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Monday, June 30, 2008

WPX4 review by CNet

CNet has an excellent review of Corel WordPerfect X4, which I just read. Some interesting points:

WordPerfect X4's system requirements are relatively gentle. Running Windows XP with the latest service packs, you only need a CD-ROM drive and 256MB of RAM (twice that for Vista) with at least a 466MHz processor (800MHz for Vista). Make sure that you have 600MB available on the hard drive.

Good. I was a little worried about the system requirements. But, it looks like my old XP computer will be able to handle X4 effortlessly.

WordPerfect has added redaction to its solid security features. You can black out text in a document and then export it to DOC, PDF, or WPD. Users would be wise to frequent the straightforward Save Without Metadata option under the File pull-down menu before sending a document to someone.

Also good to know as we always try to be mindful of any possible security breaches.

WordPerfect X4 includes strong PDF support. You can view, tag, and save PDFs and even add password protection. WordPerfect will also recognize and translate the text from an image-based PDF to a document you can edit. It has also added support for the PDF/A archival format.

I'm particularly anxious to see firsthand WPX4's PDF improvements in comparison to WPX3.

Lightning is supposed to bridge WordPerfect with the Web. That concept sounds good, and the Start Panel has improved from what we remember of our beta tests. However, for a tool built to manage so-called Web 2.0 tasks, Lightning has a decidedly old-school flavor.

The author goes on to discuss her dismay with Lightning. I'm sorry to admit, I haven't even tried Lightning, yet. I guess I really should.

We must admit that we prefer the more seamless--yet also imperfect--Microsoft Office 2007 for included advantages such as image editing, document previews in Outlook, and more obvious document security options. However, users who prefer a more traditional, menu-based application layout with the majority of serious productivity features offered by Microsoft's pricier package may find what they need in Corel WordPerfect X4.

Okay. If and when I ever get my own copy of WPX4, I'll let you know how I like it. In the meantime, carry on as is. I am.

(CNET Article: Corel WordPerfect X4.)

• Posted by: Marie Carnes at 7:14 AM
• Filed in: WPX4

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