Editing AbiWord

{{Short description|Free software word processor}}
{{Infobox software
| logo = AbiWord.svg
| screenshot = AbiWordScreenshot.png
| screenshot size = 250px
| caption = AbiWord running on [[Debian]] 11
| developer = AbiSource
| released = {{Start date and age|2002|04|19}}
| latest release version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q136775|P348|P548=Q2804309}}
| latest release date = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q136775|P348|P548=Q2804309|P577}}
| latest preview version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q136775|P348|P548=Q51930650}}
| latest preview date = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q136775|P348|P548=Q51930650|P577}}
| programming language = [[C++]]
| operating_system = [[Cross-platform]]
| language = Multilingual<ref>{{cite web
  |url=http://www.nl.abisource.com/contribute/translate/
  |title=List of AbiWord translations (both complete and incomplete)
  |access-date=2019-11-25
  |archive-date=2017-06-30
  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630131641/https://www.abisource.com/contribute/translate/
  |url-status=live}}</ref>
| genre = [[Word processor]]
| license = [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
}}

'''AbiWord''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|b|i|w|ɜr|d}}) is a [[free and open-source software|free and open-source]] [[word processor]]. It is written in [[C++]] and since version 3 it is based on [[GTK+]] 3. The name "AbiWord" is derived from the root of the Spanish word "''[[wikt:en:abierto#Spanish|abierto]]''", meaning "open".<ref name="abi">{{cite web|url=http://www.abisource.com/~abi/|title=Project Mascot - Abi the Ant &#124; Page explains "Abi" is pronounced just like "Abby"|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071223123444/http://www.abisource.com/~abi/|archive-date=2007-12-23}}</ref>

AbiWord was originally started by SourceGear Corporation as the first part of a proposed AbiSuite but was adopted by open source developers after SourceGear changed its business focus and ceased development. It now runs on [[Linux]], [[ReactOS]], Solaris, [[AmigaOS]] 4.0 (through its [[Cygwin]] [[X Window System|X11]] engine), [[MeeGo]] (on the [[Nokia N9]] smartphone), [[Maemo]] (on the [[Nokia N810]]), [[QNX]] and other [[operating system]]s. Development of a version for [[Microsoft Windows]] has temporarily ended due to lack of maintainers (the latest released versions are 2.8.6 and 2.9.4 beta).<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.abisource.com/downloads/abiword/2.9.4/Windows/| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121209025000/http://www.abisource.com/downloads/abiword/2.9.4/Windows| archive-date = 2012-12-09| title = Index of /downloads/abiword/2.9.4/Windows}}</ref>

The [[macOS]] port has remained on version 2.4 since 2005,<ref>{{Cite web
 | last        = Franklin
 | first       = Francis James
 | title       = fjf's (Cocoa) AbiWord for Mac (MacOSX)
 | date        = 2005-09-11
 | url         = http://www.abisource.com/~fjf/
 | access-date  = 2010-05-22
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100605114752/http://www.abisource.com/~fjf/
 | archive-date = 5 June 2010}}</ref> although the current version does run non-natively on macOS through [[XQuartz]].

AbiWord is part of the AbiSource project which develops a number of [[office suite|office-related]] technologies.<ref name="abisource">{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.abisource.com/projects/
 |title        = AbiSource Projects
 |date         = 2011-09-22
 |publisher    = [[AbiSource]]
 |access-date  = 2011-09-22
 |archive-date = 2013-10-24
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20131024063217/http://www.abisource.com/projects/
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref>

==Features==
AbiWord supports both basic word processing features such as lists, indents and character formats, and more sophisticated features including tables, styles, page headers and footers, [[Note (typography)|footnotes]], templates, multiple views, page columns, [[spell checker|spell checking]], and [[grammar checker|grammar checking]].<ref name="grammar-check">{{cite web
 | url        = http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/10/15/1312216
 | title      = AbiWord beats OpenOffice to a Grammar Checker
 | date       = 2005-10-15
 | publisher  = [[Slashdot]]
 | quote      = The recently released AbiWord-2.4...is the first Free Word Processor to offer an integrated Grammar Checker
 | access-date = 2007-11-23}}</ref> The Presentation view of AbiWord, which permits easy display of presentations created in AbiWord on "screen-sized" pages, is another feature not often found in word processors.

