Productivity Software

1.4.1 - Where can I get a word processor for my Mac?

WordPerfect 3.5e, which runs on nearly every Macintosh ever made (with the exception of the 68000-based Macs), is available for free. Some tidbits for it are available here as well.

Microsoft Word 6 is a terrible word processor; if you must use Word, try and get 5.1a. It's not free, but you can sometimes find a copy on eBay or by asking around. Word 4 is also a pretty good program.

The various Works programs are pretty good, particularly later versions of Claris (now Apple) Works. They will also run on almost any Macintosh and have a reasonably complete feature set. Again, eBay is probably your best source since these aren't free either.

Some people swear by Mariner Write or WriteNow (which is no longer available for purchase). I've never used them but they're supposed to be pretty good.

Of course, any mention of Mac word processors would be incomplete without mentioning the excellent and free Nisus Writer 4.1.6, which is still available for download.

If you're running System 6, a lot of the above programs won't work. To find one that will, check out Marten van de Kraats's System 6 Heaven.

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1.4.2 - Where can I get other productivity software for my Mac?

If you're running System 6, Marten van de Kraats has an extremely useful site called System 6 Heaven. Bill Jagitsch runs a similarly useful site called JAG's House that is mostly dedicated to System 6 software. Some very old software (mostly System 6-compatible stuff) can be found at the Vieuxmac site.

If you're running System 7 or up, your best bet is to check out the software on the two sites mentioned above and see if what you want will run on System 7. Where to get it? eBay is probably your best bet for obtaining a legal copy, but most software from before 1996 is getting extremely difficult to track down. Begging and groveling are useful as well ;)

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Last Modified on 06 November 2013
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