When Vista was released to replace Windows XP, Microsoft Word processing was no longer included as a free service whenever someone bought a new computer or laptop with Windows Vista. But people are given Microsoft Word Processors, which contrary to popular belief, there aren’t very many people out there, and some computers can’t even recognize the type of file. So, if you type a paper exam or resume, there’s a chance that the recipient wouldn’t even be able to do that if you used Word Works.
Sure, you could buy Microsoft Word, but that’s more than 140 dollars (this is without buying Office, which includes Excel, PowerPoint and similar programs). Alternatively, you can use these free ones that offer the same functionality as Microsoft Word (and Office).
OpenOffice.org
Perhaps the most popular of all of these, OpenOffice behaves in the same way as Microsoft Office by providing various programs to help with productivity, including word processing Simply download the item to the laptop or computer of your choice and you can use it for free for life. It is also free to distribute to as many computers and free to emulate as you like. It also has space where you can add extra content or software to your OpenOffice (most of them are free too).
AbiWord
Another popular tool among creative types sans Microsoft Word, AbiWord is quite a bit unusual from its competitor. The toolkit, which can be found at the top, is quite similar to the one found in a Microsoft Word document. Like OpenOffice, AbiWord is free to use and free to distribute. There is also another purpose to be used, but it is well worth it.
Google Docs
If you have a Gmail account, then you can use Google’s own word processor. However, what probably makes it less popular is because of this – you can’t just go to a site and get an account, you actually have to set up an account with Google (which is free), and sometimes people just want something right away. Regardless, the Google service is less useful because of this.
Jarte
If you’re asking questions about using free word processors, Jarte will usually come up quite often. Much like OpenOffice or AbiWord, Jarte is another service where we treat you for free (open source as it is called in tech talk). However, Jarte also offers a paid version of the software called Jarte Plus, which costs $19.95.
IBM Lotus Symphony
Much like AbiWord, Lotus Symphony looks like the long lost sibling of Microsoft Word. Lotus Symphony also offers a free plugin as well as a support center and help desk for any issues or questions we may have.
And some extra freebie pages…
ThinkFree
Like Google Docs, with ThinkFree you need to set up a free account to use their software. Although everything is the same as the Microsoft Office suite.
Zoho Writer
Another place where you need to set up a free account to use their software, Zoho Writer offers a much more stable service than ThinkFree, which is prone to random glitches and timing problems. The interface has also been cleaned up a lot.
LyX
Since this is a word processor and should be used without a mark-up system, LyX is best used for technical papers that need to be written and include equations or larger term and exam papers. Essentially, this is a cheap grad student’s best friend. It’s also easier to set up a term paper than Microsoft Word.
Again, there’s no reason to pay the full price for Microsoft Word, since there are completely reliable open source programs online that can be downloaded and used offline. These are considered some of the best and are used by many professionals and students as well as many reviews that can be found with a simple search.
So write!
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