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Jewish World Review
January 18, 2008
/ 11 Shevat 5768
Happy day for Mac users
By
Mark Kellner
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
If all goes as anticipated on January 15, the skies will forever be
bright and sunny, the temperature warm, and the climate friendly.
Flowers will blossom, birds will chirp, and the Dow Jones Industrial
Average will soar to heights unknown in history. We'll also solve that
global warming thing, and happily sort out the Republican and
Democratic primary fields. The Redskins will effortlessly select a
noble, worthy successor to the great and cordial Coach Joe Gibbs,
someone whose prowess will humble even Tom Brady.
That's all hyperbole, yes, but it's also how my heart feels as
Microsoft Corp. is set to formally launch Office for Mac 2008, a
product expected to ship later this month. Office suites may seem
somewhat mundane, but they also are essential to getting work done. If
your work involves the creation or use of knowledge, such as letters,
reports, memos, spreadsheets, presentations, etc., then you need a
productivity suite. Today, Microsoft - yes, Microsoft - beats the
world with a Mac product beyond compar
If you use a Mac, the answer for productivity has been something with
the Microsoft name on it, especially since the WordPerfect folks,
sadly, ceded the Mac contest. While some versions of Mac Office have
had their quirks, Office 2008 is a splendid release overall. It's
slick but not too overpowering. This suite delivers great integration,
compatibility and ease of use.
I spend most of my time in a word processor, and here, Word 2008
combines the usual friendliness of the Mac interface with the nice
touches found in last year's release for Windows, Office 2007. The
click of a button reveals a "ribbon" of document options, including
such "elements," as Microsoft calls them, as a cover page, table of
contents, header, footer and bibliography. If you've ever struggled
with APA, Chicago, MLA or Turabian styles for a bibliography,
this feature alone is worth the upgrade.
Word 2008's graphical features will delight many. Creating a table or
chart is very quick and easy: just a couple of mouse clicks and you're
done. There are six different hierarchical charts alone from which you
can choose: organization devotees will have a field day.
Crucial in Word 2008, indeed with all of the Mac Office programs, is
the level of file compatibility with Windows users. Here, Word 2008 is
outstanding: you can set a default to save files in the traditional
Word ".doc" format, or the newer XML-based ".docx" style. The program
will open, and edit, each of these, along with numerous other formats.
I share files continuously with Windows-based Word-using colleagues.
During about a month of using Beta versions of Word 2008, I've had
nary a complaint, format-wise.
My second-most used program is Microsoft's Entourage 2008, which
delivers a lot. Finally, it integrates with Apple's "Spotlight" search
engine, making searching for documents and contacts easier. Support
for Microsoft Exchange is superb. If you like the look and feel of
Microsoft Outlook, you'll be quite happy with Entourage's blending of
calendar, address book, to-do list and e-mail.
Sadly, as with Apple, Inc., Microsoft still cannot offer what I'd call
a valid reason why e-mail users on Macs can't specify delivery or read
receipts on e-mail, as their Windows (and Thunderbird-using) brethren
can. Sigh. Someday, perhaps, someone at Microsoft will fix this.
But that's a small, albeit highly annoying, failing. Entourage is good
stuff for information management, and I can recommend it highly.
Next week, a look at the Mac version of Excel, where Windows
compatibility is beyond crucial, and Mac PowerPoint, whose Windows
version is responsible for more than 30 million presentations a day.
More information on Office for Mac 2008 is online at www.mactopia.com.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Mark Kellner has reported on technology for industry newspapers and magazines since 1983, and has been the computer columnist for The Washington Times since 1991.Comment by clicking here.
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© 2008, News World Communications, Inc. Reprinted with permission of The Washington Times. Visit the paper at http://www.washingtontimes.com
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