RagTime is a scientific, technical and business desktop publishing computer program. The software combines spreadsheet features with word processing and embedded multimedia.

In practice, this allows the user to create publication-ready documents that unite many capabilities within a single page, such as multilingual word processing, spreadsheets, graphics, databases, and programmable objects. In many institutions it is the standard program for report editing and publishing.

The present (January 2007) version for Mac OS and Windows is 6.0.1. Besides the aforementioned, recent versions include capabilities for making fully programmable dynamic presentations, HTML publishing, video and sound filing and editing (limited), and the possibility of handling DWG files (Autocad). RagTime also supports behaviors through plugins. For example, geo-referenced map rendering is supported using a plug-in developed by a third party that reads and transforms DXF and SHAPE files and articulates them to data in a spreadsheet, that also resides within the document.

History and Use

In 1984, RagTime was initially developed by German software company B und E Software GmbH for Apple Macintosh computers. Subsequent versions for Windows-operated machines were released beginning in 1998.

While successful in Europe from its inception, the program is known but less widely used in the United States and the Americas. Potential barriers to acceptance for RagTime might include its unusual genre, perceived as a spreadsheet/desktop publishing hybrid, or the daunting feature set and its correspondingly demanding learning curve.

RagTime developers offer a fully functional version of the program that can be downloaded and installed free of cost for private use, i.e., not in a network. Note: this offer appears to have been discontinued as of January 25, 2006.

The plug-in is GeoInsight, developed in Florida, USA by Comgrafix