Word to the Wise: Reviewing Linux Word Processors

By: Michael Hall
Thursday, May 4, 2000 12:31:05 PM EST
URL: http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/reports/1762/1/

Introducing Our Series

A few years ago I found myself out on the job market after several years of relative security and access to all the word-processing software I'd ever needed. I also found myself with a computer from which I'd completely expunged Windows, which was easy to do when I had access to machines able to run the office applications I was used to. Faced with the need to produce a resumé, I wrote one in HTML, loaded it into Netscape, and printed it: it was the best I could do on short notice.

The chances are good that with a little research and patience, I could have unearthed something that would have worked a little better. Since then, though, the need to go out and dig for possible solutions to word processing needs has begun to fade, and Linux users are faced with a variety of choices both free and proprietary that provide word-processing parity with the Windows world, plus some.

Not everyone needs the same thing from a word processor, so we looked at features, usability, and power from the perspective of office professionals, clerical workers, and the student/home user. The word processor that fits a harried manager out to produce a department newsletter might be too much to bother with for a student working on yet another 1000 word essay in Comp 101. The guy in the server room who just needs to type up a quick memo requesting a new hub isn't going to care about the features that make the loyalty of clerical workers to their word processors legendary.

With those differences in needs in mind, we devised three tasks and looked at them from several perspectives. A word processor is one of the most essential tools on any computer, and we set out to provide you with a guide to the most comfortable fit possible. We weren't out to count features, either. One unfortunate result of the "feature wars" in the Windows world was the addition of gadgets and chrome that served to guilt reviewers into giving the nod to the package that included the most stuff. The tasks we selected aren't out of the range of needs of most people at work or home. We concerned ourselves with how well and how easily each word processor performed its task. Though several of the word processors we looked at were part of larger office suites, we decided to set aside issues of integration with the rest of the host suite for this review.

The first task we devised was a fairly complex newsletter. Our notion of "ideal" performance in this area would include the ability to generate layout "chrome" like multiple columns, column-spanning headlines, and the ability to easily integrate graphics in a flexible manner.

The next task we came up with, for the general office worker, was production a nicely formatted letter and mail merge. We looked for ease of formatting, the ability to introduce simple graphics for a letterhead, and how simple, overall, producing our test document was.

We also evaluated all the word processors with an eye to how simply and well they performed the most basic functions. Many people don't require the ability to include graphics, or run a mail merge, or even do much more than just produce clear text. While it's obvious that the more expensive and feature-laden software that did well at the more complex tasks will do well in this area, we believe there's a point for some where the relatively complex, almost-desktop-publishing software is just so much overkill. At that point, how easy a program is on system resources, the new learner, and your wallet become high priorities.

Finally, we took a brief look at a few word processors and text editors that may fit the bill for users with specialized needs, or those interested in exploring some of the wide variety available in the Linux world. While these got a passing glance compared to the main subjects of this review/overview, we included them because they offer something that will be of more use to some than a traditional word processor, or because they show real promise.

In this first round of reviews, we'll post daily reviews of products. We've already run reviews of StarWriter 5.2 and WordPerfect 9 and eventually comprising Applix Words, Maxwell, GNU Emacs, Lyx, and KWord, along with our conclusions as to what programs work the best in specific situations.

StarOffice 5.2: The Next Generation from Sun

Sun's StarWriter is part of the StarOffice package. Longtime Linux users are familiar with StarOffice, which, like WordPerfect, inspired a HOWTO on making it work under Linux long before Linux was the market force it is today. Network computing giant Sun recently acquired StarOffice from the German company StarDivision. The beta release of StarOffice 5.2 shows Sun has little desire to change the basic characteristics of their new acquisition.

Part of the obvious emphasis of StarWriter is on its ability to provide a comfortable home for those used to Microsoft Word. A fairly rich filter set and striking similarities in terms of operation make StarWriter a natural for offices considering a move from Microsoft Word.

We did our tests on version 5.2 of StarOffice, even though this is still a beta release. We encountered stability problems and a few bugs, which we fully expect to be ironed out by the time it goes into final release. Since StarOffice is free for download and a fairly inexpensive CD purchase, prospective users may want to consider sticking with 5.1a, and moving to 5.2 when its stability is more guaranteed.

