MARKUS WINTER  You seem to get it for free even if less than 500 000 people sign up - I got the serial already  
(Version 3.9.0)

MART°N  You may get the application for free on www.macheist.com if 500.000 people download their free nano bundle. So hurry up, only 4 days left!  
(Version 3.9.0)

SJHA  I am sorry to see that the upgrade from 3.8 to 3.9 abandons support for Tiger.   
(Version 3.9.0)

BOLOBAR  I wouldn't download this update unless you want to say "bye-bye" to your saved files and data.

Have a backup...Thanks for Time Machine.

A good app gone bad.

Sad  
(Version 3.9.0)

CROBERTS  This program is at best vaporware and at worst dead. Long promised new version keeps getting pushed onto the back burner. What's really galling is that right before Mariner stopped active development they promoted "lifetime upgrade" program for which they got a bunch of extra money. Shame.  
(Version 3.8)

ROBOTANK  Ultimately, what word processor is best comes down to personal preference and needs; there will never be a definitive end to this debate. For my needs--taking class notes and writing short and medium-length papers--Mariner Write achieves the perfect balance of features and weight. It's quick to open and respond, and its essential features for my purposes are more easily accessible and intuitive than in any other word processor I've tried. My only real complaint is something that's come up several times on this page: improper spacing of characters. With some fonts, you end up with the occasional ugly gap between letters. This is a minor issue in the end, and no software is perfect. I’ve noticed that Mellel has come up a lot on this page. It’s also a fine word processor, and contains more advance features, though Mariner Write is still more streamlined. Also, if you use Spell Catcher, Mellel will not allow automatic replacement, which can create issues with bulleted lists since Spell Catcher has to backspace to make corrections.

The only way to choose the best word processor for your use is to try what’s out there. There are good options on the Mac platform besides the huge, feature-intensive office suites (though these are still essential in some situations).  
(Version 3.8)

BRUMM  My opinion on word processors for OS X:

The last days I've tested many word processors and I found Mellel to be the best so far,

Mellel is not bloated like all the "Office" suites (Neo, OO, MS, are all to slow, ... for me Neo Office is the best of these beasts.)

and Mellel is better than:

- Nisus (Nearest competitor but Nisus doesn't support soft hyphen!, I simply cannot work without soft hyphen.),

- Mariner Write (really bad font display/spacing for many years now, only english, carbon - so it needs to be rewritten for future OSX releases, will they do that? I'm unsure.)

- Pages (Again no soft hyphen!, occasionally crashes and after a while gets very slow, ... but I exspect the next versions will be much better)

- Papyrus (very ugly, carbon, no real testdrive possible - crippled trial version, but some interesting features - I keep an eye on it)

- AbiWord (Many bugs and no updates the last 2 years, I think they don't support the Mac anymore)

- Bean (really fanstatic freeware, but based on Apples buggy text-engine. No soft hyphen! So only usable for some very short texts, best freeware I've seen for many many years - of course I keep an eye on it)

For now I will use Mellel.

The only things that I don't like are related to the interface design, for example the round beveled look of the ruler and tools section is very outdated now, a boring all-grey mix of alien spaceship ("aqua"-style) or early iTunes versions ("metal"-style).

But besides that Mellel has the best combination of features for me, so my money goes to them.   
(Version 3.8)

M-RICK  could be good but doesn't support right to left languages such as arabic and hebrew.  
(Version 3.8)

JRNYOFLIFE  It's a breath of fresh air, in the Mac world, to have a word processor open quickly. Mariner Write opens in one or two seconds on my MacBook 2.2Ghz. Apple's own word processor Pages takes a lot longer, and Microsoft Word 2008 seems to take forever.

The efficiencies of the program don't end there. All of the essential features are quickly accessible and well thought out. I used it to take notes tonight for a non-profit meeting and it worked very well for that.

Things I like about Mariner Write:

Open

- Option to open files from previous session

Fonts

- Hierarchical font menu, and WYSIWYG

Bullet Indent ! (woo hoo!)

