Release of Atlantis 1.6.5.12

Atlantis Word Processor 1.6.5.12 has been released.

This version of Atlantis Word Processor includes a number of minor fixes and improvements. It also introduces integration with the Hunspell spellcheck engine. Click here for details.

There are multiple ways to upgrade your copy of Atlantis Word Processor to the latest version.

If you do not have Atlantis Word Processor on your computer yet, you can install this new version of Atlantis by running the latest setup file of Atlantis. Click here to download it.

Release of Atlantis 1.6.5.10

Atlantis Word Processor 1.6.5.10 has been released.

This version of Atlantis Word Processor is a minor release with improvements to the "Save as eBook" command. Click here for details.

There are multiple ways to upgrade your copy of Atlantis Word Processor to the latest version.

If you do not have Atlantis Word Processor on your computer yet, you can install this new version of Atlantis by running the latest setup file of Atlantis. Click here to download it.

Release of Atlantis 1.6.5.9

Atlantis Word Processor 1.6.5.9 has been released.

This version of Atlantis Word Processor is a minor release with a number of changes and improvements to the "Save as eBook" command. Click here for details.

There are multiple ways to upgrade your copy of Atlantis Word Processor to the latest version.

If you do not have Atlantis Word Processor on your computer yet, you can install this new version of Atlantis by running the latest setup file of Atlantis. Click here to download it.

Is it time to dump Windows XP?

Here is from a Cloudeight Newsletter:

Jen wants to know if it's time for her to dump Windows XP:

Hi! I love your newsletters. I bought my Windows XP computer in 2003 and other than putting in a new hard drive I haven't had any problems with it. But I know my computer is getting old and I'd like your opinion on whether you think now is good time to buy a new Windows 7 computer or should I wait for Windows 8 to come out? I'm sure there are others like me who are wondering the same thing.

Our answer:

This is a personal choice. Windows 8 Release Preview just came out yesterday -- so it looks like Microsoft is on track to release Windows 8 to the public in October (2012). They've announced that anyone who buys a Windows 7 computer this summer will be able to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for just $14.95. If you wait until late August when manufacturers are dumping their Windows 7 machines and building new Windows 8 machines for the October market -- you'll get big discounts on brand new Windows 7 computers and a coupon that will allow you to upgrade it to the best version of Windows 8 (Pro) for $14.95. Keep that in mind.

Now for the other side of the coin. Here are some reasons you might want to stay with Windows XP:

1. You will still have free support! Microsoft will support Windows XP until April 2014. The reason they have to do this is because of the netbook craze. Microsoft was caught by surprise when netbook sales soared and Windows Vista wouldn't work on netbooks because it's too resource hungry. Microsoft had to retreat and re-release Windows XP because it was all they had that would run on netbooks. Netbook sales were excellent in 2009 even in a slumping economy. Netbook sales have plummeted though -- tablets have stolen their thunder.

Since many of netbooks sold came with Windows XP, Microsoft, by policy, was obligated to provide support for XP for 5 more years. Hence, anyone who's using Windows XP will continue to get updates, security patches and service packs until April 2014. So although XP might be old it's still a fully-supported operating system.

2. All your programs will keep running: You don't have to worry about program incompatibilities. What runs on Windows Vista will (normally) run on Windows 7, but that's not true of Windows XP. Programs that run well on XP may not run well, or at all, on Windows 7. Plus, those of you using XP have one of the best all-around email programs ever made: Outlook Express. You won't have to deal with "Windows Live Mail" unless you're a masochist and decide to install it on your XP computer.

3.You won't have to learn a new operating system. There's a steeper learning curve jumping from Windows XP to Windows 7 than from Windows Vista to Windows 7. Sticking with XP means you won't have to spend your time getting used to a different operating system.

4.You'll save money: Microsoft makes billions of dollars without being innovative. Windows is Windows and both Vista and Windows 7 could have just as easily been updates to Windows XP - but Microsoft can't charge you $120 for an update, nor can it sell updates to PC makers. Microsoft once was an innovator and a leader, but those days are gone. Microsoft hasn't released anything really new in years. Microsoft is still a money-mill though. Microsoft knows how to make money, that's what they do best. If you like Windows XP, save your money.

5. Does your XP computer do what you want it to do? If your XP computer does everything you want it to do with a minimum of fuss or aggravation then stick with it. By the time Microsoft support for XP expires, Microsoft will be working on "Windows 9" - meaning you'll have saved money by not upgrading to Windows 7 and then to Windows 8. By the time support for Windows XP ends, your computer will be as old as some of those characters in the Bible and you'll be ready for a brand new computer -- maybe with Windows 9 on it. If not, then Windows 8 will have most of the bugs worked out of it by 2014....we hope.

For those of you who want to upgrade, it's all good. We could give you some good reasons to upgrade too. But if you're a Windows XP user who's satisfied, keep on keeping on - there is still much to be said for the last really innovative operating system Microsoft ever produced. It's true, Windows Vista & Windows 7 are not innovative, they're just evolutions of Windows XP. Windows 8 is an innovative operating system -- but it may be a little too innovative for many peoples' tastes.

Release of Atlantis 1.6.5.9 (beta)

Atlantis Word Processor 1.6.5.9 is now available for betatesting.

It is a minor release with an improvement to the Save as eBook feature.

You can find details on this new version of Atlantis on the Betatesting page.

Release of Atlantis 1.6.5.8

Atlantis Word Processor 1.6.5.8 has been released.

This version of Atlantis Word Processor is a minor release with a number of important adjustments and improvements. Click here for details.

