[X4U] MS Office 2008 delayed

[Randy B. Singer]

On Aug 4, 2007, at 3:35 PM, Tim Collier wrote:

> While many of you have expressed your various NEED to continue to  
> use Word and other Office 2004 applications, I do not have that need.

Exactly.  And that's fine for you.  You don't need a high end word  
processor.  But others of us do.  And despite your Microsoft bigotry  
and exhortations to use non-Microsoft products, we don't have the  
option of switching to a consumer class word processor.

> I used to use Outlook, Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint et al, back  
> before I switched, once again in 2001 (That six years for anybody  
> who can't do the math), as it was the accepted standard on any PC.
> We Mac users, however, have a CHOICE in regard to what software we  
> use.

Only if there is software that meets our needs.

There are a large number of choices for writing letters to our  
grandmas on.  Which is nice.

There isn't a choice if you are someone who is writing for a major  
publisher, a business person who must often collaborate with other  
professionals on a document, or if you write for a living and depend  
on any number of advanced features to make your work easier.

> I have chosen to abandon Office 2004 and am now using Mariner Write  
> and Mariner Calc as VERY ACCEPTABLE substitutes for Word and Excel.

Acceptable for *you*.  Because your needs are apparently only that of  
a casual user, not that of a professional.

> So, Mr. Singer, while I appreciate your concern that I might not  
> understand the workings of a computing platform that I have been  
> using for the past 6 years, let me assure you that I am fully aware  
> on what is going on behind the scenes.

Yes, I'm very impressed by your knowledge.

> Microsoft is concerned that their new version of Office (which I  
> have seen already in Vista--that being Office 2007) might not  
> function as well as they would like.  Believe me, having seen  
> Office 2007 running in Vista, I am none too pleased with the MAJOR  
> changes that have taken place.

Vista is not the Macintosh, and thankfully, never will be.  Not even  
the Vista version of Word is the same as the Macintosh version.  Word/ 
Mac's upcoming new interface isn't slated to be the same as Vista's.

http://www.tuaw.com/photos/office-2008-for-the-mac-screenshots/

> I hope that you are aware that many documents written using Office  
> 2003 (PC edition) are no longer compatible with Office 2007 because  
> of the restructuring that they have done?

Yes, I know all about the new ".docx/Open XML" format.

> I believe the Mac Community will be in an uproar when Office 2008  
> or 2009 or 2010 actually comes out and learns that nothing that  
> they previously composed is compatible.

There are already translators available, and Office 2008 hasn't even  
been released yet.  OpenXML, Microsoft's new file format will be  
included in the next version of Office/Mac, rumored to be released  
next January.   But Microsoft has already released a beta file  
translator for Mac users:
<http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.aspx?pid=download&location=/ 
mac/download/Office2004/ConverterBeta.xml>

So far the beta file translator isn't great, but since OpenXML is an  
open standard, others have already jumped in and are offering their  
own translators:

- NeoOffice 2.1(free and open source) includes good OpenXML translators.
<http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php>

This free product will do a fair job:

- docx (free)
<http://docx-converter.com/>

There is also a commercial converter:

- docXconverter ($20)
<http://www.panergy-software.com/products/docxconverter/index.html>
<http://www.panergy-software.com/buy/download.html>

- There is a free widget version of docXconverter:
<http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/calculate_convert/ 
docxconverter.html>

> So, I will close by stating that I do "think different" and will  
> not be one of the sheep being herded over to Office 200? by the  
> likes of you.

I'm not at all trying to get you to use Office.  Quite the contrary.   
I don't think that your needs are sophisticated enough for you to  
need to use Office.  I think that you should stick with simple  
programs that are appropriate for your needs.

On the other hand, I don't  think that you are qualified to be  
telling people who *need* a high end word processor that they have  
other Macintosh alternatives.  Word has abilities that are vital to  
many business users that are not currently offered in any other  
Macintosh word processor.

___________________________________________
Randy B. Singer
Co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th, and 6th editions)

Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance
http://www.macattorney.com/ts.html
___________________________________________