MS Works or ClarisWorks?
Jim Hull
Works, or ClarisWorks. We need a standard package for students and
teachers. Since I have a one-sided viewpoint, I would appreciate which
package you consider ideal for the Macintosh.
Issues:
Word Processing power, ease, speed
Draw features
Paint features
Spreadsheet flexibility, power, ease
File format Import/Export ability
Multimedia/Slide show flexibility
Popularity with family computers
Last time I checked, 50+ user licenses were about $28 for MS Works and $35
for ClarisWorks.
Thank you for your opinions, votes, and experiences.
Direct e-mail or post.
jh...@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jim Hull
Thomas Elementary School { Hacker (n) 1a. One who is }
4671 Tuttle Crossing Blvd. { proficient at using or programming }
Dublin, OH 43017 { a computer; a computer buff. }
(614) 764-5970
---------------Be a good Hacker----Use your skill to explore and learn.---
Michael Hewitt
> Works, or ClarisWorks. We need a standard package for students and
> teachers. Since I have a one-sided viewpoint, I would appreciate which
> package you consider ideal for the Macintosh.
>
> Issues:
>
> Word Processing power, ease, speed
> Draw features
> Paint features
> Spreadsheet flexibility, power, ease
> File format Import/Export ability
> Multimedia/Slide show flexibility
> Popularity with family computers
My vote goes to MS Works. It seems to be more commonly in use and therefore
more "shareable" in terms of file exchange. Also, its files are generally more
importable/convertable by other applications in my experience. Clarisworks is
a good package, but not nearly as versatile, IMHO. It will be interesting to
see the variety of opinions you receive.
Good Luck!
Michael D. Hewitt
Region 7 Local Telementor
Language Arts Instructor
Hilmar High School
7807 N. Lander Ave.
Hilmar CA 95324
(209) 667-5543 or (209) 667 5903 ex 34
mhe...@eis.calstate.edu
"We are all in this together, and wherever we go, there we are."
(Strangelove, Michael. "A Plea for Tolerance," Online Access. September, 1994.)
dgallowa Dave Galloway
between the two products, comparing each feature by feature and also the
integration of features. It was very unscientific, but ClarisWorks came out
the clear winner. Reviews in MacWorld have also given the nod to
ClarisWorks.
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Jim Walchanowicz
> Works, or ClarisWorks. We need a standard package for students and
> teachers. Since I have a one-sided viewpoint, I would appreciate which
> package you consider ideal for the Macintosh.
>
Jim
We have just gone through a similar debate...we voted on MS Works 4.0 for
two very important reasons...#1...4.0 is powerful enough for what we want to
do with it and it comes with a variety of neat options such as the calander,
clip art, works wizards, etc. #2...many of our students have PC clones at
home and either use MS Works or Word for windows...import and export
functions are a breeze on the MAC when the software is the same...the
parents really like this as do the teachers...the bottom line is what best
fits your needs...for us it was 4.0
Jim
--
James Walchanowicz (jwal...@llohio.wviz.csuohio.edu) || "A book must be
Independence High School || an ice-ax to
Independence, Ohio || break the frozen
________________________________________________________|| sea inside us"
"Dare to Disturb the Universe" || --Kafka
Phillip Dickson
seemed that the insertion of graphics was easier on MSW and I was allowed
greater flexiblity in placement. In basic WPing there is little
difference in the two programs. I started with MS Works and tended to
stay with that platform. I doubt that you will go very far astray using
either program.
Phil Dickson
*************************************************************************
Phil Dickson
pdic...@esd189.wednet.edu
Computer Coordinator
English Crossing Intermediate School
Lakewood, WA 98259
TyAnn Morehead
Reasons: minimal size (both RAM and hard drive space), ease of use,
relatively bug-free, available for both Mac and Windows, the Slide Show
feature, plays QuickTime movies, and the integration is great!
TyAnn
___________________________________________________
TyAnn Morehead, K-8 Technology Coordinator
New Hampton (Iowa) Schools
voice: 515-394-5858; fax: 515-394-2921; e-mail: tya...@aol.com
"The only thing wired in most schools are the kids. " - David Thornburg
Curtis E. Farrell
capabilities of real business applications such as MS Word, Canvas,
Filemaker, Excel. The obvious difference is the cost. For example,
Claris 2.x can't change case (e. g., all caps to title). I haven't tried
Claris 3.x yet. MS Works seems to be comparable to Claris. I'd say go
with the least expensive.