Date Format

- Ability to set to many different kinds of formats -- useful.

Ruler

- Paper edge vs. printer edge.

- A full page is readable from a standard MacBook's resolution.

Files

- Can specify the number of backup copies to make. I haven't experimented with this but I think it will be a very handy feature.

File format

- Can specify RTF - Word

Thoughtful touches

- When adding buttons to the toolbar when customizing, there is an Add after and Add before. There is not a move up or move down but that hasn't been too much of a hindrance.

Keyboard shortcut for entering date..

Tables work intuitively

- Can increase a column by dragging from any point in the verticle line

- New rows added automatically when tabbing from last row

- Easy access from the editing window.

Fonts

- Floating font panel that makes it easy to choose fonts, and lets you set up font collections of your favorite fonts.

- Easy font selection at the top of the editing window

- Easy color and highlighting form the editing window

- Choosing from MANY different font styles from the font menu

- Highlighting and font color are at the top of the editing window

Editing

- Remove leading ">", handy for quote in e-mails

Graphics:

- Easy to import

- Text can wrap around a graphic!

- Easy to enlarge graphic proportionally

- Easy to insert graphic into a table cell

Save:

- Save a copy as

Print Envelope

- VERY EASY, DEDICATED FUNCTION FOR THAT

Speak!

- Selection

- All

- Good voice

Insert Rule to separate items is intuitive

Font, Size, and Style all get their own menus which makes it a snap to easily change something.

- Click the font menu then start typing the letters of the font name and you go right to it.

- Click size menu and select size or if you want 18 point just click 1 and 8 then enter

- Click the style menu and select "strike through" or just type s and t, it hightlights then hit enter

To sum it up, it's a word processor that opens fast, that is easy to use, that has all the most used features right there. There may be a rare instance in which I would want to use MS Word over this program but this is my word processor of choice for the vast majority of documents I will be creating.

(and note: I am a power user; in this program the power is the speed, and quick access to the main features usually used)  
(Version 3.7.2)

UNEMPLOYEDWRITER@MAC.COM  I've been searching for a word processor that was simple and powerful. I was a clarisworks/appleworks user when those products were supported. I wanted a program that could effectively communicate with Microsoft Word, read/write, etc.

Mariner Write works great. It's simple interface reminds me of Clarisworks and it is much more powerful and intuitive. I recommend this program for anyone who has to write. There aren't a lot of surprises with this program, just the functionality you need to get the words on the page.  
(Version 3.7.2)

GENERAL  Since I completely moved to Mac I've been trying to find word processor that will work as smooth as MS Word does in Windows. Right now, I'm still juggling between Mellel (quick and usable, but ugly to my taste) and Nisus (some text rendering problems).

But Mariner has been the biggest disappointment by far - apart from looking so ugly (toolbars from OS 9?!) It doesn't even support standard OS way for switching keyboards. C'mon. And all of this before you type first words and realise that it can't properly render text. As I said Nisus has it's quirks, but Mariner doesn't look like Aqua application.

Does anyone checks for reviews that are posted on MacUpdate?  
(Version 3.7.2)

DP-G4-450GUY  Fifty dollars for THIS??

Please.

Mellel or even Tex-Edit would be a much better (and far cheaper) choice.

Ragtime has many more features and a better pricing.  
(Version 3.7.2)

ANONYMOUS  This program just works easily and quickly. I have tried to use and like Nisus Express, Pages (both of which I bought) and have downloaded the last 3 versions of Mellel. These three all have bunches of features. However, even Word is easier to use than any of them. MarinerWrite is the easiest to use to actually get things done efficiently. And…it manages to incorporate a split screen option. Wow!  
(Version 3.7.1)

ANONYMOUS  You know it's funny. Mariner hardly ever posts any serious updates to their programs. But go to MacUpdate or VersionTracker and type in the name of a competing word processor. What do you see in the list? Mariner. It looks like they would rather spend their time on lame marketing than developing a product.  
(Version 3.7)

