> IBM had a 100% Pure Java version of their Lotus Suite, but they sort of > strangled it in its crib.
Seems like Corel flirted with porting WordPerfect Office to Java as well, but couldn't get acceptable performance. Today's computers could probably run it well enough, but today's computers are sort of OT for this list. :-) > ... I would rather see a > lighter-weight program, a "BasicOffice.Org" if you will, which would have > lighter programs than the unfortunately heavyweight OpenOffice.Org is. The > model I'd shoot for is something that was MacWrite/MacPaint/AppleWorks > simple, with a word processor, drawing, painting spreadsheet, card file and > presentation module. Hm. You might want to have a look at Siag Office -- it has a lightweight word processor (too light for me, but as a tech writer I've been spoiled by power tools like FrameMaker and groff), a spreadsheet, and a few other modules. It's missing some of your targets, but might be worth a look. http://siag.nu/index.siag.shtml I guess the big question is, how much horsepower are you assuming the computer has? Anything made in the last two or three years should be able to handle OpenOffice. If you're focusing on older computers, there is plenty of software out there but you have to go digging for it and put the package together yourself. :-) There are even text-based programs for anything beyond paint -- actually, groff provides most of them. The standard groff package includes pre- processors called "pic" and "gremlin" that provide command languages for line drawings, "eqn" for equations, and I think there are macro packages for doing presentations but they're not part of the standard package. Add a spreadsheet like sc ( http://freshmeat.net/projects/sc/ ) and a simple database like Cardfile ( http://www.dplace.com/cardfile/ ) and you're rolling. -- Larry Kollar, Senior Technical Writer, ARRIS "Content creators are the engine that drives value in the information life cycle." -- Barry Schaeffer, on XML-Doc -- MaX-list is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... / Buy books, CDs, videos, and more from Amazon.com \ / <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/lowendmac> \ Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> MaX-list info: <http://lowendmac.com/linux/max.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/max-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
