Comparing non-MS Word office software (602 Text, Sun, etc.)

Hi!

I would like to stop using MS Word. Mine has been crashing and closing down and it's not a great program in the first place, IMO.

Any suggestions (satisfied users) for freeware or shareware word processing and office software suites (Presentation, spreadsheet, tables)?

I have both 602 Text and Open Office (Sun) loaded to translate documents others send me, but would appreciate advice on what others here like. It's a pain to change all my documents and I'd like to start with a good one.

What's out there that seems most elegant? I liked MacWrite Pro 10 years ago (Ami Pro?) (Claris?). I remember both 602 Text and Open Office (and Word) having problems with deleting too much when editing a document because the highlighter grabbed adjacent words.

I am concerned about:

1. Smoothness of use (not jerky when you type, highlighter not grabbing, not getting pushy about formats it has chosen, good thesaurus, etc.)
2. Ease of opening by MS Word receivers.
3. Features (add table, editing/changes shown, color, etc.)
4. Dependability (minimum crashing)

Thanks for any advice.

Sally