Ask HN: Lightweight Word Processors?

3•the__alchemist•6mo ago

Hey! Has anyone found a lightweight and responsive word processor? It seems I've been using the same bloated office suites decades! (Libre/OpenOffice, or MS). I suspect the integration of spreadsheets, PowerPoint-like tools etc detracts from the simplicity of what a word processor could be.

A sticking point is being able to open ODT files. I've tried recently:

  - WPS: Feels bloated, and no ODT support
  - Abiword: Discontinued Windows support
  - Atlantis: Not ODT support

Comments

Someone•6mo ago

> À sticking point is being able to open ODT files.

Doesn’t that imply supporting spreadsheets, PowerPoint-like tools etc inside text documents?

If so, you’d either want your tool to only open a subset of ODT files or have it discard parts of documents it doesn’t support (possibly with a warning on opening, or replacing them with a warning message)

the__alchemist•6mo ago

Nope! Just looking for text files (ODT)

Someone•6mo ago

But ODT documents aren’t text files. They can contain tables, spreadsheets, etc.

the__alchemist•6mo ago

I'm using, in this context "Open Document Text", to differentiate it from "Open Document Spreadsheet (ODS) and "Open Document Presentation" (ODP) etc. ODT = Open Document Text = the format in question.

Rotundo•6mo ago

I've professionally used WordPad on Windows for a couple of years as my only word processor. It did everything I needed, including ODT support.

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