Anybody use Word Perfect? How does 'Pages' compare?

Question

For anyone who wants to cut to the quick, just read the question....the last paragraph.
I need some comfort. It's probably normal to get frustrated with a new Word Processing program like 'Pages' after only 2 days of using it so I'm willing to be patient, but I have a general question, which actually appears in the Title of this post.
I've used Word Perfect on my non-Mac computers for 20 years and although the program is without equal in it's sophistication and ease of use (IMO), I do believe it caused some big problems for other programs on my computer (incompatibility problems with other software). I've wanted an iMac for a long time just to get rid of all the problem I had with those other computers, thinking I'd be rid of WordPerfect, which I blamed for many of the problems. I wanted a fresh, clean start, so I sure don't want to mess up my 2 day-old iMac by loading up a word-processor like WordPerfect again....that'll just mess everything up again.
But I have mixed emotions. After my past experience with Word Perfect, it's just hard for me to believe that the WP people actually got rid of all their bugs, and wouldn't inadvertently stick them all into an Apple product. I'm paranoid, I know. I'm asking this question because word-processing is the most important thing to me in using a computer and I found WordPerfect to be perfect, as a word-processor, that is.
I'm certainly willing to give 'Pages' a fair try, and hope it works out for me. But, is there anyone here who uses WordPerfect on their Mac (and with which OS) and does it cause you any problems? Also, in your opinion how does it compare with 'Pages'?

Answer 1

I was an avid WP user (DOS, AtariST, and Mac versions) for years and I was a beta tester for the Atari and Mac versions. I was never all that impressed with the Windows versions. When the program was sold to Novel support and quality became uneven and after Novel sold it to Corel, well, let's let sleeping dogs lie, eh?
Pages isn't WP - it is a consumer word processor and desktop publishing program. Still it is quite powerful and easy to use...once you accept its conventions. That is a sticking point for a lot of people. With OS X, Apple has taken the toolbar and adapted it to its own purpose. Unlike some programs that attempt to put every command in toolbars, Apple prefers to target a smaller number and allow the user some ability to custom it. Apple has also adopted the idea of palettes - one palette actually. The inspector. In OS X the inspector is used to take commands that might be buried in the menu hierarchy and puts them out front. With Pages, like many OS X programs, getting to know the Inspector is key to using Pages.
As I said, Pages isn't WP or MS Word. That's good and bad. The good is that the program is cleaner and easier to learn. It also means that lots of features you might consider important are missing. You should have a demo version of iWork on your new iMac and you have 30 days to use it before you have to decide to keep it or ditch it.