Although it may not be the case any longer, not so long ago typing up a letter or document used to be most people's first experience of using a computer, and more often than not it would have been with Microsoft Word. After a short period of time using the application many people tend to find it difficult to migrate from away from Word and before long, it becomes difficult to begin using an alternative. There are a few reasons for moving to an alternative, but cost is the main reason for most. As with many other office applications, Word is an expensive piece of software and if you're on a budget, it's not always a viable option. Another reason people look for alternatives as they do not require all the features that ship with Word.

AbiWord 2.7.4 is a free word processor that recognises and enables you to edit and save Microsoft Word documents. The application itself may not be as feature rich as word but it still offers extensive functionality, more than enough for the average user. There are also free plug-ins available via the AbiWord website.

AbiWord 2.7.4 link.

12 Jun 2009