AbiWord is an:

• open source (GPL),
• cross platform (Linux, Windows, BSD, Solaris, BeOS (on hold), Mac (in progress)),
• multi-language
  

word processor that will, one day, be better than Microsoft Word.

It uses (a variety of) XML for its native file format. (Don't know how to phrase that more correctly -- XML is a general approach to creating "file formats" -- every application of XML creates its own variation, unless there is agreement to share the same DTD(?) across applications.)

Among other things, using XML means that the "formatting codes" can be viewed in a plain text editor.

Since I first wrote about AbiWord, the following features have been added (among others):

• Much better support for styles
• Lists
• Scripting (via Perl or Python -- somewhat experimental and not the easiest thing to use yet)
• Tables (in the head / development branch, i.e., not in 1.0, I think they will appear in 1.2)
• Footnotes (again, in the head / development branch)

In many respects, the GUI is similar to Microsoft Word (97).

One day (hopefully fairly soon) it will include collapsible outlining (AKA folding).

Contents

AbiWord Resources

_Note (27 Jan 2003): AbiWord (abisource.com) often has a problem "resolving" -- the IP address is 137.48.69.6 -- try that (not tried so far as the address is currently resolving (again)), or, for bugzilla, try http://www.abisource.com/bugzilla/._

• AbiWord Home Page
• Official AbiWord FAQs
• New AbiWord FAQ on the TWiki
• AbiWord TWiki
• Official AbiWord Download Site -- see also #Win32_Binaries
• User's Mail List -- Archives
• Developer's Mail List -- Archives
• Bugzilla
• Doxygen
• Bonsai
• LXR
• Tinderbox
• IRC: #abiword at irc.gnome.org
• Source Code
• Development Roadmap
• Feature Matrix
• User Interface Matrix
• Translation Strings
• AbiWord Bugzilla Bug (RFE) 4038: Outline View Support — one of my goals has been to add collapsible outlining to AbiWord, this moves me forward but I would not be (terribly) disappointed if someone else carried the ball the rest of the way.
• AbiWord: LXR: The LXR Cross Referencer for AbiWord; ; ; —
• AbiWord: OTS: Some defense of the OTS summarizer and the Enchant interface to spell checkers
• AbiWord: Reference to an explanation (?) of OTS in the AbiWord source code
• AbiWord: Abiword 2.0 for SuSE ?? (or for SuSe 8.2 I586
• AbiWord: File Formats: Wotsit's Formats — a site providing file formats for a variety of files (including Word)

Some Programmer Documentation

• Improving the AbiWord's Piece Table; Joaquin Cuenca Abela; 4 January 2003 -- a nice piece -- should be helpful to me in learning the AbiWord codebase (meant to write to Joaquin and thank him -- should still do that) -- specifically covers red/black trees and has links to some other articles useful for piece tables (haven't looked at those).

Win32 Binaries

• nightly builds Jeremy Davis, jeremyd@computerPLEASENOSPAM.org
• occasional builds Nikolaj Brandt Jensen <mailbag@postman.dk>

AbiWord Pages on WikiLearn

re: Testing

• AbiWordTestingOnWin32
• BugsAbiWord

FAQs

To add additional FAQ pages, simply create a new page with a name starting with "AbiWordFaq..."

• Topic: Summary:
• AbiWordFaqBehaviorOnClosingLastFile: AbiWord is an MSDI (Multiple Single Document Interface) application (see AbiWordFaqMdiSdiMsdi). When the last open document is closed, the default behavior is to...
• AbiWordFaqFileAssociation: Moved to Abiword:Abiword.WinFaqAbiWordOpensMyWordFiles. Thanks RichardCramer for your contribution! (Good last name by the way misspelled, but oh well ; ) ) Since...
• AbiWordFaqFonts: This page is intended to start accumulating information about how AbiWord handles fonts (especially under Linux) to deal with some of the problems (like the installation...
• AbiWordFaqMdiSdiMsdi: This page is a second (or third) attempt to explain the differences between MDI (Multiple Document Interface) as used in Word97 and earlier, SDI (Single Document Interface...
• AbiWordFaqReportingBugs: In response to someone`s post on abiword user, I started writing what might become a supplement or a `useful` Wikilearn page on the process of submitting bugs and...
• AbiWordFaqTemplates: On Mon, 2002 04 08 at 20:44, John L. Clark wrote: Is there a way to create a new template and add it to the template list, so that a new document can be created with...

Development

To add additional Dev pages, simply create a new page with a name starting with "AbiWordDev..."

• Topic: Summary:
• AbiWordDevOverview: I am interested in AbiWord development, and certain specific topics. (I would like help with AbiWord development, i.e., design and coding, but I don`t know C well...

Contributors

• RandyKramer - 18 Feb 2002
• <If you edit this page, add your name here, move this to the next line>