When was the last time you used Windows built-in WordPad to edit a rich text document? Frankly, I don’t even remember. It’s one of the dead programs to me that I have probably only used a few times in my life.
But now the guys in Microsoft has decided to give the ancient WordPad a new life in Windows 7, a revamped version that has a new good looking face with a new stronger heart.
Office-like Ribbon in WordPad
Having Ribbon in WordPad not only makes WordPad look sexier, but also helps to its functionality. WordPad has added a lot editing features that makes it like a true small but working document editing tool.
A lot more standards support
You read it all right. It’s the better standard support that gives the new WordPad a new stronger heart. It’s not a program that can only open plain text and rich text document any more. More, it can now read and write both files that are:
- Word 2007-compatible Office Open XML, aka .docx format.
- OpenDocument format, aka .odt format, used in Open Office.
To previous MS-Word format files, you can open them in WordPad but without any formatting.
It’s definitely a lot better, and more convenience to all end users in Windows 7. But if you are a heavy word user, you will still need other programs like MS-Word, or Open Office.