Features
StarWriter is a featureful piece of software, and it was able to produce our test "high-end" document with little trouble. Multicolumn layouts were easily achieved, and we could mix the number of columns in the document.

There was also enough control over text and layout that we were able to create the in-line graphics and quote boxes a typical departmental newsletter might require.

Creative control of text color and margins allowed for relatively nice effects. Professional features like control of the space between characters (kerning) and individual lines added to the overall sense that StarWriter has most bases covered for all but the most sophisticated layouts.

One additional feature referred to as "The Stylist" also caught our attention. The Stylist allowed for application of specific styles (chapter headings, citations, etc.) in a manner similar to cascading style sheets in HTML: the styles can be applied to text in a structured manner, allowing the user to manipulate the appearance of each style without having to go through the document and re-specify the appearance of every element sharing that style. The Stylist, when turned on, appears as a floating

As a general business word processor, StarWriter really demonstrated how full-featured it is.

We were able to create mail-merge documents, envelopes, and labels with just a little difficulty. The built-in database functionality of the broader StarOffice package made this simple enough, even though transitioning Word users may miss the mail merge wizards. We were also able to introduce simple letterhead-style graphics, and manipulate them in such a way as to produce a good variety of effects.

When we tested StarWriter as a very simple word processor for those with modest needs, we became concerned about the sense of size and complexity the software carries. This wouldn't ordinarily be an issue, but the fact that StarWriter is tied to the larger StarOffice suite, which is slow to start and memory-intensive, made using StarOffice for light correspondence or a simple composition seem a little too much.

General Use and Interface
If there's an obvious drawback to StarWriter as a word processor, it's probably the fact that there's no way to separate it from the rest of StarOffice. It proved a little frustrating to sense that the rather long load-time and extra graphical clutter was the result of StarWriter sharing its window with a fairly complete desktop environment. StarOffice is a little taxing on lower-end Pentiums.

A second issue with StarWriter was the "Interface from A Slightly Different Dimension" feel of StarOffice as a whole. By default, StarOffice looks and feels largely like Windows 95/98. There are options to make the window borders within the application look a little more like a Macintosh or a little more like the Motif Window Manager, but these were only superficial "skins."

Though StarWriter comes with many features found in Word, those features are accessed in a manner that proved frustratingly dissimilar. While not a major argument against StarWriter, those looking to adopt the software in order to convert their Microsoft Office shop will have to consider training time. Unfortunately, the documentation included with the software is deficient and will hamper all but the most motivated learners.

We should note, though, that even though StarOffice may confuse those put down in front of it on the premise that it makes the transition from Word (or Microsoft Windows, for that matter) easier, once the interface is learned, it's pleasantly consistent and intuitive.

One final strength to be noted is the fact that StarOffice is available for Windows as well as Linux. This makes it a natural for deployment in situations where a variety of platforms are in use, due to its ability to share files in the native StarOffice format, or where users may need to work from several machines.

Conclusions
Though StarWriter came up a little shy on the highest end of features we've seen in word processors, it still earns a recommendation as a solid piece of software with features that will satisfy all but the most demanding. General clerical workers and students will find themselves with more than they need, and creative "power users" will find plenty to keep them busy. Our primary concern with what is a polished and smooth application comes in when considering it for use for the simplest tasks, where it comes across as too resource hungry and cluttered.

Clearly positioned as a thrust at Microsoft's office suite dominance, StarWriter is one to consider for almost any need except the most complex desktop publishing, or the most modest requirements.

Home Page: http://www.sun.com/products/staroffice
License: Sun's Community Source License
Cost: Free for download. CDs available for $39.95.

WordPerfect 9: Easing the Move from Word

WordPerfect is the most venerable of the word processors we examined. A longstanding favorite of many, and still somewhat dominant in the legal community, it's lost ground against Microsoft Word in recent years in most corporate settings.

WordPerfect is no stranger to Linux, or UNIX for that matter. Longtime users may remember WordPerfect for SCO UNIX and the attendant mini-HOWTO on how to make it run under Linux. This particular release is interesting because it represents Corel's initial efforts at using their work on the WINE Windows programming libraries to bring applications to the Linux market.

