Applixware Words
Encyclopedia
Applixware Words is a word processor that has been available for different UNIX
platforms since 1992; a Linux
version was released in 1996. Part of the Applixware
cross platform development IDE, Applixware Words is a full featured word processor with macros, forms, and RealTime financial data feed display capacity.
Applixware
, now owned by VistaSource, is available for Linux
, Solaris, Microsoft Windows
, AIX and HP-UX
.
upon request from Red Hat
, who sold the package for $500. This price was reduced to $200 in October 1996, and, by 2000, during the dotcom bubble, the Applixware Words word processor was available for $50 in GTK toolkit versions (Applixware 5.0 and Anyware 2.2). These offers (and the GTK toolkit) were subsequently abandoned when the dotcom bubble burst, and priority was given back to versions aimed at Vistasource's core customers in financial, defense and government markets.
While not the first graphical word processor for Linux (EZ Word
, part of the Andrew User Interface System, has that honor), nor the first proprietary word processor for Linux (WordPerfect
was first made available for Linux by Caldera
in late 1995), Applixware Words was a good deal more user-friendly than EZ Word and a good deal more bug-free than early Linux releases of WordPerfect.
The Applixware Words module waned in popularity among Linux users when full-featured open-source word processors, such as OpenOffice.org
and AbiWord
, became available. Although Applixware was less powerful than the newer office packages, its interface design was arguably superior. While OpenOffice.org tried to make the user experience to be similar to that of Microsoft Office
, Applixware was different. Almost no user interface panel was implemented as a modal window
. All control elements could be opened by the user and if a control panel was not applicable in the current context, it just made all its widgets inactive. Although a non-modal interface design significantly increases the complexity of the program, it also makes the GUI
to feel more responsive to the user. In addition, Applixware's charting capabilities markably surpassed that of the Charts in OpenOffice.org 1.x and 2.x versions. Some graphics features were also much more advanced than what the Draw module in OpenOffice.org is capable of. Another feature of Applixware was its small resource requirements; it ran in a satisfactory manner even on low-end machines of the time.
Applixware
version 6.0 was released on December 5, 2005.
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
platforms since 1992; a Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
version was released in 1996. Part of the Applixware
Applixware
Applixware is a suite of modular applications edited by Vistasource, Inc.Applixware was originally created by Applix, Inc..-Alis:Applix's first office suite, introduced in 1986, was called Alis, and was marketed with Alice in Wonderland themed promotional items...
cross platform development IDE, Applixware Words is a full featured word processor with macros, forms, and RealTime financial data feed display capacity.
Applixware
Applixware
Applixware is a suite of modular applications edited by Vistasource, Inc.Applixware was originally created by Applix, Inc..-Alis:Applix's first office suite, introduced in 1986, was called Alis, and was marketed with Alice in Wonderland themed promotional items...
, now owned by VistaSource, is available for Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
, Solaris, Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, AIX and HP-UX
HP-UX
HP-UX is Hewlett-Packard's proprietary implementation of the Unix operating system, based on UNIX System V and first released in 1984...
.
Applixware for Linux
A subset of Applixware modules for Linux was originally developed by ApplixApplix
Applix Inc. was a software company founded in 1983 based in Westborough, Massachusetts that published Applix TM1, a MOLAP database server, and related presentation tools, including Applix Web and Applix Executive Viewer. Together, Applix TM1, Applix Web and Applix Executive Viewer were the three...
upon request from Red Hat
Red Hat
Red Hat, Inc. is an S&P 500 company in the free and open source software sector, and a major Linux distribution vendor. Founded in 1993, Red Hat has its corporate headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina with satellite offices worldwide....
, who sold the package for $500. This price was reduced to $200 in October 1996, and, by 2000, during the dotcom bubble, the Applixware Words word processor was available for $50 in GTK toolkit versions (Applixware 5.0 and Anyware 2.2). These offers (and the GTK toolkit) were subsequently abandoned when the dotcom bubble burst, and priority was given back to versions aimed at Vistasource's core customers in financial, defense and government markets.
While not the first graphical word processor for Linux (EZ Word
EZ Word
EZ Word was a word processor developed as part of the Andrew User Interface System, a user-interface research project jointly done by both IBM and the Carnegie Mellon University. Originally developed for UNIX systems, it was the first graphical word processor available for Linux.Many people found...
, part of the Andrew User Interface System, has that honor), nor the first proprietary word processor for Linux (WordPerfect
WordPerfect
WordPerfect is a word processing application, now owned by Corel.Bruce Bastian, a Brigham Young University graduate student, and BYU computer science professor Dr. Alan Ashton joined forces to design a word processing system for the city of Orem's Data General Corp. minicomputer system in 1979...
was first made available for Linux by Caldera
Caldera (company)
Caldera was a US-based software company founded in 1994 to develop Linux- and DOS-based operating system products.- Caldera :Caldera, Inc...
in late 1995), Applixware Words was a good deal more user-friendly than EZ Word and a good deal more bug-free than early Linux releases of WordPerfect.
The Applixware Words module waned in popularity among Linux users when full-featured open-source word processors, such as OpenOffice.org
OpenOffice.org
OpenOffice.org, commonly known as OOo or OpenOffice, is an open-source application suite whose main components are for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, and databases. OpenOffice is available for a number of different computer operating systems, is distributed as free software...
and AbiWord
AbiWord
AbiWord is a free and open source software word processor. It was originally started by SourceGear Corporation as the first part of a proposed AbiSuite. Development stopped when SourceGear changed their focus to Internet appliances. AbiWord was adopted by some open source developers and AbiWord...
, became available. Although Applixware was less powerful than the newer office packages, its interface design was arguably superior. While OpenOffice.org tried to make the user experience to be similar to that of Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office is a non-free commercial office suite of inter-related desktop applications, servers and services for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, introduced by Microsoft in August 1, 1989. Initially a marketing term for a bundled set of applications, the first version of...
, Applixware was different. Almost no user interface panel was implemented as a modal window
Modal window
In user interface design, a modal window is a child window that requires users to interact with it before they can return to operating the parent application, thus preventing the workflow on the application main window...
. All control elements could be opened by the user and if a control panel was not applicable in the current context, it just made all its widgets inactive. Although a non-modal interface design significantly increases the complexity of the program, it also makes the GUI
Gui
Gui or guee is a generic term to refer to grilled dishes in Korean cuisine. These most commonly have meat or fish as their primary ingredient, but may in some cases also comprise grilled vegetables or other vegetarian ingredients. The term derives from the verb, "gupda" in Korean, which literally...
to feel more responsive to the user. In addition, Applixware's charting capabilities markably surpassed that of the Charts in OpenOffice.org 1.x and 2.x versions. Some graphics features were also much more advanced than what the Draw module in OpenOffice.org is capable of. Another feature of Applixware was its small resource requirements; it ran in a satisfactory manner even on low-end machines of the time.
Applixware
Applixware
Applixware is a suite of modular applications edited by Vistasource, Inc.Applixware was originally created by Applix, Inc..-Alis:Applix's first office suite, introduced in 1986, was called Alis, and was marketed with Alice in Wonderland themed promotional items...
version 6.0 was released on December 5, 2005.