After a brief stint with LM17.3, I upgraded to LM18. I now need a very simple word processor. I've looked at Libre and Calligra, but they are both swatting a fly with a sledge hammer. I want to create a text file and be able to print it, if necessary. Since I have a laptop, having the files appear in just one window would be really nice. Is there any such thing?

Abiword.

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If it's just a text file, why not use a text editor, such as gedit or leafpad or kate or whichever one came with your flavor of Mint? Most of them offer an option for tabs and sometimes split windows, or you could run two interations side-by-side.

Otherwise, you might take a look at Abiword. It should be in the repos.

I did look at the text editors, gedit does allow for side panel, couldn't convince it to save a file. ?? Neither Leafpad nor Kate has an option for more than one file in the same window that I could find. Just checked Abiword, that's a possibility, but still somewhat of an overkill. Some days I have as many as 15 files open and that's kind of crowded. So,I was hoping for a Plan B. If there's no such thing, I don't have a Plan C. Yet anyway.

Rather then gedit, LM 18 should use xed.

Ctrl+s or File -> Save As?

It permits multiple tabs, let's you print and is very simple.

Which is it you want - a word processor (with formatting) or a text editor (without formatting)?

Scrivner?

What I need is something between wp and te--leaning more towards the te. This is probably a 'cake and eat it too' issue. I've tried all the wp I could find and I don't think they are going to work, way too fancy. The te all start a separate window and this morning I had 11 windows and all of them had about 2 paragraphs in them. Very awkward to be constantly switching between them.

Couldn't find Scrivner.

I'm not sure what your problem is, since you don't have to sue fancy features! But if you want a very basic, old-school (old fogey?) wp, you could try Ted
http://nllgg.nl/Ted/
or look here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compari...ord_processors

maybe op wants one of those "distraction free" writing apps?
https://alternativeto.net/software/scrivener/

What WP features do you require in your perfect application?

Four months ago, a Win update turned my desktop into a 10# doorstop. Luckily enough, I had been looking at Linux and had an ISO of LM17.2. I had to run that out of the hard drive in order to salvage some of my files off the tower. So, took a leap of faith, bought a laptop, switched to LM and now I’m trying to learn how to use it. After my Win experience, I wanted to keep everything as simple and efficient as possible. Emphasis on the simple. I’m just doing some basic stuff so, trying to stay from elaborate software that takes forever to learn how to use. Plus, limited opportunities for me to get in trouble, screw something up or cause problems I can’t fix.

In a perfect world, the only thing I need is the ability to use one window for multiple files, rather like a browser. Real estate shortage on a laptop. And the usual cut, paste, print etc, but no graphics. A text editor would probably work, if I could get around the open window problem.

'old-school (old fogey?)'--I'm going with George Burns on that. "Age is a matter of mind: if you don't mind, it won't matter".

Kate offers a split view.

I played around with it just a little up to the point that I had three windows showing. You select the contents of a view by clicking on the corresponding item in the document list in the sidebar.

See here: http://www.pineviewfarm.net/weblog/w...split_view.jpg

Here's another view: http://www.pineviewfarm.net/weblog/w...plit_view1.jpg

Other text editors may also, but this indicates that what you are looking for may be doable.

(I'm posting links because I've used up all my allowed LQ "attachments.")

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I'm with frankbell on this one; if you want a side panel with several documents in it, use Kate. It does exactly that. It has several "fancy" features, but it also acts as a basic no-frills text editor if that's what you want it to be.

I may as well mention the application that changed my world: GNU Emacs. You can open several documents at once, you can even open a file manager in it (think Midnight Commander, sort of), a shell, you can split the screen into several parts, you can extend it and find all sorts of tweaks and hacks that can make it do whatever you want it to do. There is, of course, a learning curve to wield such power :-)