Features
WordPerfect easily handled our criteria for high-end page layout. It was a simple matter to produce documents with varying numbers of columns and spanning headlines. We were pleased, in fact, to note that these features produced exactly what we asked the first time. Similarly, integrating graphics and "pull quotes" with the text were easily accomplished, and there were some nice touches to these features, including autoincremented figure numbers for the pictures we added.

WordPerfect also included the sort of character and line spacing control we've come to expect of a high end word processor, providing fast access to kerning and leading. In all, WordPerfect proved itself a powerful package, capable of dealing with some fairly high expectations.

As a mid-level word processor, WordPerfect once again proved more than satisfactory. It has a flexible mail-merge feature with an easy-to-understand interface that makes setup of such a task simple for any experienced office worker.

We were similarly impressed when we set about to create letterhead and other specialty documents. In each case, WordPerfect had everything we needed to accomplish the task, and we usually noticed neighboring features we hadn't even been looking for.

When used for low-end tasks, the program was intuitive and easy-to-use. We were able to get at the features we wanted and even though they had plenty of advanced options, we were able to get them to do simpler things without any hassle.

General Use and Interface
WordPerfect was interesting to us on a couple of levels. As the word processor with the most general name recognition on the Linux scene, we wanted to see how it held up against other packages that have established themselves over the years. We were also curious about how the use of the WINE programming libraries would change what we'd become used to with WordPerfect 8, which was solid in its own right.

We walked away from our initial encounter with mixed feelings, deciding that, as with anything, WordPerfect would find different welcomes depending on the audience.

As a general observation, there's a certain lack of responsiveness present we're inclined to blame on use of the WINE programming libraries. Use of these libraries was probably responsible for the product's quick arrival in the Linux market, and they ensure a "just like the Windows version" look and feel, but there are performance issues on the sorts of machines likely to turn up on the desks of home and general office users.

In addition to the sense of unresponsiveness, we were unhappy to note that program occasionally failed to shut itself down cleanly. On one occasion, it left several open processes occupying over 10MB of RAM. A quick consultation with the Corel support newsgroups revealed that a script called "closeWPO2000" serves to clean up some offending processes and remove a lock file that prevents the program from executing properly the next time it's invoked.

One final problem that drew our attention was the difficulty WordPerfect had in dealing with several different, common window managers, including Sawmill and Enlightenment. In each case, we had to make sure that the window managers were set to "click-to-focus" instead of other settings, like sloppy focus, or WordPerfect would take focus at inappropriate times and have problems with its own menus and dialog boxes.

From the point of view of a Windows user, there is little to complain about. Combined with a friendly and tightly controlled desktop environment, the amount of training time involved in moving a user from WordPerfect for Windows to WordPerfect for Linux will be very small. There is no "slightly different" sense to the interface from the point of view of less experienced, former Windows users who might be easily thrown by nuances more experienced users brush past.

Keyboard and menu access to basic search/replace, cut, copy, and paste tools is also in keeping with established convention. Anyone familiar with word processing in a graphical environment, particularly Windows, will have little trouble with these areas of the interface.

Another positive element we noted for users transitioning from the Microsoft Windows and Word combination was a useful guide to how to access features found in Word with WordPerfect.

From the point of view of an experienced Linux user, things are a little less positive. As with their Linux distribution, Corel clearly aimed the product at users who are new to Linux or comfortable with accepting Corel's interface choices. Those who stopped using Windows as a pointed matter of choice may find themselves irritated, for instance, when greeted with "My Linux," "My Home," and "The System" as directory choices.

Conclusion
WordPerfect is an outstanding package, packed with the sort of functionality that indicates it's a survivor of the Windows world's features wars. It was able to do everything we asked, plus some, with flexibility and ease.

While there are some software design issues that kept our enthusiasm for the product muted, and some interface issues that will cause more experienced Linux users a moment's pause, it's still a quality product for any level of user. Those looking to deploy WordPerfect in an environment where technical support resources are thin may need to weigh the clear advantages in ease of transition against the occasional bad behavior we found on our test machine.

Home Page: http://linux.corel.com/products/wpo2000_linux/index.htm
License: Commercial
Cost: $109-$159, depending on the edition of WordPerfect Office.

