AbiWord is a free word processing program that tries to compete with Microsoft Word. It supports many formats including of course Word documents, and you can use it even for advanced document layout.

The program is able to handle tables, bullets, lists, images, footnotes, endnotes, mail merge, and styles. Its interface comes in a lot of languages and includes a spelling checker with dictionaries for over 30 languages. It supports also right-to-left, left-to-right, and mixed-mode text.

Command line options are available, as well as plugins that extend its functionality, from Document Importers to a Thesaurus, Image Importers and a Text Summarizer.

AbiWord is certainly a powerful program even if not as much as MS Word. Especially if you don’t need the advanced features of MS Word (cross-references, etc) you can give AbiWord a try. Unfortunately due to lack of interest the development for Windows stopped in version 2.9.4, which you can download and see if it covers your needs. Otherwise you may like to check alternative free MS Word competitors, such as those included in OpenOffice and LibreOffice.

• Download AbiWord

Being yourself an author or student you will perhaps appreciate especially this feature, that the very structure of the book will teach you how to work. The book contains even chapters on how to prepare a document for professional publishers such as Amazon. Reading Steven Adams' Writing a book or thesis in Microsoft Word you are surprised realizing it makes you want to work -- to think, write, use Word and be creative!