Linux for Non-Geeks: A Hands-On, Project-Based, Take-It-Slow Guidebook

AbiWord used to have the distinction of being the only true cross-platform word processor because it came in Linux, Mac, and Windows versions. This, along with the fact that it was free, meant that many people used it. However, now that OpenOffice.org is also available on all three platforms (and is equally free), AbiWord has lost its claim to fame in that regard.

Nevertheless, AbiWord still has its place in the total scheme of things. Most importantly, AbiWord is fairly quick. After all, there may be some of you who don’t really need all the power of Writer (at least not all of the time) and would prefer something that pops up as soon as you click the launcher, and that doesn’t take more than a minute or so to figure out how to use (see Figure 15-9).

Figure 15-9: The other Linux word processor — AbiWord

AbiWord has a very straightforward and easy-to-use interface, which you should be able to figure out without much, if any, help. It also has a couple of rather interesting features, such as its auto-resize function, which magnifies the onscreen document size (fonts, images, and everything) or shrinks it as you increase or decrease the size of the program window. Another is AbiWord’s ability to read and save files in an amazing number of formats, including Microsoft Word (.doc), OpenOffice.org Writer (.sxw), and many other familiar (and some unfamiliar) formats.

If you have used AbiWord in the Linux environment in the past, then you may have come away from AbiWord less than pleased with its absolutely dreadful onscreen font rendering. I personally found the look so annoying that I couldn’t stand using it. Fortunately, things have changed. Fonts now look quite good (though not as good as the absolutely beautiful onscreen font rendering in OpenOffice.org), as does the whole interface, which has been, shall we say, totally GNOME-ized. All around, AbiWord is just plain better.

You can easily install AbiWord with APT/Synaptic. Just run Synaptic, type abiword in the Find box, and then . . . well, you know the drill by now. If you installed your Fedora Core or Red Hat Linux system from a 3-CD installation disk set, AbiWord will be on those disks, so you can install it via the Package Management window if you prefer. Just click the Details button next to Office/ Productivity, and then check the checkbox next to abiword. Once you have AbiWord installed, you can run it by going to the Main menu and selecting Office > More Office Applications > Word Processor.