Favored Freeware: OpenOffice.org
OpenOffice.org is a multiplatform and multilingual office suite and an open-source project. Compatible with all other major office suites, the product is free to download, use, and distribute.
Pros: OpenOffice.org is a free and easy-to-use alternative to most commercial office suites, including (but not limited to) Microsoft Office. OpenOffice.org is a cross-platform application for Mac, Windows, Linux, Solaris, and FreeBSD.
Cons: OpenOffice.org for Mac OS X requires the use of Apple’s X11.app window system.
Note: NeoOffice is a Mac-only build of OpenOffice.org that runs natively, supporting such native features as fonts and printing, under Mac OS X.
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Well, gosh. No significant cons? I guess. But I have to say it’s really slow. And big. Not that it’s much worse than the paid alternative, and that it’s OSS makes up for the speed problems.
I suppose there aren’t many cross platform choices for most of the programs covered by OO.org. However, for word processing, I find that Abiword is simply awesome. And, I should mention, it already has a native OS X port.
Well, I have never had any speed issues with OpenOffice.org, and I can justify the large file size by the simple fact that you can’t make an office suite any smaller.
I chose OpenOffice.org over AbiWord because it was a full office suite rather than just a word processor, but thank you for posting a link to it. I’m sure that other readers might find it useful if they don’t want the full office suite.