AbiWord 0.7.8: A Promising Development

AbiWord 0.7.8 is one of two word processors we covered that has an Open-Source license. A visit to the AbiSource website shows there's an active community of developers making continual improvements to what may be one of the most anticipated projects in Linux. AbiWord is also a commercial endeavor, which, combined with its Open-Source license, makes it unique in the field of word processors we surveyed.

AbiWord makes use of the GTK+ programming toolkit, making it cousin to the popular GIMP graphics application and GNOME desktop environment. As a matter of fact, much recent development on this project has occurred in the area of GNOME integration. Indications are AbiWord will be the word processing component of the upcoming GNOME Office suite.

Features
As the version number indicates, AbiWord is still in development and not yet feature-complete. As such, it wasn't able to compete with its larger and more polished competitors, and likely isn't up to much but the lightest requirements. There are also a couple of annoying gaps in the menus where users are invited to contribute missing functionality. This isn't a product to hand over to the office secretary or a novice user with need for advanced features.

Features that are available with this release are the basic text formatting options, the ability to set multiple columns (though without the usual options to draw separator lines or other advanced features), set line spacing, and spell-checking (both on-the-fly and as a function from the menus). In addition, some indentation and orphan control features exist.

AbiWord is also able to read Microsoft rich text format files and Microsoft Word .doc files, and save in rtf, doc, HTML, and LaTeX.

One feature we liked a lot was the ability to set the keyboard to respond to vi or Emacs keybindings while providing friendly and standard GUI dialog boxes in response to such commands as the vi search '/' or the Emacs C-x C-s save command. This may eventually make it a favorite among users who prefer vi or Emacs for general utility editing but want nicely formatted output for the occasions where it's warranted without having to bother with markup in one of the more traditional Linux text formatting languages.

General Use and Interface
AbiWord, in addition to providing its vi and Emacs keyboard emulations, provides the editing and menu access keystrokes users of Microsoft Word will be used to. It was a simple matter to find text within a page, or to cut, copy, or paste text.

AbiWord is also nimble and responsive, loading very quickly and having a small RAM footprint. Because it uses the GTK toolkit, it shares some of the speed problems GTK is known to suffer from when using pixmapped themes. On the other hand, the use of GTK makes AbiWord fit aesthetically on the GNOME desktop--something that seems to matter more often than some purists might consider appropriate.

Conclusion
It seems unfair to put AbiWord up against larger and finished products like some of the other commercial efforts we covered. Despite the current disparity in features, though, AbiWord shows a lot of promise. Its light use of system resources is a big plus we hope continues as development on this project progresses.

Users who only need to perform light correspondence are probably the most likely to use AbiWord at this point in its development. Those who'd like to use a word processor to generate HTML, saving themselves having to mark up basic HTML tags will also find a pleasant enough editor. AbiWord is also a useful tool for those forced to read simple Word documents from their Windows-using colleagues and correspondents from time to time.

We're looking forward to revisiting AbiWord once it's had time to mature a little more, and fulfill more of its promise as a stable, light, quality product.

Available from: http://www.abisource.com
License: GNU General Public License
Cost: Free to download as binary or source

Applix Words 5: VistaSource Makes an Aggressive Move

Applix Words is a product from another long-standing supporter of the Linux productivity desktop: Applix. In just the past few days, Applix has spun its Linux division off into a subsidiary named VistaSource and seeded the new company with $6 million to get it underway. It will be interesting to note what this means for a line of products that have always had the respect, if not the enthusiasm, of the Linux community.

Applix Words usually appears as part of the larger Applixware office suite, but it's also available as a standalone product as of version 5. This is a welcome variation. Customers who might blanch at the thought of paying $100 for a complete suite (no matter how reasonable that sounds after dealing with the +$200 world of Windows packages), or don't want the bulk of extraneous applications should welcome a full-featured $50 word processor.

One additional new wrinkle in Applix Words is the adaptation of the Open-Source GTK programming toolkit, which is an interesting departure from OSF/Motif. We'll explore that change a little later in the review.

Features
Applix Words held up well to our testing when it came to the features we considered high end. Though we're not sure how we feel about the ongoing and apparently unstoppable convergence between desktop publishing and word processing, Applix Words delivered in this category.