ANONYMOUS  Not very good software and an unethical company. They tried to take the Mellel domain away, and are stuck in Carbon. Buy software for the rest of the people who deserve better than Mariner can provide.  
(Version 3.6.5)

LADYLEAF  Absolutely Terrific! Was wordprocessing expert back in the dark ages of stand-alones before decent computer apps. became available, so know what's good, what's not. (I'm old, haha) Mariner Write provides all the necessities. NONE of the garbage never used but which drives up cost and eats memory. Lovely interface, easy to use, terrific support and has the most beautiful colors available in any app. I've ever seen. Even use the colors in my graphics programs. Spread the word and put all the others out of business. Can't beat the price.

Tip: Will run on minimal memory as advertised, but in OS 9x suggest you do add more. BUY.  
(Version 3.6.5)

ANONYMOUS  Three versions, many updates, and they still cant get letters to show up on the screen correctly. An Apple word processor should be able to do at least one thing: show you letters that are lined up right, and Mariner has never been able to figure this out. Or they figure it's not important. What is important to them is to try to get rid of their competition by squatting on their domains, which is what they did to Mellel. Maybe they didn't want people to see that there are word processors for Macs that can actually type text correctly. With programs out there that are actually WYSIGYG, why bother with this one?  
(Version 3.6.5)

ANTHONY HARMON  What a pleasure indeed it is to be able to drag Microsoft Office 2004 into the Trash and not worry anymore.

One of the watchwords that Microsoft has has beaten into people's heads over the last 10 years is the value of the "ubiquity" of the various Microsoft Office formats. Regardless that each version of Word user is scared to death about not being backwards or forwards compatible with some other verison of Office, leading to the continual nonsense of sticking their heads in the sand while life crashed around them - what matters most is creating a document you want and can have others see.

That is where programs like Mariner Write stick to the bottom line, not the hype. Ubiquity is out - "Propinquity" is in...

If a user wants all the bells and whistles from having VBA, then go "right" ahead and let that technology bite them in the butt. I prefer a word processor that creates fine looking documents, not more time searching for macro viruses and infected attachments...

$350+ for an office application suite is 1990's thinking in a 2005 world...  
(Version 3.6.5)

BETH HOFFMAN  What do I think of Mariner Write 3.6.4?

In one word - WOW!

It takes something special to impress me, and Mariner Write has done just that. Never before have I purchased a software package so quickly. I downloaded the Mariner Write Demo, played with it for less than 24 hours, and wham, I was hooked!

Being a writer I was constantly frustrated with WORD (especially how the first line of a document is usually trashed by some strange glitch) and I grew weary of the problems that interfered with my creativity.

Thanks to Mariner Write I once again enjoy my craft.  
(Version 3.6.4)

AET  And chance of a grammar checker?  
(Version 3.6.3)

JFM  Since I switched to the Mac in March (one of the best decisions I ever made!), I have been using Mellel and Mariner Write beside Word. I like both of them much. Mellel is no doubt the top product, but the way it works, with its many features, makes it sometimes a little bit more complex.

For this reason, while I like Mellel for writing a report, when it comes to writing letters, I use primarily Mariner Write. It has a pleasant, easy to use interface - and there is no doubt that it is more stable than Word (it does not "unexpectedly quit"). True, it might have a few additional features - but for letter writing, I consider it as a perfectly adequate tool.  
(Version 3.6.2)

DON FOXWORTH  The very first thing you notice when you load a Mariner Software product (Mariner Write or Mariner Calc) is how fast it loads. Unlike Appleworks, there is no waiting around. These products are fast!

A word processor is a word processor, or so you might think! Mariner Write has an excellent toolbar and is loaded with options. The display is clean and crisp; there are no unnecessary menus or icons displaying when you load Write. You can extensively change your display with the PREFERENCES menu. Colors, fonts, spelling, and keys can all be changed to suite your needs.

