Word processing software

What is the best for IMAC. I am used to word from PC but not sure if I should buy pages or Office for mac. What are the advantages of each? If I get pages can I send documents to people that do not use that program? Thanks for your suggestions.

You could always use the free Neo Office. Works with all document types. Has all the features of Word, etc. and is compatible with just about anything.

I have used open office but it has been having problems the past few months and just gets hung up. I think it was an Apple update that messed with it.
I have never tried Neo office, maybe I will try that.

The latest version of Open Office is now Mac Aqua desktop compatible. You no longer need to run X11.

However, in my opinion, if you're used to running Word it might be a good idea to purchase the Student - Teacher version of Mac Office 2008 which includes Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Entourage. Amazon has it for $109.72 and free shipping.

Amazon.com: Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Student and Teacher [OLD VERSION]: Macintosh: Software

Regards.

Office 2008 is the go particularly if your iMac is an Intel model, the avatar does not say. Also if you are at college or university, some lecturers may only accept work submitted in Office format.

Well, except that Office 2008 is not exactly like Office 2007; there will still be a slight learning curve. And if the OP wants VBA, then Office 2008 is out - VBA not supported.

I have been using NeoOffice for some time (based on OO 2.4, but in January will be based on OO 3.0) and it is very solid, and is crafted to be Mac-like. I have also used OO 3.0 since it was in private beta, and I have never had a problem with it. A few Mac issues (not correct alignment display support), but overall a usable program

And yes, I worked at a Fortune 50 company as an analyst for 8 years (until early this year), so I know what can be done on the Windows side for MS Office.