On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 12:30 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Did Corel ever put out an updated native version of Word Perfect for Linux? > Or does it remain "on the shelf"?
They released version 8.1 in 2004 for a short time on a test marketing basis. It only lasted a few months, then came to a halt. The 1999 version of WP 8.0 for Linux (DPE) is still available as a free download on the internet. See Rick Moen's FAQ for download locations, <http://linuxmafia.com/wpfaq/downloadwp8.html#DOWNLOADURL>. Check eBay if you want the original CD. The Wine version (WP Office 2000) never got so much as a service pack, despite severe bugs in the initial release. WPO2k was the first version of WordPerfect produced without the participation of the original WordPerfect developers, who were all pink-slipped in 1998 or so. It was a poor release even on Windows. Basically, the Corel commitment to Linux left along with Mike Cowpland when he was toppled as CEO and chairman of the board. The DOS versions run well under DOSEMU/Wine. WP DOS 6.2 is the Holy Grail in this scenario. Very possibly the finest word processor ever produced, with the same WPD and WPT file formats still used in WordPerfect X4. But 6.2 is very hard to find these days, so 6.1 is second choice. eBay is the place to look. The major drawbacks with all of the above are that: [i] WordPerfect add-ons often don't work on Linux/Unix; and [ii] PerfectScript extensions written for the Windows versions work only with the Office 2000 port to Wine. Corel itself is only a shell of what it used to be. WordPerfect Office is in cash cow mode, being milked so long as it's profitable. But the investment of developer resources is minor these days, with market share down around 3 per cent now. New versions don't get the kinds of major new features they used to, although the PDF tools in X4 are very nice. Kind of sad for the company that led the charge of software houses onto Linux. Best regards, Paul -- Universal Interoperability Council <http:www.universal-interop-council.org> _______________________________________________ EUGLUG mailing list [email protected] http://www.euglug.org/mailman/listinfo/euglug