===Interface===
AbiWord generally works similarly to classic versions (pre-Office 2007) of [[Microsoft Word]], as direct ease of migration was a high priority early goal. While many interface similarities remain, cloning the Word interface is no longer a top priority. The interface is intended to follow user interface guidelines for each respective platform.

===Collaboration===
AbiWord allows users to share and collaborate on documents in a similar manner to [[Google Docs]], using a system known as GOCollab.<ref>{{cite web
	| url = https://www.gnomejournal.org/article/31/gocollab----peer-to-peer-document-collaboration
	| title = GOCollab -- Peer to Peer Document Collaboration
	| date = 15 September 2005
	| website = The GNOME Journal
	| access-date = 21 February 2024
	| archive-date = 7 February 2006
	| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060207065538/https://www.gnomejournal.org/article/31/gocollab----peer-to-peer-document-collaboration
	| url-status = bot: unknown
	}}</ref> Users can collaborate using a varitety of different protocols including [[Transmission Control Protocol|TCP]] and [[XMPP]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Linutop news : Collaborative Editing with AbiWord|url=https://www.linutop.com/news/2009/02/09/collaborative-editing-with-abiword/|access-date=2024-02-21|website=www.linutop.com}}</ref> and formerly over AbiCollab.net, a web based service that facilitated collaboration between users.<ref>{{cite web
	| url = http://www.abisource.com/wiki/AbiCollab
	| title = AbiCollab
	| date = 14 February 2011
	| website = Abisource Wiki
	| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230307210304/http://www.abisource.com/wiki/AbiCollab
	| access-date = 21 February 2024 
| archive-date = 2023-03-07
	}}</ref>
===File formats===
AbiWord comes with several import and export filters providing partial support for such formats as [[HTML]], [[Microsoft Word]] (.doc), [[Office Open XML]] (.docx),<ref>{{cite web
 | url         = http://abisource.com/release-notes/2.6.0.phtml
 | title       = AbiWord v2.6.0 Released
 | publisher   = www.abisource.com
 | access-date  = 2008-03-24
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080401162119/http://abisource.com/release-notes/2.6.0.phtml
 | archive-date = 1 April 2008
 | url-status  = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 | url         = http://www.abisource.com/changelogs/2.6.5.phtml
 | title       = AbiWord v2.6.5 Changelog
 | publisher   = www.abisource.com
 | access-date  = 2008-12-19
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20081217104337/http://www.abisource.com/changelogs/2.6.5.phtml
 | archive-date = 17 December 2008
 | url-status  = live}}</ref> [[OpenDocument|OpenDocument Text]] (.odt),<ref name="abiword">{{cite web
 |url             =http://www.abisource.com/release-notes/2.4.2.phtml
 |title            =Abiword 2.4.2 Release Notes.
 |work            =abisource.com
 |access-date    =2009-03-03
 |archive-date    =15 June 2009
 |archive-url    =https://web.archive.org/web/20090615201450/http://www.abisource.com/release-notes/2.4.2.phtml
 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Rich Text Format]] (.rtf), and [[Plain text|text document]]s (.txt). [[LaTeX]] is supported for export only. Plug-in filters are available to deal with many other formats, notably [[WordPerfect]] documents. The native [[file format]], .abw, uses [[XML]], so as to mitigate [[vendor lock-in]] concerns with respect to interoperability and [[digital archiving]].

===Grammar checking===
The AbiWord project includes a US English-only grammar checking plugin using [[Link Grammar]]. AbiWord had grammar checking before any other open source word processor, although a grammar checker was later added to [[OpenOffice.org]].<ref name="grammar-check" /> Link Grammar is both a theory of syntax and an open source parser which is now developed by the AbiWord project.

