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#1
Posted to microsoft.public.word.docmanagement
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Word on Mac?
I am contemplating a new computer and figuring maybe the time has come to
trade the frustrations of Windows (and I don't even have Vista to complain about!) for the charms and unknowns of the Mac world. But as I rely heavily on Word 2003 (and also Outlook) I have to ask for some honest feedback about how well the Mac version of Word runs on the up-to-date Apple PCs and laptops. And as a practical matter, for a Word 2003 user with heavy reliance on styles, will the transition be totally seamless, mostly seamless, kind of seamless or will I have to invest serious time mastering the Mac version? (Yeah yeah, I know one can supposedly use Word right out of the box. Sure. You betcha! If it were that simple, we wouldn't need our indispensible MVPs, would we? To be honest, the best thing about Microsoft is not its software but the MVPs on this and a few other forums! I'm serious!) -- Joe McGuire |
#2
Posted to microsoft.public.word.docmanagement
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Word on Mac?
There is a Office for Macs newsgroup. I'd ask them. Most of us in here use
Windows. -- JoAnn Paules MVP Microsoft [Publisher] Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies" "Joe McGuire" wrote in message ... I am contemplating a new computer and figuring maybe the time has come to trade the frustrations of Windows (and I don't even have Vista to complain about!) for the charms and unknowns of the Mac world. But as I rely heavily on Word 2003 (and also Outlook) I have to ask for some honest feedback about how well the Mac version of Word runs on the up-to-date Apple PCs and laptops. And as a practical matter, for a Word 2003 user with heavy reliance on styles, will the transition be totally seamless, mostly seamless, kind of seamless or will I have to invest serious time mastering the Mac version? (Yeah yeah, I know one can supposedly use Word right out of the box. Sure. You betcha! If it were that simple, we wouldn't need our indispensible MVPs, would we? To be honest, the best thing about Microsoft is not its software but the MVPs on this and a few other forums! I'm serious!) -- Joe McGuire |
#3
Posted to microsoft.public.word.docmanagement
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Word on Mac?
When I had to move from Mac to Windows a few years ago, I found that
the graphics are somewhat different, and the keyboard shortcuts are sometimes quite different (on a Mac, the shortcuts are standardized across lots of applications, but not on a PC). On Jan 18, 11:47*am, "Joe McGuire" wrote: I am contemplating a new computer and figuring maybe the time has come to trade the frustrations of Windows (and I don't even have Vista to complain about!) for the charms and unknowns of the Mac world. *But as I rely heavily on Word 2003 (and also Outlook) I have to ask for some honest feedback about how well the Mac version of Word runs on the up-to-date Apple PCs and laptops. *And as a practical matter, for a Word 2003 user with heavy reliance on styles, will the transition be totally seamless, mostly seamless, kind of seamless or will I have to invest serious time mastering the Mac version? *(Yeah yeah, I know one can supposedly use Word right out of the box. *Sure. *You betcha! *If it were that simple, we wouldn't need our indispensible MVPs, would we? *To be honest, the best thing about Microsoft is not its software but the MVPs on this and a few other forums! I'm serious!) -- Joe McGuire |
#4
Posted to microsoft.public.word.docmanagement
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Word on Mac?