Your default blank document has style, alignment, font, font size, and effects drop down menus. These are fast and convenient! The ruler is can easily be modified. Each menu is loaded with extras and a really nice thing is that when you click on the FONT menu you get a true font WYSIWYG display of all your fonts.

In Mariner Write, the FILE menu gives you lots of extras. Summary info, count, and merge are readily available. It has a very nice Print Envelope option. Under the FORMAT menu, the Bullets and Borders and Fill options are complete and crammed full of options.

A major fault of Appleworks, in my opinion, is the number of steps required to insert a graphic in a word processing document, especially a graphic with wrap-around text. I forget every time how to do it and the help system is not very helpful. In Mariner Write - BOOM! - it is a straight forward and simple process!

All in all, for the price, this is a “must have” replacement for Appleworks and it is a great, inexpensive alternative to Microsoft Word. I used to compose my novels on Appleworks but with one look at Mariner Write, I was instantly hooked and I can confidently say that you will be too! Buy it!  
(Version 3.6.1)

ANONYMOUS  Something doesn't match here: super low memory and a 4.4 megabloat download?

Reality check, please.  
(Version 3.6.1)

ST  I'm getting tired of seeing the 'application unexpectedily quit' window. Please solve this really annoying problem and I think this app could be well on its way.  
(Version 3.6.1)

COCOANUTPASTOR  This is an outstanding word processor. I own Word 2004, Mellel, and Nisus Writer Express, but this is the one I turn to most often because it combines an abundance of usable features, lightening speed, and rock-solid reliability. And now it works great with Spell Catcher X.  
(Version 3.6.1)

COCOANUTPASTOR  Note that 3.6 is not compatible with Spell Catcher X 10.1 nor with TypeIt4Me. A fix from Mariner is supposed to be on the way.  
(Version 3.6)

DERS  I love it, but it looks awful with themes. I can always exclude this app, but would love it if it could be made to work with themes.   
(Version 3.6)

A FAN  This is a review of 3.5 since 3.6 is still in public beta.

This really is an excellent word processor. It's very intuitive, has lots of features, looks great, is highly customizable and is extremely easy to use. It has some letter spacing problems at views higher than 100%, but it's by far the best word processor I've yet to see for OS X. Working with it is a breeze, and the company provides excellent tech support and is committed to improving the product's existing features and adding more without excessive bloat. I'm looking forward to the addition of long-document tools and multiple columns within a document, but for most word processing tasks, Mariner Write beats all competitors out there in terms of value and ease of use.  
(Version 3.6b4)

ANONYMOUS  I've been using MW for some time - it is my first choice for almost all writing jobs. It's low profile, easy and intuitive, but feature-rich. This beta (3.6b4) is ready for prime time as far as I can tell. Good job by a good and very responsive company!  
(Version 3.6b4)

COCOANUTPASTOR  This is now the word processor of choice for me. Sure, it isn't cocoa, but it works very quickly, very easily, and produces what I need. It opens .doc items very well, even many tables and it saves in .rtf without problems.  
(Version 3.6b4)

DM  Mariner Write has just got better with version 3.6. Bearing in mind that this is a beta and may have some stability problems, its looking very good. Why not try it out for yourself?  
(Version 3.6b3)

DM  Mariner Write is an excellent application and worth every penny. It does most of what you are ever likely to need from a word processor. It's much better than AppleWorks and for most everyday tasks as good as Microsoft Word. If you can't afford or can't justify the high cost of Microsoft Word, Mariner Write is for you.  
(Version 3.5.1)

TONY DYMOKE-BRADSHAW  Mariner Write is an excellent word processor. It is not a page layout programme. For many years I have used Writenow and Pagemaker, the first for simple documents and the second for complex ones with well integrated pictures, tables of contents and indexing etc.

Mariner Write has come along just in time so that I can move to OSX whilst still having an excellent simple word processor. Writenow is in any case showing its age with an inability to process many of the newer image formats around. Mariner seems to be able to import many more and supports drag and drop.

