Hi, I am appending a writeup on the Applixware-Office-v5.0 suite. Has anyone used it ? Comments ? http://www.infoworld.com/articles/eu/xml/00/06/26/000626euapplix.xml?0627weli >From InfoWorld.com Published at: Friday, Jun. 23, 2000 1:01 pm PT Applixware suite targets Linux users By Kevin Railsback , InfoWorld Test Center SELECTING AN OFFICE productivity suite can be a daunting task. For many users, their most frequently used business software is a word processor or spreadsheet, such as those in Microsoft Office. However, recent events involving Microsoft, coupled with the trend toward portal-based support for end-user software, have businesses looking for cheaper alternatives. One such option is Applixware Office 5.0, from VistaSource (formerly Applix). Applixware offers a full-featured and well-designed alternative to Microsoft Office 2000. Currently, Version 5.0 supports only the Linux platform. Users of other operating systems, such as Solaris, Windows, FreeBSD, HP-UX, and Irix, must use Version 4.4.x of the product. Applixware Office 5.0 is a viable office productivity suite with an interface very similar to that of Microsoft Office. Many companies run on a mixed-platform environment, so the ability to easily exchange data is critical. And the purchase cost is much lower for similar functionality. Because many companies run a mixed platform, Applixware is designed as an easy replacement for users accustomed to Microsoft Office. The application includes Words, Spreadsheets, and Presents, which correspond to Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, respectively. Also included in the Applixware Office suite are Graphics, Mail, Data, and Builder. These applications correspond to the ones included in the Premium edition of Microsoft Office 2000, for $700 less per user. VistaSource still has work to do in the file format support arena, and help-desk staff will need retraining to efficiently support the product. Overall, Applixware does a good job of supporting the major file formats, but it isn't as far along as Sun's StarOffice product or Corel WordPerfect Office and thus scored a Good. Nonetheless, long-term benefits of Version 5.0 will outweigh the minor short-term costs. I tested Applixware on a Compaq laptop running Red Hat Linux 6.2. The installation procedure was similar to most Windows products and was simple. A wizard asked me to confirm several default selections, and then the product was set up. Icons were added to my Gnome start menu, and the product was usable immediately. Due to Linux's kernel architecture and Unix roots, no reboot was required after installation as is needed with many Windows products. I worked with several documents from Microsoft Office to check file compatibility. Applixware Words had no problem opening a complicated Microsoft Word document (a 32-page test plan). The import filter allowed me to double-check the fields it was pulling in before opening the document. All of the formatting was retained. The only oddity I noticed was that hyperlinks in the table of contents were lost. Importing files from Excel to Applixware Spreadsheets was uneventful. Unlike the file-saving problem with Applixware Words, I could save my spreadsheet directly in Microsoft Excel. The same held true for the Spreadsheets program. I opened a presentation created with PowerPoint 97, made changes, and saved it back in PowerPoint format. This makes life easy for those who run Applixware Office and exchange files with Microsoft Office users. Printing support is also well-designed. Similar to Windows, I could customize the print options, such as paper style, printing format (PCL or Postscript), colors, and more. The list of supported document types, both for opening and saving documents, is quite impressive. But there are limitations. Microsoft Office 95/97/2000 is listed as fully supported, but in actuality Words can save only in Word 2.0 format or in RTF for Word 95/97/2000 compatibility. Although RTF works well, it will cause problems for companies who use Words and Word in the same environment. These file format problems will be a minor headache for businesses with multiple platforms running. I did run into a few problems during the testing of Applixware. In Words, the cursor on the screen was hidden, making editing very tedious. The only reference I could find was a code for changing the cursor color. I finally found an option buried deep in the Words preferences where I could enter the color I wanted the cursor to be. The cursor color should match the text color by default. Another oddity I found in Words was the lack of a word-count feature. Not being able to see how many words I've written is a major inconvenience. I checked in the Help prompt for Word Count, and it refers to an option in the Tools menu, but the option does not exist. Some problems still need to be worked out in Applixware Office 5.0, but the long-term cost savings and excellent user interface make it a real contender in the business productivity software marketplace. If your company is searching for a more stable and less costly alternative to Office 2000 on Windows, Applixware is worth a close look. Related article Sun hits the mark with StarOffice Suite Arun Sinha [EMAIL PROTECTED] Q-1, South City, Gurgaon - 122-001 Tele : (0124)-6380060 (R); (011)-614-9972 & 614-3021 Extn 21 (O) The mailing list archives are available at http://lists.linux-india.org/cgi-bin/wilma/linux-delhi/
