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blackstar · Oct 4, 2009, 11:47 PM

I just came here to vent. I am very sorry about it.
I was one of those first switchers. I was amazed when I first saw Mac Os X pictures and decided to switch. Got a Powerbook G4 12" with Jaguar and its been an awesome machine. There is really nothing I don't like about Macs and Apple in general. Getting an iPod with the seamless integration was also magic when it first came out.

Now, I got a job where I extensively use Windows and it crashes and it's a pain to work fit. But MS Word and Excel on Windows are so much easier to work with. There are so many shortcuts and its a pretty good experience when Windows doesn't crash. Then getting back on my Mac all those shortcuts don't work anymore and I realize that compared to Office 2007, Office 2008 on Mac is really nothing but a demo version. I think its crazy how that led to MS driving most of the competition out of Office applications.

Now, I know there is Apple Works and OpenOffice, but I am basically just looking at a verbatim copy of Windows Office and there is none. I am seriously thinking about switching back to Windows because I rely so much on Office products. It's driving me crazy.

Sorry just had to vent.

blackstar · Oct 4, 2009, 11:57 PM

Sorry. This might belong in the Lounge

msuper69 · Oct 5, 2009, 12:22 AM

Apple Works? iWork perhaps.

If you are so adamant about MS Office, just run the Windows version using Fusion or Parallels in a window in OS X.

Then you can have the "best" of both worlds, so to speak.

turtle777 · Oct 5, 2009, 01:17 AM

I have to agree with Blackstar.

I work in Finance, and use Excel heavily.
I don't think I could do my job on Excel for Mac. Well, at least not w/o significant time to adjust.

Shortcuts are different, but those *can* be adjusted on the Mac.

-t

Veltliner · Oct 5, 2009, 01:31 AM

Originally Posted by turtle777

I have to agree with Blackstar.

I work in Finance, and use Excel heavily.
I don't think I could do my job on Excel for Mac. Well, at least not w/o significant time to adjust.

Shortcuts are different, but those *can* be adjusted on the Mac.

-t

Excel for Windows is more complex? Can do more?

Or does the Microsoft software for the Mac simply not work? I have one of those, Expression Media, which was bought up by Microsoft. I bought it, and don't use it any more, as it misrepresents TIFF images due to poor color management (it's a cataloguing software). I'll never buy anything Microsoft again for the Mac, that's sure.

Veltliner · Oct 5, 2009, 01:34 AM

Originally Posted by blackstar

I just came here to vent. I am very sorry about it.
I was one of those first switchers. I was amazed when I first saw Mac Os X pictures and decided to switch. Got a Powerbook G4 12" with Jaguar and its been an awesome machine. There is really nothing I don't like about Macs and Apple in general. Getting an iPod with the seamless integration was also magic when it first came out.

Now, I got a job where I extensively use Windows and it crashes and it's a pain to work fit. But MS Word and Excel on Windows are so much easier to work with. There are so many shortcuts and its a pretty good experience when Windows doesn't crash. Then getting back on my Mac all those shortcuts don't work anymore and I realize that compared to Office 2007, Office 2008 on Mac is really nothing but a demo version. I think its crazy how that led to MS driving most of the competition out of Office applications.

Now, I know there is Apple Works and OpenOffice, but I am basically just looking at a verbatim copy of Windows Office and there is none. I am seriously thinking about switching back to Windows because I rely so much on Office products. It's driving me crazy.

Sorry just had to vent.

It's been a while since I last used a PC. To be exact, January 2000, when I sold my last PC.

Word had some unique capabilities. You wrote a longer manuscript, and suddenly empty pages would show up, and you couldn't delete them.

I found a way then: I had to open a new folder in a different program of the Office suite. Then I could get rid of the empty pages.

I had another problem, that after page eight or so, the text would start at page one again, and only then continue. I could fix this, too, by creating a new folder in a diffent application.

I'm really glad I don't have to use a PC any more.

So, let me rephrase your question: How sick is Microsoft?

Rumor · Oct 5, 2009, 04:46 AM

If you don't want to go through the process of getting an XP, Vista, or 7 key, you can try Crossover.

Chuckit · Oct 5, 2009, 05:02 AM

Originally Posted by turtle777

I have to agree with Blackstar.

I work in Finance, and use Excel heavily.
I don't think I could do my job on Excel for Mac. Well, at least not w/o significant time to adjust.

Shortcuts are different, but those *can* be adjusted on the Mac.

-t

Is Excel 2008 really that much less capable than Excel 2003? (I'm not disagreeing. I'm just really surprised if so.)

turtle777 · Oct 5, 2009, 10:51 AM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

Is Excel 2008 really that much less capable than Excel 2003? (I'm not disagreeing. I'm just really surprised if so.)

Yes, lack of VBA, for instance.

-t

olePigeon · Oct 5, 2009, 12:24 PM

Office 2010 is supposed to bring back support for VBA (and also introduce Outlook for OS X.)