The learning curve from Writenow to Mariner is almost non existent. As Mariner has customisable key commands it is likely that the same will be true for many others moving from other word processors. What a shame it will not open Writenow documents directly, Mariner tell me this would be too expensive to implement.

I have still to see if Mariner is capable of matching the Writenow spelling dictionary which is second to none I have used, not so much in its usability but in its uncannily accurate suggestions of alternative words; an excellent mix of words that demonstrate my poor spelling abilities and poor typing.

Launch time for Mariner is low, still somewhat slower than Writenow (which is an old 68k programme, Tmaker never wrote a Power PC version).

I have little time for those who complain that Mariner will not do this or that; most of these complaints are the very things that should be omitted from a word processor like this and left to layout programmes.

For those that use Word (too cumbersome for word processing, absolutely ghastly at page layout and considerably less intuitive as the average video cassette recorder) this programme will never satisfy you as you have already demonstrated a complete lack of judgement as to what a good word processor ought to be like.

The only need to have any compatibility with Word is so that those of us who can’t stand it, can communicate with the rest of the world and those suffering under various governments’ sponsored predilection to using Microsoft products.

Keep up the good work Mariner and do not be tempted into making it ever more and more powerful.  
(Version 3.5.1)

DANA  Like Diogenes hunting for a good man with his lantern, I keep hunting for a word processor that handles Unicode and also has a Save As Html feature. Sadly, this ain't it.  
(Version 3.5.1)

JL  Sure it lacks some MS Word features, but on the other hand, many of those features I rarely use. This program has a clean interface, a nice look and feel. It does nearly everything a word processor needs to do. Hasn't crashed yet. If they get it to save as Word format, the package will be perfect.

I am very impressed with this product. With the right advertising this could compete as a good low-end Word alternative. I will be getting of my MS Office soon... as MS upgrades are big $$$, and well... one cannot serve two masters (Apple and Microsoft) at the same time.  
(Version 3.2)

ANONYMOUS  I can’t use it because they don’t have a portuguese dictionary to sell.  
(Version 3.2)

PETER  Still can't save in MS Word format, which for me remains the main problem in my search for an alternative word processor/editor. Trying out Nisus Writer Express at the moment which can do that though the current beta version still lacks many other features. RagTime for OS X is also very good, but too expensive until they bring out a lite version. So come on Mariner let's have full Word compatibility! Otherwise it's a very neat app.  
(Version 3.2)

ANONYMOUS  I removed WordService.service from the services folder, restarted and Mariner’s (and Finder’s) service menu works fine. 3.1 is a good step forward.  
(Version 3.1)

DERS  This got rid of Word for me the other day and I am very happy that a company has been able to make a product that can compete with Office, as I simply can't afford newer Office updates whenever M$ feels like releasing them. Excellent job, continue.  
(Version 3.1b2)

ANONYMOUS  I acknowledge this is a Public Beta so it

isn't totally flushed out but other than some footer problems (and it occasionally locking

up) it is pretty damn solid for a beta!!!  
(Version 3.1b1)

ANONYMOUS  System services still do not work. Word translation does not correctly translate paragraph styles or automatic numbering. There is no breakthrough technology here.  
(Version 3.1b1)

ANONYMOUS  Works just fine on 9.2.2. Slick piece of software. See ya, Word!!!!  
(Version 3.1b1)

ANONYMOUS  Is anyone else having a problem getting the beta to launch under OS 9.1 or 9.2.2? It just freezes my Macs. OS X version does launch.  
(Version 3.1b1)

RB  What more would I look for from Mariner? Here are some key features I'd like to see in what is *still* the best-looking OS X word processor out there (though that says more for the sad state of OS X development than for Mariner).

I should say first that I'm still using WordPerfect, which I think got a lot of the subtle UI issues right more than five years ago (while screwing up some of the dialog boxes with Windows-esque ugliness, the widgets I interact with all the time are well done). But I'm looking at OS X alternatives.

