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TextEdit, a Hidden Powerhouse That Comes Free with OS X Low End Mac Reader Specials TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac. Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you. Eric Schwarz - 2003.03.26 From day one, the Mac has come with a word processor. Except for MacWrite, which shipped with the earliest Mac, they were usually pretty useless, except maybe HTML editing, viewing ReadMe files, and creating universal .txt files. They've improved over the years, from TeachText, to SimpleText, to TextEdit in OS X. Due to the reputation of its older relatives, TextEdit is usually overlooked. Abilities TextEdit is surprisingly powerful, although few activate its hidden features. It uses the somewhat standard RTF format for formatted documents and .txt for plain text. Besides it being a really Cocoa application - allowing the full compliment of OS X goodies (Text Palette, Color Picker, Services, Quartz, etc.) - it boasts (or merely whispers) some features that AppleWorks doesn't have, such as spell-check-as-you-type and multiple-level undoes. Granted, it is missing some features that are found in Word and AppleWorks, but for most things it's rather useful. I've switched from the aging AppleWorks 6 to TextEdit, not only because it's more stable, but it "matches" OS X better. Hopefully the word processing module of the rumored "iWorks" suite will be a more powerful version of this. TextEdit as a Real Word Processor TextEdit is pretty bland to begin with - there are a few things you'll need to do to make it comparable to anything (this assumes you're using Jaguar - if you have 10.1, the instructions are a little different). First, open the preferences, and choose Rich Text and Wrap to Page under New Document Attributes. Next, set your default fonts, and pick Check spelling as you type and Show ruler under Editing. By pressing command-R, you will see a ruler, not unlike that in most word processors, complete with alignment, line spacing, and tabs. It's a bit plain, but it works. By pressing command-T, you will get the standard OS X font window. Again, not fancy, but also not much of a drain on resources. Hidden Features TextEdit can open and edit HTML files as either the source or WYSIWYG. [Editor's note: That's either/or. You can't toggle between the two modes.] Besides that, TextEdit features find and replace (not so hidden) and some high-end font tools. You can place pictures and other documents in TextEdit documents and export documents for Word and AppleWorks. Although you must convert Word and AppleWorks files to RTF before they can be opened in TextEdit, it's not that much of a hassle. TextEdit Might Just Be What You Need If you only use the word processing module from AppleWorks or think Word is just too darned expensive, you might want to try TextEdit as your main word processor. Judging from improvements since the version that came with OS X 10.1, it's bound to get even better. Eric Schwarz has been using Macs and other computers for a few years. His personal website - dealing with Macs (of course) - is at <http://schwarztech.macweekly.com/>. You can learn more about his current computer setup in Eric Schwarz's iBook. Recent Power of Mac TextEdit, a hidden powerhouse that comes free with OS X, 03.26. Although easily overlooked, TextEdit could be all the word processing software a lot of Mac users ever need. Whether you call it AirPort, WiFi, or 802.11 wireless networking, your portable should have it, 03.19. With more wireless hot spots popping up, there are more reasons to have an AirPort card in your 'Book every day. Are older Macs lower than low end?, 03.14. Are low-end Mac users finding happiness with newer low-end Mac? Back to school software, 2002 edition, 08.01. Practical software for students (and others) using Mac OS X. More in the Power of Mac index. Links for the Day Mac of the Day: Mac Pro, Aug. 2006 - The last Mac to go Intel, the Mac Pro has two dual-core Xeon CPUs at 2.0-3.0 GHz. 8-core option added in 2007. Group of the Day: Mac mini List is for anyone using or contemplating a Mac mini March 20 in LEM history: 00: Adobe isn't making friends - Raising the dead - 01: Milking the Mac for all it's worth, - 02: Keeping the Web free - Macally CardBus USB - 05: Copyright bullies - 07: The iPhone: Is it a Mac? - Improve productivity with a second display - 08: The rise of the Microsoft monopoly Recent Content on Low End Mac Does iPhone OS Need Multitasking?, iCab Comes to iPhone, Canada's Proposed iPod Levy, and More, iNews Review, 03.19. Also the iPad paradox, Freescale demos $200 tablet, gardening apps, aluminum iPhone stand, steel iPhone case, and more. Could iPad Replace the Mac?, Mac Sales Up in 2010, Avoiding Windows 7 'Whenever Possible', and More, Mac News Review, 03.19. Also why your next Mac may be an iPad, science blogger abandons Apple, the benefits of standing while working, and more. The Mobile System Stampede, Lithium Battery That Can't Explode, Affordable SSD Options, and More, The 'Book Review, 03.19. Also June 2007 MacBook Pro external display issue, laptop stands, 1 TB ultraportable hard drive, Mini DisplayPort/HDMI adapter, and more. CardBus WiFi, the Shiira Browser, Ridding the Web of Flash, and Macs vs. PCs, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 03.18. Mac longevity, Shiira speed, ambidextrous Mac and Windows use, and how Flash benefits Apple. How to Zoom Your Browser for a More Readable Web, Steve Watkins, The Practical Mac, 03.18. Instructions for zooming text and pages in Safari, Firefox, Camino, and Opera. How Ad Blocking Hurts Your Favorite Websites, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 03.18. Ad income keeps the Web free. Blocking online ads hurts your favorite websites. Taking Apart the 12" PowerBook, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 03.17. There are a lot of steps involved in disassembling a 12" PowerBook. Proceed with caution. More links in our archive. Recent Deals Best Intel iMac Deals, 03.17. Used 17" from $600; 20" from $750; 24" from $825; refurb 21.5" nVidia, $999; new, $1,099; refurb Radeon, $1,299; new, $1,399; refurb 27" 3.06, $1,499; more. Best G5 iMac Deals, 03.17. 17" 2.0 GHz, $380; 1.9 GHz iSight, $479 shipped; 20" 1.8 GHz, $509 shipped; 2.1 GHz iSight, $549 shipped. Best Time Capsule Deals, 03.17. Close-out 500 GB, $140; new 1 TB, $279; used 2 TB simultaneous dual-band, $400; new, $455. Shipping included. Best iPad Deals, 03.16. 16 GB iPad, $499; 32 GB, $599; 64 GB, $699; 16 GB with 3G, $629; 32 GB 3G, $729; 64 GB 3G, $829. Free ground shipping. Best iPod classic Deals, 03.12. Used 20 GB, $119; 40 GB, $139; 60 GB, $159; 30 GB video, $129; 60 GB, $159; 80 GB, $169; refurb 120 GB, $189; new, $214; 160 GB, $228 shipped. Best G3 iBook and AirPort Card Deals, 03.12. 366 MHz 12" clamshell, $89; 466, $125; 500 white CD, $100; 600, $199; 800 Combo, $239; 14" 900, $225. Best Xserve Deals, 03.12. Used 1 GHz dual G4, $499; 2.0 dual G5, $599; 2.3, $749; refurb 2.26 4-core Nehalem, $2,499; new, $2,699; 8-core, $3,449; refurb 2.66, $4,299; new, $4,799; more. More deals in our archive. Power of Mac articles copyright ©2001-2003 by Eric Schwarz. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2010 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .   LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.   Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.   Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." 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