Quick iWork review

[sleigh]

So I mentioned that if the "Numbers" software in Apple's new iWork package could open and read my current Excel files without issue, I'd be done with Microsoft Office.

The new Keynote looks very nice, Pages has made some strides as a word processing program (though I still have to play with it a lot more to know if I'd want to use it for that purpose -- it's still a lovely and easy page-layout program), and Numbers makes Excel look old and tired.

I'm done with Microsoft Office.

End of review.

Comments

[tshaile.livejournal.com]

What do you use for word processing (for your novel writing)?

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

For real word processing (i.e.: my fiction) I use Nisus Writer Pro, which I find to be a powerful word processor with an intuitive and writer-friendly interface... and not a bloated "I-want-every-feature-possible-to-humankind-for-any-purpose-whatsoever" kludge like MS Word.

There's a certain feature set I need as a fiction writer. Otherwise, I want the program to stay out of my way and not bother me.

Last time I checked, Pages lacked a few of those features (word count was one, as I recall). I haven't had a chance yet to play with the new version, though the new word processing capabilities look promising.

One feature I prefer in a word processor is that it not save natively in a proprietary format. DOC is a proprietary format (and Microsoft's new DOCX format is even less friendly, since not even older versions of Word can read it without conversion), and every other program I looked at has their own: Mellel saved as a Mellell file; Pages saves as a Pages file, etc. Nisus saves natively as an RTF (Rich Text Format) file, not a "Nisus" file, and RTF can be read be almost every text editor/word processor in the world -- it's as close as it comes to an 'open' format. My publisher is fine with RTF (and Nisus can, at need, save in Word format if necessary).

[tobias-buckell.livejournal.com]

Have you tried Scrivener? RTF naturally, word counts, and the coolest interface oriented at novel writing.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

I've looked at Scrivener, and it's intriguing and enticing. I intend to give it a harder look at some point, though right now I'm happy with Nisus.