We were able to create multicolumn layouts with column-spanning headlines. Graphics in a number of common formats were easy to integrate into the text.

One area on the high end where Applix didn't fare as well was in the more precise typesetting-oriented features. We couldn't adjust kerning or leading. While we tend to look on these features as closer to cruft than to enhancements, some have come to depend on them.

Looking at Applix Words as a mid-to-low level package, we were even more impressed. Mail merge was available from plain text or other Word files, and it was simple to set up after brief consultation with the help and a look at the self-documenting merge template files. Formatting commands on a variety of levels were easy to understand and use. Applix Words also boasts a usable and flexible level of control over styles. We were able to use the styles provided with little trouble, and it was easy to create and modify new ones of our own. Headers and footers were also pleasantly easy to control with the Quick Header and Footer options.

We were also happy that Applix Words ran as smoothly as it did, which makes it an easy recommendation for the user who might have less complex needs. Users tapping the low end of its feature set won't be put off by a lengthy start time or an interface that seems over-cluttered with unneeded features. Despite the large and useful feature set, it's easy to relate to this word processor comfortably after a very little time in front of it. We noted that it was tested for use on Pentium 166s and have no reason to believe it wouldn't perform respectably well on them.

In all, Applix Words was able to perform every general task we had for it with little trouble. Everyone from the "power user" to a college student working on simple papers will find adequate support with this package, and those who are just typing letters or notes will be pleased with how simply and quickly it runs.

Interface and Use
Taken on its own merits, Applix Words was easy to understand and use. The online documentation was useful and clear. When we installed the package, we were offered a choice of "Classic" or industry-standard (which we took to mean Microsoft Word) interfaces. Even though the "Classic" interface was generally easy to pick up, the newer, Word-like option will make Words even easier for a transitioning office worker to learn with little fuss.

The use of GTK as the toolkit for Words was welcome, as well. Though not particularly obsessed with theming or particularly upset with products that have stuck with Motif, we enjoyed the fact that use of the default GTK theme, or one of the lighter-weight alternatives, made for a responsive application.

We would have been content to enjoy having a more integrated-looking application, but we were really impressed when we discovered that Words is also drag-and-drop compatible with the GNOME Midnight Commander file manager. We were able to introduce graphics into our test files from gmc with ease.

Conclusion
Applix Words has never seemed to enjoy the enthusiasm of the Linux community. Because it tends to lack some of the more sophisticated features high-end professionals look for, there's a disturbing tendency to write it off as unsuited for "serious" work.

The fact remains, Applix has produced an outstanding all-around word processor. The smooth and responsive performance, coupled with integration with the GNOME desktop, a respectable featureset, and good online documentation are a sure indicator that VistaSource has a good start as they move more aggressively into the Linux space.

We recommend Applix Words for all levels of users.

Homepage: The VistaSource web site at www.vistasource.com
License: Proprietary
Cost: $50

Maxwell: Moving to Open Source

Maxwell is the project of three programmers who initially planned to release it as commercial software. For whatever reason, they decided not to do so, and have instead released the source to their project under the GNU copyleft.

The fact that Maxwell is released under the GPL, doesn't have a commercial interest standing behind it, and appears to be under active development makes it unusual among the word processors we chose to give primary focus.

Features
Maxwell is another word processor clearly still under development. Though it included some features that would be useful for the high-end functionality we tested for, it didn't include multicolumn layout and seemed to have only primitive graphics tools. We were able to resize a graphic we included with the text, but couldn't control how text flowed around the graphic, for instance.

As a midlevel word processor, Maxwell began to show more serious promise, though it's still missing the ability to mail merge. It does have a convenient "envelope button" that allows for the creation of envelopes with one click. There's also some support for tables and diagrams. We had some trouble with using some of these features and managed to induce a crash with the diagram tool.

In terms of file exchange, Maxwell is unable to do much more than save and read files in its native format, plain ASCII, or Rich Text Format (RTF).

On the low end, Maxwell will likely meet the needs of just about anybody who needs nothing more than simple papers or letters. We were able to format headers and footers, though we couldn't discover how to automate page numbering. The control for line-spacing and color control of the text was straightforward enough.

