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The term Nisus derives from Latin and means "to strive." Nisus Writer Express 2.1 (NWE) strives to pose a formidable challenge to Apple's AppleWorks and other non-Microsoft word processors. NWE is slick, fast, functional and very affordable. Its friendly interface lets users write, re-write and print text very easily. Outfitted with an intuitive customizable toolbar of familiar task buttons (Print, Cut, Copy, Insert Table, etc.), a Tooldrawer palette that organizes common program functions in logical groupings for easy access, plus the usual Menu Bar with an assortment of File, Edit and other menus, new users can quickly master program options. It even boasts a few features that other word processors lack. For example, it can save files in PDF format, supports bidirectional text entry from right to left and if you type Command-Option, it displays context-sensitive spelling choices in a pop-up menu called a "menuoid" (although this didn't always work).
NWE crashed only once in our use (when trying to insert a large graphic in a table cell). NWE opens most Microsoft Word (.doc) documents without mishap, preserving typeface and type style formatting in translation, but not text boxes. It does better with AppleWorks and Word documents saved as RTF. When NWE saves, it offers a choice of several formats including Microsoft Word RTF, PDF, HTML, WordPerfect, AbiWord, Nisus Perl Macro and Nisus Macro.
The program's Tooldrawer is its productivity tour de force. Like the Formatting Palette in Word, NWE places tools you're most likely to use in grouped palettes for easy access. You can choose from a menu of four palette groups at the top of the Tooldrawer, each one providing access to group-related functions: Writing (styles, thesaurus, characters, paragraphs and document stats), Formatting (character, paragraph, borders, shading and styles), Sections (margins and columns) and Tables (table, styles, character, table cells, borders and shading). The Tooldrawer has a very intuitive layout. It's also anchored either to the left or right side of your document (you choose) so it never gets in the way. This is unlike Word's Formatting Palette, which you must constantly move to avoid masking sections of the currently open document.
Another powerful NWE feature is its table design tool. When you select the Insert Table toolbar button, you can point, click and drag to create a variety of tables, each with its own style. Once you insert a table, it's simple to select the Tables palette group and modify table settings by adjusting borders, shading, cell alignment and more. In addition to tables, NWE supports style sheets, endnotes and footnotes, columns, Perlscript language macros, AppleScript, word count and document statistics.
Several glitches and/or oversights we encountered dampened NWE's luster. QuickFix options do not capitalize a lowercase letter mistakenly typed as the first letter in a sentence; there's no command to send the currently open document as an email attachment; NWE lacks a vertical ruler for precise page layout; there's no Grammar checker (so the program doesn't identify a word you've mistakenly typed twice, etc.); template support is limited to just one document; the program has no clip art library; it does not support Word Wrap around graphics, nor does it offer an image preview; and finally, there is no PDF version of its Help manual.
Given these limitations, would we swap Microsoft Word for Nisus Writer Express? No. On the other hand, NWE is still an elegant and functional productivity tool with a lot to offer. With a bit of fine-tuning and a few additional features, it could be the word processing David to slay the Microsoft Word Goliath.
-CAROL S. HOLZBERG, PHD
NISUS WRITER EXPRESS 2.1: 
Nisus Software Inc. | www.nisus.com | 800-890-3030 | $70 CD; $60 download
Pros: Powerful Tooldrawer anchors to left or right side of document so that it never masks document text, capable Table tool with easily selected table styles, affordable.
Cons: Several bugs, Font menu does not display typeface choices in a WYSIWYG list, no vertical ruler, no PDF version of the user manual, no word wrap, no image preview, no clip art.
Requires: G3 or better, OS 10.2 or higher
macHOME recommends: OS 10.3.x
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