1. Lack of table of contents and indexing are deal-breakers for me.

2. More button-bar options would be nice, as would optional text labels on them.

3. More contextual menu options.

4. Stability. There's an odd bug in OS X involving closing the last window by hitting Cmd-W, Cmd-D (for don't save) that hangs the program.

5. Integration with OS X services might be nifty, as would drag-and-drop integration with nifty 3rd-party software like Tinderbox (www.eastgate.com, and no, I don't work for them).

6. Publicize your pricing and support better! I want web forums with repositories of problems and solutions. I want a clear update schedule with ship dates and planned features. I want to know which of those updates I own when I buy, and which I may have to upgrade for. And I want to know the education price!  
(Version 3.0.1)

C. MAURER  Not as versatile as NisusWriter but it ought to be a good replacement for WordPerfect, once they clean it up. A little use has shown up a lot of problems running under OS X.  
(Version 3.0.1)

TRIPHAZE  Brilliant!  
(Version 3.0)

NANCY B.  When the final release of MW comes out, I may finally be able to switch to OSX fulltime. I am a longtime Nisus user, and I still think it’s a great word processing app—but there is still no OSX version, and no indication of when one is coming. I’ve also used Word Perfect, AppleWorks, WriteNow, FullWrite, Word 5.1, and MSWord 2001, along with many little freeware and share word processors. MarinerWrite has become my favorite. It has nearly all the features I need, is customizable, yet is easy to use and takes up little RAM or hard drive space. It has the easiest table-maker I’ve ever used. Nisus has a much more powerful find and replace, and if Mariner could incorporate some kind of Nisus-like glosssary and macro, I’d be in heaven. But Mariner does a much better job with RTF files and with imported Word documents. With the combination of ICWord and Mariner Write, you can dispense with MSWord completely—and think of the money you’d save!  
(Version 3.0b9)

RICHARD B  This program has some nice features and some glaring deficiencies & bugs. My current word processor of choice is WordPerfect 3.5e. When (and if) this word processor has at least the feature set of the 5 year old WordPerfect product, then we will be getting somewhere.

Here is what I find to be missing based on a very brief review:

1. A decent help file - right now you cannot search the help file for answers to your questions.

2. Line numbering is pathetic. It is either on or off with no options (like restarting the numbering on each page or controlling the font).

3. RTF files do not import correctly. For example, a correctly page-numbered document might import with every page being numbered as page 2. The pagination is much different in Mariner than in M$Word. Section markers are ignored. This program would be next to useless for trading wp files with a M$Word user.

4. The program has the ability to speak the text of a document. But it works much worse than the comparable feature of WordPerfect 3.5e. In this program the computer can start stuttering, as if the portions of the words being spoken are sometime mixed-up orderwise. WordPerfect is mucho, mucho better in this ability, even when running in classic mode!

5. Need equations in your documents? Don't look here! Both WordPerfect and Appleworks can do equations, but not this puppy!

On the plus side, this program appears to handle style sheets. But on the whole, either WordPerfect 3.5e or the current Appleworks incarnation is likely a better bet (Appleworks funks for a number of reasons, including having no line numbering and no spell checking as you go).

So I am still looking for an alternative to M$Word for running under OSX.  
(Version 3.0.8b0)

JONATHAN  I have been searching for an OS X word processor that does the job and lets me do mine.

I was pleased with features like envelope printing and overall control of the page. Ability to open up Word files in basically the same appearance as the original is also a big plus. I await the final version (my betas also keep expiring). I have had no real crashes with Mariner.