Office for Mac just takes some getting used to. A good rule of thumb is that if it is a Control-Key shortcut on Windows, it'll probably be Command-Key shortcut on the Mac.

turtle777 · Oct 5, 2009, 12:41 PM

Originally Posted by olePigeon

Office for Mac just takes some getting used to.

This is part of it. The different look and feel is definitely slowing me down a lot.

To be honest, I can't judge performance, I have never opened some of my 50MB Pivot Tables in Excel for Mac.

-t

Chuckit · Oct 5, 2009, 01:24 PM

Originally Posted by turtle777

Yes, lack of VBA, for instance.

-t

Ouch, I forgot about that. That is stupid. Maybe OP would be happier with 2004 if that's the deal?

olePigeon · Oct 5, 2009, 01:51 PM

2004 is reasonably fast under Rosetta. That's all we use here at work. We're skipping Office 2008. Well, that, and Apple has iWork site license for $250. Office is unbelievably overpriced by comparison.

imitchellg5 · Oct 5, 2009, 04:50 PM

I feel your pain. When I first got my MacBook Pro I used Office 2004... but with Snow Leopard I moved up to 2008 since Rosetta isn't installed by default and it was my only PPC app. Luckily, I still have a G5 with Tiger on it, which is what I use when I really need to use Office... but the rest of the time I use iWork.

ibook_steve · Oct 5, 2009, 08:12 PM

I, unfortunately, have to live and breathe Powerpoint. PP '08 is better for me, at least, than '04 was: performance, animations, etc. But I want to work in Keynote, which I have. Unfortunately, translating back and forth between PP and Keynote does not translate exactly, so I'm stuck with PP. I'm even more stuck with PP because we use Articulate Presenter to create online Flash training modules. Presenter is a Windows PP "plug-in" that adds an extra menu with its commands. So I do all my PP design on the Mac side (better for me than PP 2003 which is all we have) and do my Presenter stuff using PP in Parallels. I still end up having to reboot into Windows to record audio because it still doesn't work quite right with Parallels (echoes in the recorded audio). Not too bad a workflow, but not ideal either.

But I'd never, ever call Microsoft "slick." I agree with "sick," and not the good "sick."

Steve

blackstar · Oct 7, 2009, 12:21 AM

I totally forgot about Crossover. I am currently not able to use any of those virtual thingies because I am still on G4 and it is so slow already. But I should finally upgrade to one of those 13'' Macbook Pros so I can use it. I actually don't mind the look and feel of Office on the Mac (besides the troubles with Spaces).

EndlessMac · Oct 7, 2009, 04:58 AM

Originally Posted by blackstar

But I should finally upgrade to one of those 13'' Macbook Pros so I can use it.

Sounds like this will be a good motivator to get an Intel Mac.

QSilver · Oct 7, 2009, 05:15 PM

I use a WinXP laptop at work and an early 2008 MBP at home. Office2003 on the PC, Office2008 on the MBP. I move Office files back & forth all the time between the two computers.

I'd rather work with Office2008 on the MBP, primarily because the screen is so much better (yes, I know I'm also biased. Productivity and efficiency are least equal, and maybe better on the MBP. I don't miss VBA on the Mac side; I rarely use it on the PC side.

TheoCryst · Oct 7, 2009, 07:11 PM

See, I work for MacBU now, so I'm not allowed to say that I really dislike working in Office 2008. That would be wrong of me.

*coughcough*

ibook_steve · Oct 7, 2009, 08:23 PM

Originally Posted by TheoCryst

See, I work for MacBU now, so I'm not allowed to say that I really dislike working in Office 2008. That would be wrong of me.

*coughcough*

You probably shouldn't have said this, because now I need to know if Powerpoint is going to get any better any time soon! ;-)

I kid. There was a lot I wanted to post when I was at Apple but couldn't. You're probably in the same boat.

Steve

TheoCryst · Oct 8, 2009, 12:54 PM

Originally Posted by ibook_steve

You probably shouldn't have said this, because now I need to know if Powerpoint is going to get any better any time soon! ;-)

I kid. There was a lot I wanted to post when I was at Apple but couldn't. You're probably in the same boat.

Steve

Yeah, sadly I have to keep my mouth shut about stuff. I will say that I'm constantly surprised and impressed by how quickly the new Outlook is coming along, and that I've started dogfooding the new Office full-time now. It's not complete by any means, but it's already easier to use than 2008 in a lot of situations.

You worked at Apple? What did you work on, now that you aren't there any more?

ibook_steve · Oct 8, 2009, 01:30 PM

White iBooks, 12" Powerbooks, and the very first inklings of the MacBook Air (how to put high speed I/O ports on a rotating board and still somehow maintain good signal integrity; not easy; probably why there are only 3 ports on the MBA as we know it today). All board design.

Steve