Interface and Use
Maxwell was a little hard to warm up to. There are quite a few toolbar buttons, which are not documented with pop-up help, a staple of just about any GUI no matter how clear the interface's designers might think their icon choices were. Since there's usually no harm in exploring, we tried a few out and got fairly clear dialogs for search, replace, jump-to-page, and file saving. Some toolbar buttons are linked to functions that are either unimplemented or broken. Considering the nature of the project, this isn't surprising.

Search, replace, copy, cut, and paste functions all behaved as expected throughout our test run, giving Maxwell a comfortable enough feel.

In general, the program was responsive and fast, but suffered from the occasional lockup and a couple of crashes.

Conclusion
Maxwell is a word processor for those who have fairly light needs and are interested in following an ongoing project or contributing bug reports and feature requests. Novice users and people with serious productivity needs should avoid Maxwell.

If development continues on this project, a solid foundation is clearly present, and it's easy to imagine Maxwell eventually becoming something of a favorite because of its free software license and open development.

Homepage: http://www.eeyore-mule.demon.co.uk/
License: GNU General Public License
Cost: Free to download in binary or source form

A Few Others Worth Considering: Emacs, LaTeX, and Vigor

We would never claim that our survey represents the entire field of available editors and word processors. The Linux word processing and editing scene is as rich and diverse as the rest of the Linux world. We looked at a few other packages worth your consideration.

GNU Emacs and Xemacs
Emacs and its GUI-oriented sibling Xemacs enjoy a long pedigree in the UNIX/Linux text-processing world. Though it isn't appropriate to consider them "word processors," they offer a variety of features common to the genre plus a few extras. Both, for instance, offer basic text formatting (centering, justification, bold, underline, italics) and Postscript output.

If you prefer to use a structured markup language like LaTeX or generally prepare content for the Web with HTML, they offer support for both, including helpful syntax highlighting. They also both offer version control, helpful for authors of documents that are shared or change quite a bit; rich search and replace features; and access to spell-checking mode. One package, flyspell mode, even offers the "on-the-fly" spell-checking/typo highlighting that's become so popular in recent years.

If you need to prepare heavily formatted documents without using a markup language, Xemacs and Emacs aren't very good choices. On the other hand, if you work in an environment where you need to prepare text efficiently and with good support features, they excel. If you work in a fairly heterogeneous environment where you share basic text with coworkers, they may also be worth a look.

LyX/KLyX
Donald Knuth's TeX and Leslie Lamport's extensions to that formatting language, LaTeX, have long been a favorite of academic writers who prefer a structure-based approach to document preparation. As opposed to word processors, which focus on the design of a document, TeX and LaTeX allow authors to merely mark up structural elements, freeing the author to concentrate more fully on the content of the documents.

LyX (and its KDE port KLyX) is a graphical front-end to LaTeX, which allows users the sort of GUI controls they might prefer, as well as more immediate feedback on the appearance of their document.

Though it isn't necessary to understand LaTeX to make either of these programs work, it helps. Their structurally-based approach to documents means that they'll throw a few curves to the inexperienced user who's used to making all the decisions about document appearance. On the other hand, once you learn to stop fighting their control of appearance and start appreciating the time you have to simply write content, you may find they beat the word processor you've been using hands down.

KWord: Part of KOffice
KWord is part of the KOffice suite, which, in turn, will be part of KDE 2 when it's released later this year. A lot of excitement and anticipation are centered around the release of KOffice, and KWord looks to be a genuinely powerful word processor with some high-end features that will make it appropriate to most desktop-publishing tasks.

One of the key features of KWord is its orientation toward using frames for layout and design, which is shares with the popular Adobe Framemaker.

Unfortunately, KWord (and the rest of KOffice) is still of alpha quality right now. The FAQ on the software's Web site is careful to point out that KWord isn't suitable for much more than writing letters or other small projects. Getting KWord isn't quite as simple, either. Having a working installation of KDE 2 is necessary to use the binary releases that have been made available.

