Hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst

[David Sharp]

We're all hoping that someone is going to step up to ensure that Nisus goes on functioning and developing; its loss would be a disaster.

In recent days, since I upgraded to Sonoma 15.5, I've already been experiencing a few minor glitches with it, but right now I just don't have the time to do the work required to choose an alternative, and probably won't do so unless I absolutely have to.

Whence this question: are there any precautions that should be taken now to ensure that my collection of .RTF files can be adapted to whatever other word processing program I end up adopting?

More specifically, should I start systematically exporting my most important files to other formats each time I save them? If so, which ones?

Any advice gratefully received.

[Elbrecht]

Hi David –

looks like we will see what we will see – next time. As "jeap" wrote on "Blank Page/Contingency" on March 29th:

"By the way, “whois nisus.com” tells that the domain will expire on 2025-07-07. It was last updated on 2024-06-17, so I guess we will know a few weeks prior to the expiry date if it gets updated again."

I guess there will be no update – any "Info Point" to stay in tune then?
There used to be a straight forum long time ago, I remember –
but who is out there to run one again???

Still on High Sierra
Elbrecht

[phspaelti]

Like all I'm worried about this situation as well.

To answer David's question: I think RTF should be okay. It's basically a Microsoft standard that was "set free" some time ago in favor of docx. But Word and other programs open it fine. Word preserves most of the features, as far as I can tell.

[Bob Stern]

If Nisus abandons NWP and future versions of MacOS create incompatibilities, you have at least two alternatives:

(1) If your documents are saved as RTF rather than ZRTF, Nisus RTF documents can be opened by most word processors, including Microsoft Word, Mellel, Apple Pages and Libre Office. Before I retired from law, I sent Nisus RTF files to colleagues who used Microsoft Word in Windows, and they did not even notice that they were not native Microsoft Word documents. However, some features may not translate correctly, such as multi-level automatic numbers, complex formatting, and graphics.

(2) Virtualization software on your Mac would allow you to run NWP inside a "virtual machine" that runs a compatible version of MacOS (e.g., Sequoia or earlier). If you have an Apple Silicon (M1...M4) Mac, a free virtualization program is Viable from Eclectic Light Co. Viable supports shared clipboards and shared folders between the virtualized Mac and your "real" Mac.
https://eclecticlight.co/virtualisation ... e-silicon/

[jeab]

Most of us have probably noticed that after the period of instability, the forum and the Nisus site have been stable for for several weeks now. But this is of course no guarantee for anyting. If the domain still expires in July, where can we meet instead?

We do not know what has happened at Nisus, but obviously, we are quite worried both about the persons there and about Nisus Writer Pro. As David puts it, it would be a disaster if we lose Nisus. (In addition, some of us are also happy users of other Nisus software.) Some have tried to contact Nisus, some have tried to contact Martin, but noone has reported about any replies as far as I have seen. If other attempts fail, would anyone be in the position — and would it even be appropriate — to write an analogue letter to Nisus expressing our kind concerns and hopes? The application and its code must not be allowed to disappear. [Edit June 1, 2025: Less than a day after I wrote this, another thread informs that there may be hope to keep Nisus alive.]

David, may I ask which minor glitches you have experienced after upgrading to 15.5?

[David Sharp]

Thanks for those tips.

Jeab wrote: David, may I ask which minor glitches you have experienced after upgrading to 15.5?

The minor glitches I have had recently were when "Nisus quit unexpectedly" twice in the space of a few minute. Unusual with NWP in my experience, but I've no idea what may have caused it.

[tedg]

On my machine, Nisus is rock solid and basically always has been.

If it ever came to running an older version of NW in a VM, I'd explore System 9 and NW Classic.

[capvideo]

On my machine, Nisus is rock solid and basically always has been.

If it ever came to running an older version of NW in a VM, I'd explore System 9 and NW Classic.

To clarify, by “my machine”, do you mean a Mac running 15.5?

[tedg]

https://www.macworld.com/article/151135 ... lator.html

Yes. I have not tried this System 9 emulator on my M3 MacBook.

[tedg]

Sorry. I misread the question.

15.3.1 M3 MacBook nov 23

nw 3.4.1 18 hours a day. dozens of documents

[capvideo]

15.3.1 M3 MacBook nov 23

Thanks. I’m using 15.4.1 without problem. But David was noticing problems with 15.5, which I haven’t upgraded to yet.

[jeab]

"whois nisus.com" reports that the domain registration was updated a couple of days ago, and that the new expiration date is 2026-07-07.

[MacSailor]

"whois nisus.com" reports that the domain registration was updated a couple of days ago, and that the new expiration date is 2026-07-07.

Good news!

[Amontillado]

It would be reassuring to know that was from human action and not an automatic renewal. Any communication from Nisus would be reassuring.