Any ideas anyone

Chippygeoff · 16 Sep 2015

This time next week I will be heading up North from wet Wales. I am giving my old computer to another scroller so she can make her own patterns. For some time whenever she gets orders I make the patterns for her and e-mail them. The old computer has been wiped clean and then I installed the operating system and several other things for her. Now here in the problem. The computer is an Apple i Mac and the main thing that it will be used for is making name signs and plaques. For nearly all my text work I use microsoft word 2008, it is simply brilliant and only takes a few minutes to make a name sign. Unfortunately I cannot get a copy to put on the old computer. I have tried a much newer version of word that I have on my new compouter but it just does not have the tools for making some of the name signs I make and is very difficult to use.

I have tried Libre Office but that does not work and then I tried Art Text from the Apple store and that will not do what I want either. I need a program that will allow me to start off with an oval shape or a rectangular shape and then insert text and maybe some graphics from other files etc. If anyone has any ideas on what I can do I would be very grateful.

Claymore · 16 Sep 2015

Don't know much about Mac's but have you tried Serif website? they used to have free downloads of their basic software and in the past they used to share quite a few features used by the more expensive software companies.
Cheers and hope ya get sorted
Brian

CHJ · 16 Sep 2015

Will Apache Open Office do what you want to do?
There is a MAC version:-

http://www.openoffice.org/porting/mac/

Chippygeoff · 16 Sep 2015

Hi Brian. Many thanks for your imput but I think you will find that Serif is windows only software. When i had an ordinary PC Seriof was my favourite for the sort of things I do now.

Chas. Many thanks for the link to Open Office, I downloaded it a couple of hours ago and it is brilliant, almost identical to word 2008. I have had a play around with it and it will do everything the lady up north will want to do with it.

Skeety · 16 Sep 2015

GIMP is also good for the Mac and free. I use it to get rid of unwanted stuff from images, resize as needed but not that easy to get on with initially.

Good on you for helping another scroller

Jon.

CHJ · 16 Sep 2015

Chippygeoff":1lt5y2w0 said:
Chas. Many thanks for the link to Open Office, I downloaded it a couple of hours ago and it is brilliant, almost identical to word 2008. I have had a play around with it and it will do everything the lady up north will want to do with it.

Thought it might do. I have a full set of older MS office on my main machine but all others in the system run Open Office and apart from the odd slightly different approach to some tasks it does all we need. Including rapid basic sketches and text manipulation without having to stretch the ossifying brain cells too much, had enough of those sort of challenges trying to move from drawing board to earlier CAD concepts way back in the 70-80's.

Most importantly O O seems to have little problem handling other systems files in some form or other.