Dodging them all for a real alternative
As mentioned a few paragraphs up the page, word processing isn't only way to prepare documents. Structured markup languages like LaTeX or the less well-known but featureful lout provide a way to produce high quality documents that free you to consider what you're saying, not how it looks. As a side benefit, they don't require anything besides a reference on how to apply their particular markup and a simple text editor. While you may not have the clout (or the chutzpah) to walk into a secretarial pool and announce that you're moving them all over to vi and LaTeX, you may want to consider structured markup languages as an option for yourself.

And Final Proof that Open Sourcers are "Chasing the Taillights"
The cries of "foul!" that went up when Microsoft's Steve Ballmer suggested that Open Source and Free Software developers have been relegated to "chasing the taillights" of the likes of Microsoft were ignored by one developer, who brought the UNIX world vigor, which manages to provide the sort of functionality Linux users have been missing all along. If StarOffice just doesn't have that extra "oomph," if Emacs seems lightweight; or if Applix Words just feels skimpy... fire up vigor: it's faster than dual-booting.

Some Conclusions and Some Surprising Final Recommendations

This is a great time to be a Linux user if you're the type who's ever wanted polished productivity applications. Those with no qualms about running proprietary commercial software have their pick of several good entries. Free (as in libre) software enthusiasts get to witness an Open Source insurgency that may rid the entire community of the tendency to treat any commercial venture into the Linux desktop as a messiah. Either way, the future for Linux on the desktop is bright.

All that said, it's inevitable that comparisons be made and winners named. Read on... there may be a few surprises.

Best of Class: High End
Though troubled by the feeling of bulk and outright clunkiness, we give the nod to StarWriter, which boasted the best ratio of features to stability to cost. StarWriter will be right at home on any corporate desktop, and does an all-around good job mimicking most of the features people have come to expect (right or wrong) from the desktop publisher/word processor hybrids that make up the best of commercial word processors.

We thought, going in, that we'd likely call things in favor of Word Perfect 9, which has the richest featureset of any we looked at. Unfortunately, stability issues got in the way of our initial enthusiasm. We expect that as Corel works out the issues with the WINE libraries and folds customer feedback into the next release, we'll see a better product. Stability and speed keep us from recommending it over the other entries.

Applix Words is another close contender. We like how lightweight and responsive it is, and had little to complain about. The highest-end features aren't there, though. This aside, though, those making software procurement decisions might want to consider this as an alternative if a word processor, not a desktop publisher, is what's required.

Best of Class: Midrange
If Applix Words didn't have quite enough "stuff" to put it past StarOffice in the high-end feature wars, it certainly came out shining in the midrange tests. We can easily imagine the average corporate word processor user making a smooth and easy transition to Words. It's well-behaved, well-documented, and easy on older hardware.

Word Perfect once again lost out largely due to stability issues. Stability aside, like StarOffice, we didn't like the idea of having to run such a demanding program on the midlevel desktop, where less well-endowed machines still lurk on secretarial desks.

At this level, AbiWord also made a presentable showing in the "high-potential" area. We don't know where this product will end up once it's out of prerelease development, but we saw enough to know that it will likely be a strong contender.

Best of Class: Household and Student
If the task at hand is nothing more than letters or simple papers, there's no reason to spend money or put up with bulk. AbiWord, even in its state of prerelease development, proved reliable and usable. Some pitfalls in the form of "Under Construction" signs here and there may not make it a good choice for inexperienced or easily startled users; but a Linux-savvy user who just needs light formatting capabilities at this point is a perfect fit.

If you're willing to spend less than $50 to get a finished product that shines and seems more likely to go over well with migrating Windows users, Applix Words is probably the best choice. It doesn't misbehave, it doesn't carry a lot of weight, it can run on the kinds of machines you still find in family rooms all over the land, and it offers more than enough features that are easily accessed.

Best Overall
We don't know if there's an "average" user out there, and it's hard to make a call about a best overall word processor. Going into this series, we decided it wouldn't make sense, having carefully delineated between different complexities of task, to crown a clear winner.

On the other hand, if any program among those covered should get the nod, it's likely Applix Words. Anyone with $50 in hand can buy a package that will serve them in just about every capacity except the most specialized or complex. By sidestepping the worst of "feature creep," Words remains fast, stable, and relatively lightweight. By offering some integration with a common and open desktop environment, it hints at the powerhouse desktop Linux has the potential to provide.