Curtis Farrell
cefa...@ouray.cudenver.edu
Jack Garrison,CDP
MSWorks at our community college and find many students already have some
exposure to MSWord (a component of Works).
Jack C. Garrison, CDP
Manager Of Technical Support And Operations
Oakland Community College (ITS-DO)
2480 Opdyke Rd. Bloomfield Hills, MI. 48304-2266
(810) 540-1594 JCGA...@OCC.BITNET (OR) JCGA...@OCC.CC.MI.US
Robert Gershon
Does anyone else out there think that MS Works is just plain slow? Wait
for long times getting ready to save or open? Perhaps it's just my clunker
LC II, but it's only a simple program, right?
On the other hand, while the DB in Claris is very Filemaker-like (which is
good), I like the ability to lay it out like a SS the way MS allows. Speaking
of SSs, just a simple thing--the inability to use arrows to move from cell to
cell without "entering" first makes Claris a pain.
But it's so small on disc and in memory, imports well, shows fonts in the menu,
allows multiple applications on the same doc...
P.S. Does anyone know how to change the default font from Helvetica?
Robert Gershon
Castleton State College
Vermont
GERS...@vscacs.vsc.edu
Bryce Johnston
> do with it and it comes with a variety of neat options such as the calander,
> clip art, works wizards, etc. #2...many of our students have PC clones at
> home and either use MS Works or Word for windows...import and export
> functions are a breeze on the MAC when the software is the same...the
> parents really like this as do the teachers...the bottom line is what best
> fits your needs...for us it was 4.0
I would be curious to know how MS Works is so powerful. Calandering and
wizards haven't seemed to me to be enough to make it worth the upgrade.
ClarisWorks 3.0 is so much leaner [50%], it too comes with clip art, and the
Windows version is almost identical to the mac version. My only complaints
are the data base - a bit clunky- & the fact that the comm. module does
not support Zmodem. IMHO
********************** Bryce Johnston **********************
Instructional Technology Specialist * Technology Department
Lubbock ISD * 1628 19th Street * Lubbock, TX 79401
* 806-766-1203 *** br...@tenet.edu *** Master Tenet Trainer *
Dr. Lucy Slinger
the latest version of Clarisworks. I have watched 9 & 12 year olds learn
to do this in a few hours unlike the MicroSoft Works. I also think the
assistant/help is excellent and the presentation program enables the
student who want to present their work or for that matter teachers to make
slides with ease. I started with MicroSoft Works and have switched to the
Claris.
Peace and all good.
Dr. Lucille A. Slinger
212 B Morris Hall
UW-La Crosse
La Crosse, WI 54601
608-785-8147
sli...@mail.uwlax.edu
Craig Nansen
development, software costs, student time in learning software vs using it,
etc.
We were devoted to MS Works in our district - until ClarisWorks 2.1 came
out. We have switched completely to ClarisWorks and we are very pleased
with out decision. I had some teachers who were upset at the start, but now
they big ClarisWorks supporters. It seems to be much easier to use, to
learn, and I thought it was becoming a standard in K-12 schools (I was
suprised by the amount of support for MS Works in this discussion.)
A few comments about some statements made in this thread.
>My only complaints are the data base - a bit clunky-
This is one area where Claris is far ahead of MS. They use an older version
of Filemaker, and it is much more powerful than the database in MS. I have
had many teachers feel that it wasn't as good, until I was able to sit down
with them and show them how the layouts are ment to be used with a
database.
>I like the ability to lay it out like a SS the way MS allows.
Many complaints about Claris are because people don't design their layouts
using the "columar" option. Those that do try to put everything into one
line and they get burned by the wraparound (one thing I don't like about CW
database). With MS you have to scroll to the right to see more of the
fields. With CW you just set up several columar layouts, each with
different info, and quickly flip between them. You can design layouts with
info from just the fields you want to look at or work with.
>P.S. Does anyone know how to change the default font from Helvetica?
I have done it, but need to go back and remember how it was done.
>Issues:
>Word Processing power, ease, speed
Both have good word processing. CW has the "shortcuts" option that makes
some things easier to do.
>Draw features
The draw layer on CW is so powerful that a) teachers that wanted Pagemaker
or Quark Xpress ($$$ packages) can do what they want with CW. b) I seldom
use the WP part, but go to the draw layer, set the ruler for word
processing, and design the page the way I want it (columns, headers,
graphics, etc.) using full word processing features. (I am an expert Xpress
user, consulting for five businesses in town, and I can do most of my
school related projects in the draw layer of CW.)