I would appreciate some sort of bundle offer where you could buy both Mariner and Mariner Write for lets say $75 (hence my rating of 4 for value), but whatever the case, Write is a program I plan to buy when the full OS X version is released.  
(Version 3.0.6b0)

JEFF WINOKUR  I've been looking for a successor to WordPerfect for the Mac for years. Used Nisus but it's getting tired in the new features and GUI area. I liked WP's sleek interface visually and functionally. Mariner comes very very close. If Mariner cloned more of Nisus's awesome array of settings and features I could die happy at my keyboard.  
(Version 3.0.6b0)

ANONYMOUS  I have recently had my employer give me Office for X. Having migrated to OSX. Word - what can I say??? It has the most confusing interface. (How do I edit style sheets?) It's simply too flippin clever for itself. I'm sick of it. I hope Mariner Write 3 for X is out soon! (My betas keep expiring!) It is unique in being intuative and yet powerful. I simply can't wait. Anyone know when it will be released?   
(Version 3.0.6b0)

ST. CHRIS  I've been using the Mariner Write 3 beta on Mac OS X for a couple of weeks now. Until yesterday, I couldn't put my finger on why it was so easy and comfortable to use, why it was so familiar...and then it hit me.

I've long thought that Microsoft Word 5.1 for the Mac was the quintessential word processor. Previous versions of Word were lacking; later versions are the very reason the term "bloatware" was coined. But Word 5.1 was special. It put the essential tools, or at least the vast majority of them, right where you needed them. It was visually compact, uncluttered, and unintrusive. I used Word 5.1 until my Mac OS version (upgrade after upgrade) no longer supported it.

And there was great wailing and gnashing of teeth, because no other word processor came close to that balance of simplicity versus complexity. MacWrite, in its various incarnations, had too much hidden -- somehow it was not as straightforward as Word 5.1. ClarisWorks followed suit. WordPerfect: I can't put my finger on it, but somehow I never felt right with WordPerfect. Nisus Writer: I owned it, I used it; best find/replace system EVER ANYWHERE, but yeesh, what a clunky interface. I despaired.

So here comes Mariner Write in a public beta for OS X, announced on MacIntouch. Okay, I try it.

Instantly I liked it. It's like a reunion with an old friend! It's Word 5.1, subtly enhanced and polished up for OS X! (Works in OS 9 too, nicely.)

Best OS X feature, for me: Text smoothing. It uses OS X's built-in font anti-aliasing, which is simply beautiful. Beats the pants off Office v.X.

I've finally taken Word v.X out of my Dock! Hurrah!

Notes on ratings...

Features: Has everything I need, as far as I can tell. Would be nice to have an equivalent of Nisus Writer's PowerFind, but perhaps that's too much to ask.

Ease of Use: Stellar.

Value: I'm a shareware fan and a cheapskate, so I'd prefer $25 or $30, but $50 is still a good price for this level of quality.

Stability: Sometimes shows a little lag on my system. Might be the program, might be me. No crashes, though.  
(Version 3.0.4)

JIMWG  Mariner Write has expressed itself worthy of taking up the torch of WordPerfect for Mac 3.5. Smooth operation and great features. My only real beef is that it doesn't translate paragraph margin setting styles in documents such as manuscripts although RTF faithfully spaces them (sans style settings) from WP programs such as Nisus. I have a slew of features to recommend Mariner to try.

JimWG  
(Version 3.0.4)

MATT BADURA  I recently adopted Mariner Write as my primary word processor. Prior to Mariner Write I had been working with both Nisus Writer and MS Word, but Mariner Write incorporates a number of the things that I loved about Nisus (e.g. stability, non-continguous selection, and a cursor that actually knows where I left it when I save a file and close the program) with greater MS Word compatibility. Further, the layout of Mariner Write is so clean and intuitive that learning the program is easy and fast. Mariner Write's interface doesn't get in the way like MS Word's and doesn't require several weeks of study like Nisus'. It's a wonderful program in either OS9 or OSX. I anxiously await the final release. Try Mariner Write today and encourage the diversity of word processors avaiable on the Mac platform.  
(Version 3.0.4)

APCROZ  Everything you need, nothing you don't. An excellent program. It's all I use. With MacLinkPlus, I am MSWord-free. No crashes, no printing problems. Life is good.   
(Version 3.0.4)

ANONYMOUS  I have been using the MW beta for a couple weeks now (writing a master's thesis and got tired of bossy, ugly MSWord telling me how to do things and ruining the aesthetic of my desktop, etc.). I think it's an excellent app. Footnoting is better than in Word. I've had a couple little tweaky problems with the onscreen rendering of my documents but it is a beta. No crashes. No messed up documents. The image wrapping is fabulous. Very small RAM usage. I highly reccomend it.  
(Version 3.0.4)

