WordPerfect vs. Word

Axtman · #1 02-04-2013, 09:22 PM

I have been a long time Word user. Currently I am using the 2003 version (yeah I know.... I am on the dull edge of technology). Anyhow I see no need to upgrade since I don't need any bells and whistles. I just do lots of formatted word processing. What I mean by formatted is outline numbering (Part 1, 1.1, A., 1., a. ) for architectural specifications.

Well I am getting really tired of fighting with Word. It seem that many of my peers are using WordPerfect. I used WordPerfect years ago and liked some features like reveal codes.

Anyhow, just wondering what your experience has been.

Thanks and keep on typing!

Munjibunga · #2 02-04-2013, 09:35 PM

About 20 years ago I did battle to get WordPerfect to be the company-wide WP program. At that time, Word was just the most user-belligerent program on earth. WordPerfect was so much more intuitive, and reveal codes was probably my favorite feature. I eventually lost the battle (I was just a regional manager at the time) because the company was already using Excel and Access, so they kept Word for cross-platform continuity.

Since then, Word has come a long way and I've gotten used to it. The more recent versions do have outlining capabilities. It's greatly improved in the last ten years. Since most companies use Word nowadays, I'd say get the latest version of it. It makes it easier to send documents to clients and others. Yes, I know there are compatibility features, but you never know what's going to get lost in the translation, especially when it comes to formatting.

Here's the drop-down menu for that. You can even design your own.

MrDOS · #3 02-04-2013, 09:41 PM

Yeah - I was a supporter of WordPerfect as long as I could. Just had to learn how to do the same things (like CD covers) in Word. It's just such a standard now.

two fingers · #4 02-04-2013, 09:50 PM

Yep. Word really has come a long way. Plus, .doc or .docx have become the norm for file extensions these days. Many people can't accept documents that aren't in one of those formats. None of my college teachers will take anything other than those two (back in school at 41). But really Office 2010 is nice. I haven't tried 365 yet, but Word 2010 has some great shortcuts and is more intuitive than previous versions to me anyway. There are tons of templates both in the program and available through Microsoft online (lots of outlines). I'll bet you can import something that someone in your industry came up with for just your situation. Charts and tables are a snap in Word. Literally seconds to set up the size and format. Then just fill in the boxes and you're all set.

Edit to add: Tell you what. If you like, I have a 180 trial of Office 2010 that I never used for a class. PM me and I'll throw it in the mail for you (assuming I can find it in the mess of a desk I do homework at....... no promises on that....but I'll try.)

klejst · #5 02-04-2013, 11:28 PM

I am still using Microsoft Office 2007 myself, got a free license and copy from work so I figured why not. I like Word because it is pretty much the standard and I find it easy to use. Mainly because I probably don't use 90% of all the features and functionality of it. I basically just type and do simple formatting most times.

I was using 2003 before, however jumped to 2007 because like I said it was free and because early on the whole XML file extension problem when trying to open .docx files in 2003 and below versions. Unless I get it free or a smoking deal I don't see myself upgrading to 2010 or the new 2013, kind of a if it ain't broke don't fix it for me at this point.

My parents use LibreOffice on their computer. It's free and they say it is pretty easy to use. You can even save word processing files in .doc format.

TolerancEJ · #6 02-05-2013, 12:02 AM

I didn't even know WordPerfect was still around. Nice to know we still have options.

The Owl · #7 02-05-2013, 08:39 AM

There's also OpenOffice.org, totally open source, will do everything MS Office does, and best yet, it's a freebie:

www.openoffice.org

MakiSupaStar · #8 02-05-2013, 08:59 AM

I prefer Pages. Wrote a novel on WordPerfect. Can't open it now.

Lonesomedave · #9 02-05-2013, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

I prefer Pages. Wrote a novel on WordPerfect. Can't open it now.

man, that sux!

can you do anything with it? what is the file extension?

i was thinking that you could email it to another computer and try to open it with another program.

be a shame to lose all that work...try saving it to a portable drive (or maybe 2 just to be safe), and take it to a specialist in data recovery. does copy and paste still work with this particular document?

Axtman · #10 02-05-2013, 09:14 AM

MakiSupaStar,

My brother-in-law (an avid WordPerfect user) says that newer versions of WP will open older WP files.

