CNET Editors' review
Sometimes going through the trouble of loading up OpenOffice or iWork just to get some thoughts down on digital paper is an ordeal. Bean is a simple word processing app which lets you get to work right away and offers plenty of useful features. It has a live word count option and you can control the margins. Bean also can export to .DOC format for Word compatibility. Though it isn't a replacement for Word (no customized headers and footers or pre-defined text styles), it does fill the need for a quick and uncluttered writing tool with modest features which is easy to launch quickly. If you're looking for something more than Mac OS X's Text Edit, but want to stay away from the slow loading big office suites, check out Bean.Publisher's Description
From Bean:
Bean is lean, fast, and uncluttered. If you get depressed at the thought of firing up MS Word or OpenOffice, try Bean.
If you use Text Edit but have to jump through hoops just to get a word count or change the margins, try Bean.
If you desire a simple, beautiful writing environment, try Bean.
Bean is a small, easy-to-use word processor that includes:
- a live word count
- a Get Info panel for in-depth statistics
- a zoom-slider to easily change the view scale
- an Inspector panel with lots of sliders
- date-stamped backups
- autosaving
- a page layout mode
- an alternate colors option (e.g., white text on blue)
- an option to show invisible characters (tabs, returns, spaces)
- selection of text by text style, paragraph style, color, etc.
- a floating windows option (like Stickies has)
- easy to use menus
- remembers cursor postion (excluding .txt, .html, .webarchive formats)
- all of Cocoa's good stuff (dictionary, word completion, etc.)
What's new in this version:
- new and improved method for screening out Leopard’s unnecessary screen updates - should eliminate the last traces of slowness due to this reason
- backed away from paginating in the background as version 0.9.10 did; we now paginate while opening the document (slower to open, but more responsive once opened)
- new 512 x 512 icon, courtesy Laurent Baumann -- thank you again, Laurent! (you can see the improvement in detail using coverflow under Leopard)
- some twea... See all new features
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All versions:
4.2 starsout of 81 votes
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Current version:
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"flick it ;-)"
Version: Bean 3.0.9
Pros
I switched from TextEdit because I'd had finally enough of Lion's save issues and ridiculous headache-inducing glitchy zoomy animation when opening a file. I'm so glad I did.
Love the tabs but also that you can still have separate windows.
Love the fact that you have some white space at the bottom of the document so that you're not writing up against the bottom of the screen.
Love the full screen option, great for beating procrastination.
Adore the simple, no-fuss word and character count.
View options - excellent.
Love the easy zoom change so I can have things at 12 point as required, but can use zoom to make viewing easier on my small screen.Cons
I have to work out how to get a new document to show how I want it (have changed the prefs?) but that's probably me not Bean.
Summary
It's just the little things that make Bean so great for writing reams of text — I don't care about formatting, I want it down in a simple no-clutter way, and this just works, intuitively and very fast.
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"Really Great and Efficient Productivity Application"
Version: Bean 3.0.9
Pros
Free, Really fast, Full Screen Mode (no distractions), most formatting is available
Cons
- Not COMPLETELY compatible with formatting in full-fledged word processors such as Word, LibreOffice (OpenOffice)
- Some formatting features are cumbersome to accessSummary
Bean is a great productivity application. If you do note taking, write essays, or write anything that doesn't require a HUGE amounts of formatting, then Bean is a great option! It's not the most compatible word processor on the planet, but its one of the fastest! Opens in no time. Overall, it is a great, lite word processor. NOTE: use the "inspector" if you want easier access to formatting
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"Great Product"
Version: Bean 3.0.9
Pros
Works flawless all the time
Cons
None to report
Summary
Thanks for a Great program!
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"So far, does everything I've asked it it to do!"
Version: Bean 3.0.9
Pros
Easy formatting
Cons
Nothing so far
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"Best word processor"
Version: Bean 3.0.9
Pros
GUI is much better than any other word processor, lots of functions.
Cons
I have no cons.
Summary
The aplication is just what i need and it works smart and fast. Strongly recommended.
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"compact,easy to use"
Version: Bean 3.0.7
Pros
Ease of use
Cons
Did not find any
Summary
Great choice
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"For free it is one of the best."
Version: Bean 3.0.7
Pros
Does exactly what you want it to do.
Cons
Latest version 3.0.7 seems to have it all working. No problems yet.
Summary
Not quite as sophisticated as some more expensive word processing apps. but for FREE it is one of the best for the Mac. It is streets ahead of TextEdit. It will do me. AAAA
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"Does its job quite well ..."
Version: Bean 3.0.6
Pros
Zippy and neat; does its job very well.
Saves as ... a good variety of doc types.Cons
Has a strange printing quirk for me ... the bottom line of a page only gets half or less recognised.
May be to do with bottom margin.
I use a Samsung CLX-3175 mf printer.Summary
Zippy, clean and able to clean up other docs.
I use it for quick work on smaller docs .... does it have a limit on the number of pages one can post into it?
Columns and pagination would be nice but I guess that is for the big (expensive) boys. I really like Bean and am grateful to the kind souls who have supplied it. -
"Never had a problem w/this one."
Version: Bean 3.0.6
Pros
It has opened documents that others wouldn't or couldn't. It's never overly loaded w/application buttons
Cons
The application buttons could be enhanced somewhat so the user can better manage his/her work. It's a great work environment, and stands up to the best w/few to no crashes for me using Tiger on my iBook.
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"Could not save linked-text in a pdf file"
Version: Bean 3.0.4
Pros
Simple and clean interface
Cons
Tried over and over to save a linked bit of text as a live link in a pdf document. It would not let me do this. With three columns, it would not save format into a .doc or .rtf format. Frustrating...
Summary
Went back to using Word for a newsletter, since I could not save the live links into a useful format.
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