Substitues for Word

[newtron]

I'm in the process of writing a 100+ page document complete with figures and tables on Microsoft Word, and I am getting so frustrated with how Word deals with the placement of figures.  I heard that the typesetting program called Latex has a fairly steep learning curve, but is much better for writing large documents.  Has anyone used Latex before?  How does it compare to Word?  Are there any other word processing or typesetting programs that anyone can recommend?

[booksworth]

I've used Latex a lot: it's an acquired taste. In its original form, you use a text editor such as notepad, and type in commands to control what will happen. e.g to write a few words in bold font you would enter \bf{a few words}. Its great strengths are: 1) It produces very high quality output. 2) You can control everything. 3) It numbers chapters, sections, lists, equations with effortless ease. 4) It will create a table of contents automatically. -.- You create a .tex file in notepad, then process this with the Latex program, to create a .dvi file. This file is an exact replica of the final printout. -.-.-.- There is a wysiwig version of Latex which for Linux is called "Lyx". I don't know if it exists for Windows. .-.-.-.- In conclusion, before trying the Latex route, try to get a look at Leslie Lamport's book "Latex User's guide and reference manual", which is the definitive work.

[newtron]

Thanks

[ursula62]

Have you tried Open Office? http://www.openoffice.org. You can download a full office suite for free.  It's the same as Star Office (but without the support and manual).  It comes with a full compiled help system, so you don't really need the book.

The wordprocessor produces all sorts of formats, including MS Word, the spreadsheet program can read most spreadsheets and can save in MS Excel format, and there's even a presentation equivalent that works much like Powerpoint.

The good thing is that you can download versions for Windows !

I use it for troubleshooting Word documents as it will often open files that Word crashes.

 

[DorsetJay]

Just as an addition to the answer by ursula62, If you are an academic (either teacher, lecturer, student or anything in between) you can download Star Office 7 for free.

[newtron]

Thank You for your help!