What Word Processor(s) do you use?

[eoinfinnegan]

I tend to receive most documents from clients from one type of word processor but lately I have noticed a significant number using one that I strongly dislike. Today the crossover issues between mine and theirs caused a revision (quickly solved thankfully) but it did irk me considering it could have been a bigger issue.

This made me wonder, is one particular processor used a lot more or do I just think that?
Choose your main one and a second if you use another regularly by choice.
I know, try to contain your excitement about this post but I am curious…

• Microsoft Word
• Pages
• Open Office Writer
• Google Docs
• Libre Office Writer
• Other
• What’s a word processor?

0voters

[jake_hopkins]

I’m interested to know what people use if they put “other”, and why.

[english_voice]

Nice poll. I’ve often wondered this myself. I’ve voted.

I enjoy the clean look and simplicity of Apple Pages. And it’s free.

I find the compatibility is plenty good enough for proofreading jobs.

Put it this way, no one has ever questioned it. I always save my work for clients as a Word file.

While I have no objection to Microsoft charging for Word (it’s a great product, and they’re in business!) - I have no wish to pay their subscription.

Just of interest, out of about 500 proofreading jobs I’ve completed on Fiverr, I’ve ever once had one client submit their work in native Apple Pages format. 99% submit work in Word format. I’ve had a couple send me work in Rich Text Format.

[marinapomorac]

Microsoft Word, always from 1993 when I got one of the first computers in my city. I heard about others maybe once except Pages, I have no idea what that is.

[eoinfinnegan]

Nice poll. I’ve often wondered this myself. I’ve voted.

I enjoy the clean look and simplicity of Apple Pages. And it’s free.

I find the compatibility is plenty good enough for proofreading jobs.

Put it this way, no one has ever questioned it. I always save my work for clients as a Word file.

While I have no objection to Microsoft charging for Word (it’s a great product, and they’re in business!) - I have no wish to pay their subscription.

Just of interest, out of about 500 proofreading jobs I’ve completed on Fiverr, I’ve ever once had one client submit their work in native Apple Pages format. 99% submit work in Word format. I’ve had a couple send me work in Rich Text Format.

Interesting - out of maybe 600, I would say it has always been approx 70% Word, 10% Open Office, 10% directly on Google Docs, 5% Pages, 5% PDF for me to convert… Occasionally I proofread in online tools they request such as multi-language translation software etc.

Has been a big increase in Open Office lately.

[english_voice]

Interesting - out of maybe 600, I would say it has always been approx 70% Word, 10% Open Office, 10% directly on Google Docs, 5% Pages, 5% PDF for me to convert… Occasionally I proofread in online tools they request such as multi-language translation software etc.

Has been a big increase in Open Office lately.

When I say 99% are Word documents, I mean Word file format. The client might have created them using Open Office or another piece of software.

My gig specifically asks for either Word, Apple Pages or rtf format.

I don’t like proofreading pdf files. I have one client I do this for, but I find them a pain.

[wp_kid]

I use visual studio code for personal documentation/notes (I save most of my personal notes on .css files lol , ). Goggle docs, for shared uses.I used MS docs too.

[catwriter]

I use LibreOffice Writer (because I use Linux) and save it as a Word document.

I wish to hiss at people who send me Pages (I don’t actually do it, of course). Not everyone is a Mac user.

[english_voice]

Microsoft Word, always from 1993 when I got one of the first computers in my city. I heard about others maybe once except Pages, I have no idea what that is.

Pages is the Apple equivalent of Microsoft Word.

I use a MacBook Pro (an old one, just in case you think Fiverr has made me rich!), so it makes sense for me.

And I genuinely prefer the clean and uncomplicated look of Pages.

I find that all the basic options that you want nearly all the time are easily accessible while the complicated stuff that Word displays is hidden away.

If you’re interested, there’s also an Excel equivalent called Numbers, and a PowerPoint equivalent called Presentation. Again, I find the compatibility is very good with Microsoft. And again, they’re all free if you use a Mac.

[english_voice]

I use LibreOffice Writer (because I use Linux) and save it as a Word document.

I wish to hiss at people who send me Pages (I don’t actually do it, of course). Not everyone is a Mac user.

Wow, I’m impressed that you use Linux.

I considered going down this route a few years back but I opted for Mac OS.

I have nothing against Microsoft but I do like to be a little different!

[visualstudios]

I use pages. I end up using google docs now and then. Word I avoid at all costs.

[cyaxrex]

I use WPS Office. If you can get past the alleged Chinese spying, it is just the binaries of MS Office repackaged into a free alternative. This means it has better cross-compatibility with MS Office than any other non-MS suite I’ve used.

WPS Office is also by far the best Office suite I have found for linux. Also, as I do use Windows occasionally, it is nice to be able to use the same suite across platforms and also have 1GB of free cloud storage.

[marinapomorac]

Pages is the Apple equivalent of Microsoft Word.

I use a MacBook Pro (an old one, just in case you think Fiverr has made me rich!), so it makes sense for me.

