Fast Word Processor w RTF & Outlining

Posted by Alexander Deliyannis
Aug 26, 2007 at 10:34 AM

Gary,

I have two suggestions:

1. TextMaker is a Word compatible word-processor from german company Softmaker that also makes PlanMaker, an Excel compatible spreadsheet. They are both competitively priced and do what they claim to. TextMaker is said to have better file compatibility than any other Word compatible applications and to load Word files faster than Word itself. As far as I have tried it, it seems true on both counts. I only had trouble with certain files in Greek which unfortunately is my working language. More at:
http://www.softmaker.com

2. My second suggestion is to use a previous version of Word, ideally Word 6.0/95. On an modern PC you will find it lightning fast.
The main benefits are:
+ No compromises re editing features, in particular tables, which most RTF editors seem to suffer from.
+ Specialised plug-ins such as the equation editor and the organisation chart.
+ Outlining same as current Word for most purposes; the only thing missing AFAIK is the document map.
+ Spell-checking, thesaurus, the lot, integrated in the application.
The main disadvantage is that it may not be possible to install two versions of Word on the same machine. Ideally you should start by installing the older version and see whether installing the new version allows you to keep the old.

Cheers
alx