>Paint features
A full color paint program in CW. Students can later move up to
BrushStrokes, and then up to even more full function programs (such as
Painter).
>Spreadsheet flexibility, power, ease
I can't do what I need to with CW or MS, I need Excel. Very few teachers,
if any, need more than what CW or MS provide. The advantage to CW is that
you can draw a spreadsheet box in the WP or Draw layers and use it as a
full functioning spreadsheet. The graph can also be displayed directly in
the word processor or draw layers.
>File format Import/Export ability
ClarisWorks is becoming the standard for converting files from one program
(or platform) to another. You can open up word, works, excel, paint, tiff,
eps, Word for Windows, Works for Windowns, Wordperfect, etc. and save them
back again in their formats. (You need DOS-Mounter or similar init in your
system folder to recognize a DOS disk.) ClarisWorks supports hundreds of
translators. CW will also open up files from AppleWorks. (You need the
Pro-DOS init in your system so it will recognize the disk.)
ClarisWorks 3.0 (Mac) has no improvements over 2.1. What they did was make
the Windows version identical to the Mac, give the Mac a new opening
screen, and called them both 3.0. They are totally compatable. We opened up
some very complicated database files done on the Mac directly into the
windows version and needed to make no changes.
>Multimedia/Slide show flexibility
CW has the slide show option from the WP, Draw and database layers. Also
has an outline feature.
>Popularity with family computers
tossup - both have good windows versions. The advantage to CW is that you
can import and export to almost any popular MS-DOS program so that students
with windows or MS-DOS at home can work in just about any program they have
on their computer (word, works, wordperfect, etc.)
Craig Nansen If learning is an act of exploration,
Technolology Coordinator then technology equips the explorer
Minot Public Schools for the journey of a lifetime.....
Minot, ND 58701
nan...@warp6.cs.misu.NoDak.edu Technology: opening minds with a
new set of keys
Sonia K. Cassell
> I would like to hear opinions to help me decide which to buy, Microsoft
> Works, or ClarisWorks. We need a standard package for students and
> teachers. Since I have a one-sided viewpoint, I would appreciate which
> package you consider ideal for the Macintosh.
>
>
> Word Processing power, ease, speed
> Paint features
> Spreadsheet flexibility, power, ease
> File format Import/Export ability
> Multimedia/Slide show flexibility
> Popularity with family computers
Jim,
I began my Mac career with Microsoft Works and used it through 3.0. I was
reluctant to change when a colleague suggested ClarisWorks might be better.
I did not change until that same colleague had begun files that I needed to
complete a project and I was "forced" to work with ClarisWorks. I couldn't
believe the versatility. The layouts in the database allow me to create
unique nametags, meal and parking tickets, sign-in sheets and registration
blanks and simply feed in the info for each participant.
I really like the way I can use any kind of document (WP, DB, SS, DR, OR PT)
in any one of the others. I can put a text box in my draw doc or put objects
that can be moved around my word proc. doc.
The slide show is very easy to use and I can even use my Quicktime Movies in
it without any trouble.
I am really sold on ClarisWorks.
Sonia Cassell
Staff Development Specialist
Indianpolis Public Schools
cassell.i...@dorite.use.com
Gary Cressman
two. I do believe that whichever one you buy it will work fine for you and
your school. Our school has 27 copies of CW and 10 of MSW. We started
getting MSW due to the cost. When I got my new computer it came with CW
2.1. I don't see a pressing need to go to v3.0 because there aren9t that
many new things to warrant the expense. We are not going to upgrade CW 1
again due to the expense.
The big problem that I have with MSW is transferring files into version
3. In CW you can save your files as MSW v. 2 files. But then MSW wouldn't
open them. We kept getting out of memory messages, running an LCIII 4/80
system 7.1 machine. I ran the files through DataViz9s MacLink Translators
v.8, again with no success. MSW 3 would not even open a MSW 2 file that
was created in MSW.
ClarisWorks opens files of other format with no problem. I am even able to
save a ClarisWorks file as an AppleWorks file (don9t ask why , it9s a long
story.)
That is my two bits worth. I like ClarisWorks because I use it all the
time. But I would like the other program if I used it too.
Hope this helps,
Gary
Gary Cressman
gary...@halcyon.com