I know that Word will open WP files, though might scramble the formatting.

*****

I downloaded Open Office to check it out. It is a blatant knock off of Word 2003. My guess is that MicroSoft does not care because nobody uses 2003 anymore.

I also downloaded WordPerfect X6 on a 30 day trial. So far it looks very similar to Word.

Eublet · #11 02-05-2013, 09:21 AM

If you buck the Word trend, expect it to cause you some pain at varying times. If the good you experience with another program outweighs that pain, then it could be worth it for you. Word is an extremely mature program at this point, so getting it and going through the initial learning curve can have make things a lot easier for you down the road.

FWIW, I used to work with WP, Lotus 123, dBase, Netware, OS/2, NT4, and gobs of other tools that are no longer around. As a person who deals with technology for a living, hanging on to the past for too long in order to avoid a little pain or discomfort resulting from a learning curve seems to create more discomfort and pain later when that same curve is much steeper. YMMV.

MakiSupaStar · #12 02-05-2013, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lonesomedave

man, that sux!

can you do anything with it? what is the file extension?

i was thinking that you could email it to another computer and try to open it with another program.

be a shame to lose all that work...try saving it to a portable drive (or maybe 2 just to be safe), and take it to a specialist in data recovery. does copy and paste still work with this particular document?

It's on a stack of floppy discs. I don't have a floppy drive. They're wpf files. I have a printed copy. I really don't care anymore. It's kind of a throwaway novel anyway. If I were to ever release it, I'd rewrite it.

i_got_a_mohawk · #13 02-05-2013, 10:14 AM

When people are wanting a file sent I find it's usually .pdf, not a .doc or .docx (at least in my circles).

The ideal solution would be to use LaTeX, something I wish I could use more efficiently, damn it makes pretty documents!

iamlowsound · #14 02-05-2013, 10:22 AM

We only send files as a PDF, company wide we use Office 2010.

lowsound

LexD · #15 02-05-2013, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Owl

There's also OpenOffice.org, totally open source, will do everything MS Office does, and best yet, it's a freebie:

www.openoffice.org

This. Keep it updated and stop wasting your money.

i_got_a_mohawk · #16 02-05-2013, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LexD

This. Keep it updated and stop wasting your money.

I used to use OpenOffice but the standard install on most PC's at work is MS Office. While OO is ok for word type documents, I've found that presentations can lose formating between open office and word (granted, that was a while back, so maybe they fixed it).

I'll also say that most TeX systems are free, and if you can learn how to use typesetting programs like that, you won't look back, particularly for larger documents, plus, the final result always looks a step ahead of most WYSIWYG editors.

Eublet · #17 02-05-2013, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LexD

This. Keep it updated and stop wasting your money.

Open Office is a GREAT solution for personal use and some business users. There are a lot of things it can't do however, especially in a multi-user organization that have to do some document collaboration. If a personal user requires this functionality also, then Open Office won't get them there.

LexD · #18 02-05-2013, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eublet

Open Office is a GREAT solution for personal use and some business users. There are a lot of things it can't do however, especially in a multi-user organization that have to do some document collaboration. If a personal user requires this functionality also, then Open Office won't get them there.

Agreed. Also advanced graphic layouts in Excel and Word can become positioned incorrectly -- or worse, when attempting to view in Open Office.

However, if, as the OP stated "I just do lots of formatted word processing. What I mean by formatted is outline numbering (Part 1, 1.1, A., 1., a. ) for architectural specifications." Open Office should suffice quite well.

Eublet · #19 02-05-2013, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LexD

Agreed. Also advanced graphic layouts in Excel and Word can become positioned incorrectly -- or worse, when attempting to view in Open Office.

However, if, as the OP stated "I just do lots of formatted word processing. What I mean by formatted is outline numbering (Part 1, 1.1, A., 1., a. ) for architectural specifications." Open Office should suffice quite well.

Agreed! Everyone should try it before they spend money on Office.

**bassybill** · #20 02-05-2013, 11:33 AM

I tried Open Office for a while about 3 years back and just couldn't really get on with it - too many issues when sharing documents between users with Word (problems occurred in both directions).

I guess it's fine for a freebie, but ubiquity has some advantages and to me those advantages are worth paying for (although I might balk at paying full price - I got my version of Office with an academic discount).