Mac alternative to NeoOffice

[Crusher Disciple]

Fellow Nerds, I have reached the end of my patience with NeoOffice, and as I just found out I'm not alone. I faithfully install every blasted patch they make for this travesty of a word processor- in fact the last patch got DLed tonight. Yet almost every day I find it buggy, frozen, and 50% of the time closes when I hit either "save" or "print."

Other than Word (which I will be buying as soon as I have the $ to spare, I can assure you of that), is there any other viable option for a word processor for Mac? I'd prefer free but I can handle up to $30 USD for a program.

Would it be worth it to just DL OpenOffice? I was under the impression that I should be using Neo Office for a Mac. And I have a fuzzy recollection of having some lesser issues with Open Office during the last NaNoWriMo.

 

[Shaw]

I haven't tried the Mac version of OpenOffice, but it is always worth a try. Originally you needed to use X Windows to run it (which was why NeoOffice was nice, as it ran as a native app), but I thought I heard that they had made the recent version Mac native.

If I'm recalling correctly, NeoOffice made use of Java within Cocoa and Apple discontinued support for Java a few years ago, so the bugginess of NeoOffice isn't totally the developer's fault.

Some of my clients use Nisus Writer Pro/Express or Mariner Write... but those are more than $30.

I tend to use TextEdit (it has been my writing tool of choice for going on 12 years), and when I need something more I move up to a page layout application. The only reason I have NeoOffice on my systems is to open MS Office files if someone sends me something.

Sorry that isn't more helpful... I don't usually have to deal much with office applications as most of my clients are graphic designers.

 

[Mooch]

I have Microsoft Office 2011 and iWork. Pages is only $20 on the App Store.

 

[Owain Taggart]

I used to use NeoOffice before there was a Mac native version of OpenOffice, and I have to say, OpenOffice is pretty good now on the Mac. So, yeah, I'd say go for it.

 

[Lindley]

One I've heard of but don't have much direct experience with is AbiWord. Might be worth checking out.

 

[Crusher Disciple]

I thought AbiWord is only for PCs. I've used it before and I've liked it. I think when I looked back in October there wasn't a Mac option.

I priced MS Word, and I can get MS Office for about $120. I might get a "business loan" and buy that. But for now I'm DLing Open Office and I'm going to give it a try for the next few days.

Thanks for the advice, guyses!

ETA: Okay, I guess I misunderstood the download page for AbiWord. The Mac version is what's known as Cocoa?

 

[kimc]

I've been using Open Office on the Mac for nearly two years and it's worked well for me.

 

[Crusher Disciple]

I've been using Open Office on the Mac for nearly two years and it's worked well for me.

Going on 2 hours and *knock on wood* it's going good.