iWork, worth it ?

Is iWork a product that is worth ?

  • It is worth !

  • It is not !

Results are only viewable after voting.
I have never seen pdf to be rejected.

I agree that Word format is an edition format and not a publishing format. Same applies to RTF and XML, at least for Word processing.
 
What would really put a punch in the gut of the .doc format would be if more applications could edit PDF files. Could you imagine shooting a document back and forth that would also integrate fonts and vector graphics easily?

I think an easily editable PDF would catch MS with their pants down.
 
That sounds nice. ;) "Adobe Word 1.0" or something like that, you mean? A bit like InDesign and Acrobat Pro mixed together to an easy to use document creation/editing application? Sounds like it could catch MS at the right edge... Then again, Apple could do it, too...
 
fryke said:
"Adobe Word 1.0" or something like that, you mean? A bit like InDesign and Acrobat Pro mixed together to an easy to use document creation/editing application?
Click to expand...
Ugh, not powerful for professional publishing but too much for the casual user.
 
No, Arden. The important part would be that you can edit PDFs, so PDF would be the 'native' format of it.
 
The problem with editing PDF is that things like individual glyphs are not part of larger structures. For instance in order to recognize a word you have to basically guess that a set of glyphs are clumped together close enough to be part of some larger thing. Given that you can plop them down anywhere in any order makes that even harder.

I remember in the old days (2000ish) when I had a paper criticized for using "broken unsearchable PDF". The problem is that my typesetting program (LaTeX) was properly kerning the letters in words and the hack in acrobat could only recognize words generated by broken non-kerning sources like MS Word.
 
I just received iworks today and I'm really liking what I see. One great feature is that it's using all your dictionaries. I write in English, Swedish and Italian and it's a great to have all the languages built in. Very useful for me. And it imports .doc well that's a plus.
I haven't had time to explore much but it looks great.

Just my two cents

Viktor
 
lurk: That would _not_ be a problem would Adobe create such a document processing application, since they're the developer of that format and can basically extend the format in whichever way they like.
 
Fryke: I disagree ( seams we are on different sides today ;) ) the fundamental structure behind PDF is not conducive to that. PDF is a page description format and it is very good at that but it does not efficiently capture the necessary meta information about the higher level structures in the document. If it did then it would detract from some of the improvements they made in PDF over PS.

Sure you can hack it and force it to go but what then? At some point then collapse under the accumulated cruft. I guess my point is that such a thing cannot happen while maintaining a semblance of what PDF is, it is not just a simple extension that the vendor can make.
 
Yes, PDF _could_ be extended with a few extra meta to include all the necessary information.... but is that what we need ? Would be a complex document with an editable part based on <xml> and a viewable/printable part based on PDF, with just the necessary meta links between both.
 
Ah but there is the rub, the editable links need to capture all of the knowledge of the typesetting rules to make it sensibly editable. What you end up with is basically a PDF stuck onto a Pages .pages in the same file. Typesetting is not as easy as people seem to think it is even a simple search and replace changing "dog" into "hound" can reflow text, change references, alter the position of floating figures...
 
Until there is a spreadsheet program as part of the package that integrates perfectly with them, i'm sticking to office.
 
It's definately worth it. Office is too much for my Mum who just needs to type the odd letter or shopping list. Word has gone far beyond a word processor into more of a document processor, and is far too complicated for 60 year old parents :D
 
If she needs to write the odd letter or shopping list, TextEdit is your FREE (free, free, free!) friend. Unless she wants to use colourful templates for her shopping list in order to help the printing industry by using a few ink-bottles a month.
 
I just reviewed iWork yesterday .. took the iLife and Pages for a run around the block.

iLife .. as the previous versions, is a great piece of Presenter software - learning curve for those who are tied-to-the-titty-of-PowerPoint - but well worth the weaning process. And since you can easily bring the PPT's across and IMPROVE them ... all's well in Prenter Land.

Pages .. Well, a return to the 80s and the introduction of PageMaker - with serious design improvements. And a whole-lot faster. Pages is NOT a toy .. and it's NOT InDesign. However, it is everything MS Publisher wants to be - without all the MS crap sticking to it.

Pages will allow you to do what I know a number of publishers did with early versions of PageMaker .. publish everything from flyers and letters to full-bleed multi-signature publications: aka, books and the like. That is .. *IF* you're already knowledgable about the process. However, you will also need to make some 'concessions', too. But - it could still be accomplished.

As a Word Processor that will allow you to write letters, create your own letterheads, email HTML formats, newsletters, and whatever - saved as .DOC, .RTF, .PDF or .HTML formats ... this is a very good easy entry, low price-point - WRITE ONCE and DELIVER WIDE program.

So . yeah, it's worth it. It's worth about anything to NOT bring MS products onto the Mac OS X platform. Ever wonder where all thos 'permissions' problems were coming from? Just take a look at the MS operation folders in your /Library ... !!

Enjoy ... these are quality programs

net500cg
 
iwork is a good application, but it does have a HUGE number of bugs and it does not work with MS office as well as i would have hoped, apple are heading in the right direction with the application, but until some patches are released to fix the bugs i cant say it if worth the money.
 
I just installed iWork yesterday and I am still not sure. On one hand I was able to instantly use Pages to make the most impressive (visually any way!) resume I have ever had (my own design), and I am NOT artistic in the least. At the same time the usability of both Pages and Keynote bothers me. Partly this is from being brainwashed for so many years with Office and all the pain that caused, but that is not all - they each have some quirks I do not like. Some seemingly freuqently used features seem a little hidden and/or cumbersome to use.
 
karavite said:
P.S. Didn't Apple explore something long ago that went against this whole monolithic app concept. Instead of giant apps that try to do everything you would have an almost generic doc type that you could then apply different tools to - text, image, tables... Was it OpenDoc - or is that something else? ...
Click to expand...

Yes, OpenDoc. OpenDoc was a system in which you just started with a general document... and then you could throw ANYTHING into it... drawings, pictures, text, even live web sites. Each would be handled by it's respective OpenDoc application... the only problem was, each application component had to be written specifically for OpenDoc.

btw, the "web site" thingy was handled by Apple's first web browser... CyberDog, which did a great job of handling web, ftp, and email info.

OpenDoc, in general, was drag-and-drop-a-licious. It was a wonderfuly idea that will never take off unless everybody wants to reprogram their apps.
 
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