== Version history ==
Version 0.1.0 made public, [[Source code|source]] only – August 21st, 1998, demoed at Open Source Developer Day.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1998-08-21 |title=AbiWord Source Code Now Available |url=https://news.slashdot.org/story/98/08/21/1042234/abiword-source-code-now-available |access-date=2025-02-12 |website=News Slashdot |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=1999-11-28 |title=Versions |url=http://www.abisource.com/dev_tarball.phtml |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/19991128101220/http://www.abisource.com/dev_tarball.phtml |archive-date=1999-11-28 |access-date=2025-02-12 |website=AbiSource}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1998-08-21 |title=Press Release: AbiSource announces development of fully-supported cross-platform word processor |url=http://www.abisource.com/pr_osdd.phtml |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/19990222062015/http://www.abisource.com/pr_osdd.phtml |archive-date=1999-02-22 |access-date=2025-02-12 |website=AbiSource}}</ref>

Version 0.7.0 – May 19th, 1999 – first binary release.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=1999-05-20 |title=AbiWord 0.7 release |url=https://news.slashdot.org/story/99/05/20/0244237/abiword-07-release |access-date=2025-02-12 |website=News Slashdot |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1999-05-19 |title=Press Release: AbiSource Ships AbiWord Preview Release 0.7 |url=http://abisource.com/pr_07.phtml |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/19990823205012/http://abisource.com/pr_07.phtml |archive-date=1999-08-23 |access-date=2025-02-12 |website=AbiSource}}</ref>

Version 1.0 – April 19th, 2002.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2002-05-26 |title=AbiWord |url=http://www2.abisource.com:80/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20020526070354/http://www2.abisource.com:80/ |archive-date=2002-05-26 |access-date=2025-02-12 |website=AbiSource}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2002-04-18 |title=abiword-dev Mailing List Archive: ANNOUNCE: RELEASE 1.0!!! |url=http://www.abisource.com/mailinglists/abiword-dev/02/Apr/0552.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20050219180319/http://www.abisource.com/mailinglists/abiword-dev/02/Apr/0552.html |archive-date=2005-02-19 |access-date=2025-02-12 |website=AbiSource}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
*[[List of free and open-source software packages]]
*[[List of word processors]]
* [[Comparison of word processors]]
* [[Office Open XML software]]
* [[OpenDocument software]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* {{Official website}}<!-- As of 91/16/2023 this server is offline, although the site can be seen at archive.org. The original hosting domain snt.utwente.nl does not have any mention of Abiword. I don't see the data elsewhere on line. Next step would be to find new page or contact domain owner to see if it is permanently dead. --> not working, {{Cite web
  | url=http://www.nl.abisource.com
  | title=official mirror
}}
* {{Cite web
  | url=http://abiworditalia.altervista.org/
  | title=Italian site of AbiWord
  | language=it}}
* {{cite web
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021116132342/http://www.salon.com/tech/col/leon/2002/11/15/abiword/index.html
  | archive-date=2002-11-16
  | url=http://www.salon.com/tech/col/leon/2002/11/15/abiword/index.html
  | last=Leonard
  | first=Andrew
  | title=Abiword Up &#124; History of the project and comparison with closed source development
  | website=Salon.com
  | date=November 15, 2002}}
* {{cite web
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517004142/http://www.redhatmagazine.com/2008/05/08/abiword-team-interview
  | archive-date=2008-05-17
  | url=http://www.redhatmagazine.com/2008/05/08/abiword-team-interview
  | title=Interview with Development team after 2.6 release}}
* {{cite web
|archive-url=
https://web.archive.org/web/20081212064733/http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/enterpriseapps/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212201932&pgno=5&queryText=&isPrev=
  | archive-date=2008-12-12
|url=http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/enterpriseapps/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212201932&pgno=5&queryText=&isPrev=
  | title=Review: Open-Source Office Suites Compared - AbiWord: A Small, Swift Word Processor}}

{{Word processors}}
{{GTK}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abiword}}
[[Category:1998 software]]
[[Category:Cross-platform free software]]
[[Category:Free software programmed in C++]]
[[Category:Free word processors]]
[[Category:Linux word processors]]
[[Category:MacOS word processors]]
[[Category:Office software that uses GTK]]
[[Category:Portable software]]
[[Category:Software using the GNU General Public License]]
[[Category:Windows word processors]]