Hi Joe -
The first point I would emphasize is that Outlook doesn't exist on the Mac. The email client in Mac Office is Entourage and although "similar" it is NOT the same. Depending on how you use Outlook - especially if you will have to interact with Exchange - you might do well to do some further investigation on that. The microsoft.public.mac.office.entourage group is manned by some very knowledgeable folks - MVPs & non-MVPs - who will glad to answer any specific questions you may have. The second consideration is your reliance on macros. VBA is NOT supported in the current version of Mac Office (2008) although it is scheduled to return in full force with the next major release. VBC is supported in prior versions of Mac Office but generally runs one version of VBA behind Windows. As for Word, itself, you should find that would be a rather straightforward transitions. The UI is more closely akin to the "Classic" Office UI as Mac Office has not (and probably won't, IMHO) adopted the Ribbon. In most respects Word on the Mac has more of the "look & feel" of Word 2003 than does Word 2008. Styles are handled & used in virtually the identical manner as the Win version - after all, Word is a styles-based program that originated on the Mac :-) I can't guarantee "totally" seamless. There are certainly some considerations for cross-platform documents, but if you're a reasonably seasoned Word user the most challenging issues will be adapting to the Mac OS - but that should be relatively painless. As with Entourage, Word has its own microsoft.public.mac.ofice.word ng, so head over there & get some additional input from others. Many - like myself - work "both sides of the street" unlike the PC groups where they have a tendency to be Win Office only [definitely NOT stated with any degree of disrespect] so you should be able to get clarification from various perspectives on any concerns you may have... I for example spend virtually all of my business hours on the Dark Side but have never owned anything but a Mac going all the way back to its introduction in the '80s :-) Regards |:) Bob Jones [MVP] Office:Mac On 1/18/09 11:47 AM, in article , "Joe McGuire" wrote: I am contemplating a new computer and figuring maybe the time has come to trade the frustrations of Windows (and I don't even have Vista to complain about!) for the charms and unknowns of the Mac world. But as I rely heavily on Word 2003 (and also Outlook) I have to ask for some honest feedback about how well the Mac version of Word runs on the up-to-date Apple PCs and laptops. And as a practical matter, for a Word 2003 user with heavy reliance on styles, will the transition be totally seamless, mostly seamless, kind of seamless or will I have to invest serious time mastering the Mac version? (Yeah yeah, I know one can supposedly use Word right out of the box. Sure. You betcha! If it were that simple, we wouldn't need our indispensible MVPs, would we? To be honest, the best thing about Microsoft is not its software but the MVPs on this and a few other forums! I'm serious!) |
#5
Posted to microsoft.public.word.docmanagement
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Word on Mac?
Thanks. I better be sure to check with the corporate IT people before
switching. But VBA and I have never gotten along. A few simple "dorky" macros are all I have been able to master--and then usually with help from MVPs-- before finally throwing away all the VBA books I bought. I know that VBA mavens will cringe when I say it, but from where I sit rocket science seems a lot simpler!!! -- Joe McGuire "CyberTaz" wrote in message .. . Hi Joe - The first point I would emphasize is that Outlook doesn't exist on the Mac. The email client in Mac Office is Entourage and although "similar" it is NOT the same. Depending on how you use Outlook - especially if you will have to interact with Exchange - you might do well to do some further investigation on that. The microsoft.public.mac.office.entourage group is manned by some very knowledgeable folks - MVPs & non-MVPs - who will glad to answer any specific questions you may have. The second consideration is your reliance on macros. VBA is NOT supported in the current version of Mac Office (2008) although it is scheduled to return in full force with the next major release. VBC is supported in prior versions of Mac Office but generally runs one version of VBA behind Windows. As for Word, itself, you should find that would be a rather straightforward transitions. The UI is more closely akin to the "Classic" Office UI as Mac Office has not (and probably won't, IMHO) adopted the Ribbon. In most respects Word on the Mac has more of the "look & feel" of Word 2003 than does Word 2008. Styles are handled & used in virtually the identical manner as the Win version - after all, Word is a styles-based program that originated on the Mac :-) I can't guarantee "totally" seamless. There are certainly some considerations for cross-platform documents, but if you're a reasonably seasoned Word user the most challenging issues will be adapting to the Mac OS - but that should be relatively painless. As with Entourage, Word has its own microsoft.public.mac.ofice.word ng, so head over there & get some additional input from others. Many - like myself - work "both sides of the street" unlike the PC groups where they have a tendency to be Win Office only [definitely NOT stated with any degree of disrespect] so you should be able to get clarification from various perspectives on any concerns you may have... I for example spend virtually all of my business hours on the Dark Side but have never owned anything but a Mac going all the way back to its introduction in the '80s :-) Regards |:) Bob Jones [MVP] Office:Mac On 1/18/09 11:47 AM, in article , "Joe McGuire" wrote: I am contemplating a new computer and figuring maybe the time has come to trade the frustrations of Windows (and I don't even have Vista to complain about!) for the charms and unknowns of the Mac world. But as I rely heavily on Word 2003 (and also Outlook) I have to ask for some honest feedback about how well the Mac version of Word runs on the up-to-date Apple PCs and laptops. And as a practical matter, for a Word 2003 user with heavy reliance on styles, will the transition be totally seamless, mostly seamless, kind of seamless or will I have to invest serious time mastering the Mac version? (Yeah yeah, I know one can supposedly use Word right out of the box. Sure. You betcha! If it were that simple, we wouldn't need our indispensible MVPs, would we? To be honest, the best thing about Microsoft is not its software but the MVPs on this and a few other forums! I'm serious!) |