FARGOLIO  mw is a great wp. it is easy to use, w/o any learning curve beyond an hour. and you can write a book with it! sorry but that worm won't fly. it is much easier to work with in any text in any doc including some graphics if you really feel the need to draw boxes or nanogonz. it makes nisus look foolish with no manual for all its complicated cool things which take days if you can figure it out. plus the bells and whistles on nisus may be cool (wow! I just used the phrase I am stupid" 26 times in 36.45 pages, its macro/glossary and weird doohickeys are just that. it beats microsoft and their predatory and expensivo programs by many kilometers. it can save in rtf, text and a bunch of other deals, you can merge other dictionaries in, and futz around with a stand alone thesaurus. if you are going to use mariner for large serious docs, just get cassady and greenes spellchecker and grammarian and you'll still have a lot of bux left over and a stunning program that really works. I spent a year looking for a great word processor for mainly text which could range from 600,000 words to 6. and after going through about twenty seven, I found mw. more importantly, it is stable and does the job. no vanishing files, no bermuda triangle freeze ups, and you have a rock solid wp that won't let you down and leaves you time to write and not futz around with weird gunk. just buy the cd (newbies and old doods/dooodettes always get the cd, never ever down load anything which costs bux). kiss away scorpion, weenie paw print, iPrint, uPrint, fullwrite, partwrite lite, anything microweenie puts out, claris, appleworks, etc., etc. and opt for straight on gibralter quality. other than all that, it sux as word processor.  
(Version 3.0.3b1)

FARGOLIO  mw is a great wp. it is easy to use, w/o any learning curve beyond an hour. and you can write a book with it! sorry but that worm won't fly. it is much easier to work with in any text in any doc including some graphics if you really feel the need to draw boxes or nanogonz. it makes nisus look foolish with no manual for all its complicated cool things which take days if you can figure it out. plus the bells and whistles on nisus may be cool (wow! I just used the phrase I am stupid" 26 times in 36.45 pages, its macro/glossary and weird doohickeys are just that. it beats microsoft and their predatory and expensivo programs by many kilometers. it can save in rtf, text and a bunch of other deals, you can merge other dictionaries in, and futz around with a stand alone thesaurus. if you are going to use mariner for large serious docs, just get cassady and greenes spellchecker and grammarian and you'll still have a lot of bux left over and a stunning program that really works. I spent a year looking for a great word processor for mainly text which could range from 600,000 words to 6. and after going through about twenty seven, I found mw. more importantly, it is stable and does the job. no vanishing files, no bermuda triangle freeze ups, and you have a rock solid wp that won't let you down and leaves you time to write and not futz around with weird gunk. just buy the cd (newbies and old doods/dooodettes always get the cd, never ever down load anything which costs bux). kiss away scorpion, weenie paw print, iPrint, uPrint, fullwrite, partwrite lite, anything microweenie puts out, claris, appleworks, etc., etc. and opt for straight on gibralter quality. other than all that, it sux as word processor.  
(Version 3.0.3b1)

ANONYMOUS  Mariner Write will oneday truly challenge Word. The program is lean, swift, smooth and its programmer has promised to add mail merge and macros, making it all superior to Word! Keep an eye on it.  
(Version 3.0b2)

ANONYMOUS  I hate tools that get in the way of the job. MS Word whilst sophisticated and feature laden forces you to take your focus off of the work at hand to select 'options'. Mariner Write has just the features/options that prob 75% of word processor users need/use. Useful speed of creation results. In the 'bad oold Mac days' WriteNow was the same.

The new spellcheck on the fly (a la Word) feature is a welcome addition.

Note this is a BETA and as such has crashed upon saving a few timesm however the previous 2 versions of Mariner Write I have used were perfectely stable.  
(Version 3.0b2)