any document uses a feature more complicated than headers or footers. It’s bad enough maintaining document integrity when the circle of users has different versions of Word; add in a \*_cough cough_ Harley-compatible, basically the same engineering \*and watch your docs explode in colorful gibberish. I’ll make no judgment about what individuals use, especially in these days when documents can, should be and are delivered in PDF. But after almost 30 years spent laboriously fixing documents that went through someone’s “compatible,” sometimes repeatedly, I make the sincere plea that working groups use a single, standardized tool, even if it means shelling out a few bucks to Microsoft. (By the way, Word can be hot-rodded into an excellent tool by shearing away all the marketing-driven selections for menus, settings etc. There’s a damned good tool under all the chrome and plastic frippery and the settings that make things sooooo E-Z.) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-processer-are-you-putting-on-your-new-mac/645392/9 "2012-12-28T18:59:33Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > I haven’t actually used a word processor for years, so: nothing. On the rare occasions I need to read a word file someone else has sent me, I upload it to Google Docs. I have Word 2011, but it’s something I use very rarely. Since the vast majority of my business communication is via email, I find that I have little need for a word processor these days. Text Wrangler is an excellent text editor, but it’s really designed for geeks. Open Office or Neo Office should meet most folks needs if they have to deal with Microsoft Word documents. Pages is also good, but it’s not free. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-processer-are-you-putting-on-your-new-mac/645392/10 "2012-12-28T19:13:20Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > (By the way, Word can be hot-rodded into an excellent tool by shearing away all the marketing-driven selections for menus, settings etc. There’s a damned good tool under all the chrome and plastic frippery and the settings that make things sooooo E-Z.) Tell me about it. I used to teach a class to college students that included using Word for flyers and brocures. Our first lesson: turn most everything off (especially autoformat as you type) and make most everything visible (tabs, spaces, paragraph marks). Suddenly, students who had struggled for years with Word were now happily being productive. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-processer-are-you-putting-on-your-new-mac/645392/11 "2012-12-28T19:19:41Z")
I use OpenOffice on my home PC, though like Word, it can’t hold a candle to WordPerfect. ---
**Author:** ![ed\_anger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbce88/32.png) [@ed\_anger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ed_anger)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-processer-are-you-putting-on-your-new-mac/645392/12 "2012-12-28T20:11:22Z")
Google docs work on mac or pc, you can open word files, excel, etc. it’s now called Google Drive. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-processer-are-you-putting-on-your-new-mac/645392/13 "2012-12-28T20:32:20Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > The Office suite (Word + Excel + Powerpoint) is around $100. It’s a “premium” if you only use Word, but not a bad deal if you have use for all 3. I didn’t realize it was so cheap. I agree, this would be the best way to go. Compatibilty wise, the others really do have issues. It’s unfortunate that MS has been able to lock that market in, but it is a fact. If it is available on the app store I’ll put it on my list of things to get. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-processer-are-you-putting-on-your-new-mac/645392/14 "2012-12-28T20:32:30Z")
If you use Office at work, your employer might participate in the Microsoft Home Use Program, which will let you buy a copy of Office Professional Plus 2010 or Office:Mac 2011 for ten bucks. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-processer-are-you-putting-on-your-new-mac/645392/15 "2012-12-28T20:59:15Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > If you use Office at work, your employer might participate in the Microsoft Home Use Program, which will let you buy a copy of Office Professional Plus 2010 or Office:Mac 2011 for ten bucks. Great program. I jumped at it when it was offered. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-processer-are-you-putting-on-your-new-mac/645392/16 "2012-12-28T21:50:17Z")
Pages, in the bundle of Pages plus Numbers plus Keynote, which cost $49 when I bought my iMac almost 2 years ago. It’s just fine, it works right, and it has a mobile version for your iPhone or iPad if you like. I also like TextWrangler, but not for word processing! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-processer-are-you-putting-on-your-new-mac/645392/17 "2012-12-28T21:53:38Z")
I have Office for Macs. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-processer-are-you-putting-on-your-new-mac/645392/18 "2012-12-28T21:59:55Z")
Pages is pretty crude. It’ll do the job but I wouldn’t really recommend it or Numbers - Libre/OpenOffice are at least as good and cost nothing. Keynote, on the other hand, is excellent if you ever do presentations. You can buy it separately in the app store. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-processer-are-you-putting-on-your-new-mac/645392/19 "2012-12-29T00:13:16Z")
I have Microsoft Office 2011 on mine, personally. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-processer-are-you-putting-on-your-new-mac/645392/20 "2012-12-29T00:43:53Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > I didn’t realize it was so cheap. It’s cheaper than that; for about $120 you can buy a three-license copy for “home and student use.” It’s not supposed to be installed in a commercial/business environment, which is no hurdle even if you’re an ethical software buyer. That makes Word-Excel-Powerpoint (and the fairly useless OneNote) about $40 a seat. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-processer-are-you-putting-on-your-new-mac/645392.md?page=2)