And I genuinely prefer the clean and uncomplicated look of Pages.

I find that all the basic options that you want nearly all the time are easily accessible while the complicated stuff that Word displays is hidden away.

If you’re interested, there’s also an Excel equivalent called Numbers, and a PowerPoint equivalent called Presentation. Again, I find the compatibility is very good with Microsoft. And again, they’re all free if you use a Mac.

an Excel equivalent called Numbers

I am speechless after hearing this information. I am rolling my eyes heavily maybe I will reduce my prescription by 0,05 .

[english_voice]

I use WPS Office. If you can get past the alleged Chinese spying, it is just the binaries of MS Office repackaged into a free alternative. This means it has better cross-compatibility with MS Office than any other non-MS suite I’ve used.

WPS Office is also by far the best Office suite I have found for linux. Also, as I do use Windows occasionally, it is nice to be able to use the same suite across platforms and also have 1GB of free cloud storage.

Thanks for this information.

Although I’m happy with using Pages, I’ll take a look at WPS Office as one day no doubt I’ll receive a very complex Word file to proofread that Pages will throw out!

[cyaxrex]

Thanks for this information.

Although I’m happy with using Pages, I’ll take a look at WPS Office as one day no doubt I’ll receive a very complex Word file to proofread that Pages will throw out!

You can also use MS Office online for free. I used to do that. However, I don’t like saving anything on One Drive anymore. (Privacy and security is a bit lacking.) Now I use iDrive instead which is free and which I can encrypt to make it impossible for even iDrive to see my cloud stored contents.

[miiila]

Interesting - out of maybe 600, I would say it has always been approx 70% Word, 10% Open Office, 10% directly on Google Docs, 5% Pages, 5% PDF for me to convert… Occasionally I proofread in online tools they request such as multi-language translation software etc.

Has been a big increase in Open Office lately.

Word and Google Docs definitely take the 2 top spots (I also get a lot of texts in Excel format). My “other” is for Notepad++ which I use regularly (for texts with HTML code), PDFs which I edit in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, and various online tools/software that customers use, like WPML, or POEditor, but that’s not too often, I’d say Word and Google Docs together probably make up 95% or more.

Your 10% Open Office is interesting, I haven’t seen Open Office nor Libre Office in many months. I used both myself for a long while (when I still used Linux, I guess there’s a link somewhere ;)) but I think on Fiverr, nobody ever sent a Libre Office file, and most if not all Open Office files were from just one regular customer. Maybe there are more customers “doing their own thing” since COVID-19, as in more “private” customers vs. companies, who may not (yet) invest in MS Office?

Whenever possible, I avoid using different software than the customer, because I’ve had a bad experience between Calc (Open Office’s Excel) and Excel. And I mean bad, with tax stuff; also, annoying pop-ups to click every time you want to save when working on Open Office files in MS Word, etc.

[catwriter]

Wow, I’m impressed that you use Linux.

I considered going down this route a few years back but I opted for Mac OS.

I have nothing against Microsoft but I do like to be a little different!

Wow, I’m impressed that you use Linux.

Thanks!

I’m using Ubuntu, it’s not that different from Windows when it comes to looks, but it’s much more stable.

[melanielm]

Word. Google Docs if a client wants me to, although I don’t like it myself. I have some sort of weird brain block when it comes to organizing files on there. Word’s just what I’m used to, and it does everything I need.

[cyaxrex]

Word. Google Docs if a client wants me to, although I don’t like it myself. I have some sort of weird brain block when it comes to organizing files on there. Word’s just what I’m used to, and it does everything I need.

I have some sort of weird brain block when it comes to organizing files on there.

I am so pleased I am not the only one with this problem. Google Drive to me might as well be called Google Labyrinth.

[humanissocial]

I’m interested to know what people use if they put “other”, and why.

TextEdit (Apple) is pretty nice. Maybe that one?

I also know some people just use their device’s notepad.

[ducktheunicorn]

I usually send both a Word document and a PDF file for my writing. The only real reason I use the PDF file is so it shows up in my live portfolio if the customer chooses to allow that.

[caesar_english]

Been using Google Docs for a couple years now and I don’t think I’m going back. Too many compatibility problems with Word, clients’ documents looked weird 90% of the time, while if I directly upload them on GD it looks perfect 99% of the time. Also I’m working on an old laptop and Word is just so slow. I do download them from GD to .docx file format before delivering them, though.

[caesar_english]

I usually send both a Word document and a PDF file for my writing. The only real reason I use the PDF file is so it shows up in my live portfolio if the customer chooses to allow that.

Really? Fiverr only says PNG/JPG/audio/video files can be added to the portfolio when I go to deliver. So if you send a pdf file and the client accepts it, it shows a preview of the pdf in your gig portfolio?

[ducktheunicorn]

Really? Fiverr only says PNG/JPG/audio/video files can be added to the portfolio when I go to deliver. So if you send a pdf file and the client accepts it, it shows a preview of the pdf in your gig portfolio?

It sure does. I found out by accident when a client asked for a PDF. Now, I add one to all of my orders.