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A writing program, or a text editor – what exactly is it?
What is a text editor? This term is most often defined as IT software designed for editing articles, papers, invitations or books and preparing them for printing. These materials often contain not only alphabetic characters, but also tables, mathematical formulas, and also graphic elements (symbols, pictures, etc.). Individual content can be freely formatted (size, type and color can be changed fonts, control the position of individual paragraphs, bold or underline selected fragments). The materials are saved on a computer disk or other data carrier in the form of files.
Free online and downloadable word processors – can they replace Word? What features do they offer?
Many people wonder if a free writing program can replace professional, paid applications of the type Word. It is difficult to give an unequivocal answer to the question posed. The various tools available on the Internet differentiate the scope of the possibilities offered. Some suggestions are less and others more advanced.
What functions do they have? Most of the aforementioned solutions allow you to create various text documents (for example reports, articles, reports, announcements, books, etc.), as well as formatting the written content, i.e. giving it an appearance consistent with personal preferences and needs. We are talking mainly about such operations as:
- modifying the size and color of individual letters or words,
- changing the writing style (regular text, title, subtitle, first row heading, etc.),
- aligning paragraphs on the page (right, left, center, justify),
- add line spacing,
- create bulleted or numbered lists, columns, headers and footers,
- highlight text with bold, italic or underline,
- page numbering,
- pasting illustrations, drawings, tables, graphs, equations, special characters and hyperlinks to text ,
- check spelling and grammar, as well as the number of words written,
- review documents by inserting comments.
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Additionally, almost every desktop or laptop typing program available for free on the Internet, it has a saving function, printing and sharing text (for example via email). The user can also choose one of several available templates and thus make it much easier to develop CVs, invitations, posters or other materials.
Best Typewriters – List of TOP 5 Text Editors
What are the word processors that are circulating on the web? Can a free writing app compete with paid programs? Part of the answers to the above questions have already been given. Nevertheless, it is worth asking them again, this time in the context of specific proposals. Here are the top five variants.
Google Docs – the best free app and word processor online
Google Docs is a free typing app, available as part of the Google Drive platform and a great alternative to the Microsoft Office package. The program is fully compatible with Word. How to use it? Just put it on Google account and after logging in create a new document from the main menu in the upper left corner. A blank sheet of “digital paper” will appear on the screen, which you can fill with text and then format it as you like. The editing process itself is similar to the aforementioned Office suite. The user has the same tools at his disposal, including inserting tables and pictures, highlighting content, creating bulleted lists or page numbering.
Importantly, any changes you make are automatically saved as you make them. An online text document, prepared using the described software, can be modified by several people at the same time, which greatly facilitates work on a team project. The application has three built-in variants – edit, suggest and display. Materials can be stored on a virtual Google Drive, downloaded to a computer in DOCX format, PDF, ODT, RTF, HTML, TXT or EPUB, emailed or shared offline.
FocusWriter – personalized text editor for free
The presented computer text editor allows the user to adjust the working environment to individual needs and preferences, not only in terms of colors, but also acoustics. The program may emit sounds similar to those made by a typewriter. This is good news for fans of the retro era who want to feel like great masters like Ernest Hemingway or Mark Twain.
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It is worth noting, however, that the described software is not only original, but also extremely functional. It has all the tools necessary to create and format your content. The built-in full screen mode helps you concentrate. On the monitor it only shows a piece of “digital paper”, so nothing is distracting while performing the task (if necessary, all you need to do is click one button to return to your previous settings).
Q10 – free text editor for minimalists
What distinguishes the recalled typing program on a laptop or desktop computer? First of all, a simple, minimalist interface devoid of visual elements characteristic of other applications available on the market. The individual functions are operated via keyboard shortcuts, for example a combination of Ctrl + N buttons opens a new document.
Changes made in it are saved automatically, so you do not have to worry that you will lose your data as a result of a failure or sudden power outage. In addition, the editor has a built-in alarm, thanks to which you will better motivate yourself to work. After the set time has elapsed, the system will inform you about the number of words and characters written. The presented software does not take up much space. You can install it directly from a portable memory and take it with you wherever you need it, for example to work or university.
AbiWord – Free Office with Advanced Features
AbiWord is a free Windows based software. The application is a bit like the older versions of Word both in terms of structure and interface. It has all the standard tools known from the commercial Office suite. What’s more, external plugins allow you to increase the functionality of the software, for example, opening text files in many different formats or searching for entries in Wikipedia directly from the editor. The presented proposal is widely used. It works great for typical home use, but it will also meet the expectations of professionals, such as journalists, editors, etc.
Zoho Writer – a good alternative to Google Docs
Zoho Writer, the free online Office is an alternative to Google Docs. It does not offer any extensive text editing tools, but the available options are more than enough to create an article, paper or other text material and share the results of your work on the Internet or with colleagues. The only limitation in this case is the amount of space on the server. The user of the free version of the software receives 10 GB of virtual disk space.
You already know what text editors are available for free. Is it really worth using them? Certainly, a large part of the proposals described above can be considered a good replacement for Word, functional and easy to use at the same time.
