Scan & Fix 100 registry errors freeCNET Editors' review
Bean is a free, compact, easy-to-use text editor that occupies the middle ground between bare-bones apps like TextEdit and more full-featured (and more expensive) word processors.
Bean launches quickly and uses minimal resources, while giving you access to rich features such as live word count, tabbed documents, templates for boilerplate and automatic dates, page layout settings and in-line graphics, dictionary integration, word completion, plenty of import and export options, a search panel that can handle regular expressions, and an Inspector panel for making tweaks to text, format, and spacing.
Bean can't handle some specialized tasks, like footnotes and predefined styles, but this open-source editor gives you a lot of functionality at no cost--in a well-designed, pleasant-to-use interface, including optional split-screen editing and a two-up layout view.
Anyone looking to get a little more out of a free word processor with strong basic features and some extras should give Bean a try.
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 TextEdit 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: Changes: fixed a problem where invisibles could print; fixed a problem where the help file would fail to open.
Beta release. All new code; unstable.
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All versions:
4.2 starsout of 81 votes
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Current version:
3.2 starsout of 8 votes
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My rating:
Write review
Results 1-8 of 8
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"I quit Bean after one try"
Version: Bean 2.9.3
Pros
Didn't see any.
Cons
The damn program won't let me block indent my graphs. It FORCES the first line to be indented. I tried to find a way around this, but gave up after several tries failed.
Summary
If you don't mind being forced to format paragraphs the way they want you to, this might work.
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"How to Adjust imported graphic size?"
Version: Bean 2.9.3
Pros
Importing graphic/photo is easy.
Cons
Don't know how to adjust the size of the imported image.
Summary
Wonder if any graphic manipulation available?
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"A clean, lean, wonderfully uncluttered machine!"
Version: Bean 2.9.3
Pros
Uses the Mac's Fonts file; easy to import graphic files; clean, simple interface.
Cons
I haven't found any yet.
Summary
Others may be better able to compare the pros and cons of Bean versus TextWrangler, BBEdit Lite and other free word processors, but I have found Bean to be everything I need in a simple, easy-to-use app.
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"very easy to use"
Version: Bean 2.9.3
Pros
not so complicated then Microsoft Office
Cons
nothing so far
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"This is a Beta version->may crash; cause data loss"
Version: Bean 2.9.3
Pros
As much as I like previous versions of Bean this (version 2.9.3) is a complete rewrite of Bean and is still beta. I do not want to risk crashes and possible data loss.
I love Bean and will install this version when it is no longer beta.Cons
None, except the fact that I was not warned this version of Bean was a beta release.
Summary
I like Bean and only rated this version 2 stars for the fact that it is a beta release and we should have been told this fact.
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"Great application!"
Version: Bean 2.9.3
Pros
Low resource but comprehensive word processor - just enough features to make it extremely useful!
Cons
Noe so far.
Summary
I recommend this to anyone!
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"Won't create or edit .txt files"
Version: Bean 2.9.3
Pros
Didn't get far enough into it to find any.
Cons
I use text files for to communicate from my Mac automatically with Elements on my iPhone, which requires .txt, .markdown, .md, .mdown, and .mdwn file types. Bean doesn't support any of these. Back to TextWrangler and TextEdit.
Summary
Installed it, created a file, tried to save it as a .txt file, couldn't, uninstalled it. Regardless of how elegant the UI may be, suitability to task is zero. It seems very strange that a text editor won't edit .txt files.
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"Excellent word processor"
Version: Bean 2.9.3
Pros
No fuss, minimlistic, Free of licence
Cons
None so far
Summary
great App for word processing, very useful to students and day to day matters.
Results 1-8 of 8
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