There are multiple ways to upgrade your copy of Atlantis Word Processor to the latest version.

If you do not have Atlantis Word Processor on your computer yet, you can install this new version of Atlantis by running the latest setup file of Atlantis. Click here to download it.

Release of Atlantis 1.6.5.8 (beta)

Atlantis Word Processor 1.6.5.8 is now available for betatesting.

This version of Atlantis has a number of important adjustments and improvements.

You can find details on this new version of Atlantis on the Betatesting page.

Release of Atlantis 1.6.5.6

Atlantis Word Processor 1.6.5.6 has been released.

This version of Atlantis Word Processor is a micro-update with critical bug fixes to the "Open DOCX" module of Atlantis. Click here for details.

There are multiple ways to upgrade your copy of Atlantis Word Processor to the latest version.

If you do not have Atlantis Word Processor on your computer yet, you can install this new version of Atlantis by running the latest setup file of Atlantis. Click here to download it.

Terminating support for the U3 platform

As previously announced, the U3 technology is no longer supported in Atlantis. Starting from the release of Atlantis 1.6.5.5, there will be no more updates to the U3-smart version of Atlantis Word Processor. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Note that even so, you'll still be able to install the standard version of Atlantis Word Processor on any memory flash drive, and use it from there.

Release of Atlantis 1.6.5.5

Atlantis Word Processor 1.6.5.5 has been released.

This version of Atlantis Word Processor is a maintenance release with bug fixes and minor improvements. Click here for details.

There are multiple ways to upgrade your copy of Atlantis Word Processor to the latest version.

If you do not have Atlantis Word Processor on your computer yet, you can install this new version of Atlantis by running the latest setup file of Atlantis. Click here to download it.

Micro-updates

We are announcing a change to the way fixes and other minor changes to Atlantis Word Processor get delivered to our users. Previously all the fixes and minor changes had to wait for the next beta version of Atlantis, and then after a period of betatesting, were released as a part of a new public version of Atlantis. As a result, you sometimes had to wait for weeks, maybe months to see a problem fixed.

From now on, there will be no more waiting. A minor update will be released publicly as soon as a problem is encountered and fixed, or a new minor feature is implemented in Atlantis. In this way, fixes will be available within days, sometimes even within hours of being reported, simply by updating your copy of Atlantis in any available way.

Note that the "bigger" changes and features introduced in Atlantis will still be released as beta versions for testing before proper official release.

Celebrating 10 years of Atlantis Word Processor!

Ten years ago, February 25 2001, Atlantis Word Processor 1.0 was released.

We want to thank everyone who has helped us along the way – our users and our betatesters, those who are with us since the beginning and those who only recently joined the Atlantis community. We want to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. Without you we would not be where we are now.

We are celebrating the 10th anniversary with a discount on the Atlantis registration fee.
If you have not registered your copy of Atlantis yet, you can now do this with a $10 discount. The reduced price will be available until the end of February 2011.
So hurry up to register your copy of Atlantis Word Processor.

Release of Atlantis 1.6.5.4

Atlantis Word Processor 1.6.5.4 is available as a public release.

This version of Atlantis introduces a new Navigation tool. It also includes a number of important fixes and improvements. Click here for details.

There are multiple ways to upgrade your copy of Atlantis Word Processor to the latest version.

If you do not have Atlantis Word Processor on your computer yet, you can install this new version of Atlantis by running the latest setup file of Atlantis. Click here to download it.

Adding phrases to the spellchecker dictionary

Most spellcheckers do a reasonably good job of detecting individual misspellings. But when it comes to checking full phrases, spellcheckers do not perform so well, including those found in top-end word processors.

Let's take a real life example.

Let's suppose that you regularly use popular Latin proverbs like "corruptio optimi pessima" (this is a Latin phrase meaning "the corruption of the best is the worst"). If you type this phrase in Atlantis, the spellchecker will red-underline all three words separately:


This is because none of them is present in the Atlantis spellchecker dictionary.

Now if you regularly insert this proverb in your texts, you won't like to see it systematically flagged as a misspelling. You have two ways to go about this.

The first solution will work with any spellchecker (including that of Atlantis). You simply add all the individual words from the phrase to the spellchecker dictionary ("corruptio", "optimi", and "pessima" in our example). In Atlantis, this is done by right-clicking the red-underlined words one after the other, and choosing "Add to Dictionary" from the context menu:


When all three words have been added, Atlantis will not report "corruptio optimi pessima" as a misspelling.

But there are drawbacks to this method. All the words that you add to the dictionary ("corruptio", "optimi", and "pessima" in our example) are treated by the Atlantis spellchecker as proper single words. They are not reported as misspelt if you use them separately. This can have undesirable consequences: if you mistype "corruption" as "corruptio", it might very well be a typo, but the Atlantis spellchecker will not notice because both "corruption" and "corruptio" are now in the spellchecker dictionary. And there is even worse. Atlantis might very well suggest any of these Latin words as possible replacements for misspellings that you make. These suggestions will probably be inappropriate most of the time.

So Atlantis offers you a much better solution with none of the above drawbacks. Instead of adding each word making up a phrase, —one after the other—, you can add the entire phrase to the Atlantis spellchecker dictionary at one go: simply right-click the first of the red-underlined words, and choose "Edit Dictionary..." from the context menu:


Then type or paste the phrase in the "Words" edit box:


Click "Add". "OK" out of the dialog.

From then on, Atlantis will not report the phrase "corruptio optimi pessima" as a misspelling. However, if you type any of these components separately (either "corruptio", or "optimi", or "pessima"), each will be reported as a possible misspelling (they will be red-underlined).

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