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NordicMan · Dec 7, 2006, 07:30 AM

Will the new ms office work well with office 2004? That is to say, Excel documents, for one, will they work well on the new office? I am going to be using an intel iMac for the office, so I reckon the new office will be produced for it, since it is the new cpu for Apple.

However, I suppose that may be a little wait, and since there are things to do, I was thinking to get the software now during a sale time.

I hate micosoft, however, there are many soft wares that work with excel.

rickey939 · Dec 7, 2006, 10:55 AM

They will most definitely be 100% compatible.

JKT · Dec 7, 2006, 05:07 PM

I very much doubt they will be 100% compatible... there hasn't been a single version yet of Office that has been 100% compatible with any other version of Office, Windows or Mac.

TETENAL · Dec 7, 2006, 07:28 PM

All versions of Office have been able to open documents of previous Office versions.

JKT · Dec 7, 2006, 07:39 PM

All versions of OpenOffice.org have been able to open Office documents too, but that doesn't mean that it is 100% compatible...

rickey939 · Dec 7, 2006, 07:44 PM

Originally Posted by JKT

I very much doubt they will be 100% compatible... there hasn't been a single version yet of Office that has been 100% compatible with any other version of Office, Windows or Mac.

The original poster didn't state cross-platform, it appeared to me he was asking if Excel documents created in Excel within Office 2004 would work in the next version? And to that, they most definitely 100% will.

NordicMan · Dec 7, 2006, 08:32 PM

Thank you gentlemen, for your replies. Yes, what I was wondering was this.

If we(that means me) get office, and use excel, in particular, and then may upgrade some time to office 12, or whatever it is called then, will the old documents be entirely usable with the new office?

So it seems that there is a collective answer of yes on that.

The way I asked the question in my header is more open and general. It is a matter of interest, generally, but the real matter I wondered about is the ability to use the records which we develop(should we use excel, and not something else) is how well we will be able to use them with a new office, optimised for intel Macs.

I would like to wait for an announcement on accounting software, but this winter we need to do somtehing, not have to wait for an announcement and then delivery six months down the road. There is a little note in the wind that some developments may come forth so far as business (accounting) software on the Mac goes, at Macworld. It would be nice to see some of the other accounting softwares get going on the Mac again.

It is likely that I will get this excel.

Thanks for the replies there, you folks, helps to set my mind at rest a bit.

TETENAL · Dec 7, 2006, 09:15 PM

Originally Posted by NordicMan

If we(that means me) get office, and use excel, in particular, and then may upgrade some time to office 12, or whatever it is called then, will the old documents be entirely usable with the new office?

Yes, your Excel files you created with Office 2004 will be able to be opened with the future version of Office with the only exception that Visual Basic scripts will no longer work, since Microsoft has already announced that it has discontinued Visual Basic for Office on the Mac.

Philip J. Fry · Dec 7, 2006, 09:16 PM

Originally Posted by NordicMan

Thank you gentlemen, for your replies. Yes, what I was wondering was this.

If we(that means me) get office, and use excel, in particular, and then may upgrade some time to office 12, or whatever it is called then, will the old documents be entirely usable with the new office?

So it seems that there is a collective answer of yes on that.

The way I asked the question in my header is more open and general. It is a matter of interest, generally, but the real matter I wondered about is the ability to use the records which we develop(should we use excel, and not something else) is how well we will be able to use them with a new office, optimised for intel Macs.

I would like to wait for an announcement on accounting software, but this winter we need to do somtehing, not have to wait for an announcement and then delivery six months down the road. There is a little note in the wind that some developments may come forth so far as business (accounting) software on the Mac goes, at Macworld. It would be nice to see some of the other accounting softwares get going on the Mac again.

It is likely that I will get this excel.

Thanks for the replies there, you folks, helps to set my mind at rest a bit.

Well the next version of Office for Mac isn't due out til fall of 2007 anyway so you're better off getting the current version to hold you over.

NordicMan · Dec 7, 2006, 10:27 PM

Originally Posted by Philip J. Fry

Well the next version of Office for Mac isn't due out til fall of 2007 anyway so you're better off getting the current version to hold you over.

I had the notion that office for the Mac was going to be announced in January, but I read later today that the Mac business unit person said it would be six to eight mont hs after new office for pcs.

Thanks for the thought here Mr. Fry, and thank you, everyone, for answering the simple question. I have no ms software on my Mac, and office I have never purchased, so I have no experience with it. excel seems to me the most useful of what is in office, at least for what I need.