2008 file Font mishandling on PC w old Word.

[mbanstendig]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: intel

I exchange files with my web master and my proofreader, who use PCs W XP and Word from a few years back.

I sent files in Word 2008 format and they got messages to download something tomopen/translate those files.

The files show up intact, but with a lot of font-spacing problems, such as no space between words, where I have correct spacing on my Mac w 2008 Word.

Sending the doc in Word 2004 format seems to solve the problem.

but am I doomed to lways saving my documents in two different formats, so I can send them the old format?

Or is there a solution?

or is thisone of the things microsoft will address soon?

It is a mess for us, at the moment.

Thanks for explanations,

Mark

Intel Quad MacPro 3GB w 8gb RAM and up to date Leopard.

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Mark:

The first issue is theirs, not Mac Word's. All copies of PC Word should
have the converters to enable them to handle .docx. They went out as free
updates from Microsoft about a year ago.

So if these guys are not putting their updates in, there's not a lot Mac
Word can do about that: they will get the same messages if they get .docx
files from Word 2007.

The second issue is caused by bugs in the "ligatures" function. That should
be fixed in the Service Release.

You may have to switch ligatures off for files you send to Windows. The
Service Pack should make it possible to turn ligatures off.

(The ligatures function was not ready when Word 2008 shipped, but it was
supposed to be "Off by Default" so we should not have noticed. When OS 10.5
shipped, they discovered to their horror that it is "ON by Default". So the
first change we can expect is to be able to control the thing! )

Cheers

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: intel

I exchange files with my web master and my proofreader, who use PCs W XP and
Word from a few years back.

I sent files in Word 2008 format and they got messages to download something
tomopen/translate those files.

The files show up intact, but with a lot of font-spacing problems, such as no
space between words, where I have correct spacing on my Mac w 2008 Word.

Sending the doc in Word 2004 format seems to solve the problem.

but am I doomed to lways saving my documents in two different formats, so I
can send them the old format?

Or is there a solution?

or is thisone of the things microsoft will address soon?

It is a mess for us, at the moment.

Thanks for explanations,

Mark

Intel Quad MacPro 3GB w 8gb RAM and up to date Leopard.

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[mbanstendig]

hanks a lot.

What a mess that made last weekend.

The most important thing I have written was finally finished and sent after thirty years of revision. (listed at <http://anstendig.org/mainpage.htm> and posted at <http://anstendig.org/revised_body.htm)>

What a mess that caused, with papers sent back and forth and finally sent in the old WORD 2004 format.

But it was a true horror, with tempers boiling and lots more.

Computers and applications are supposedly getting better.

But what we are left with, due to no standardization worth mentioning, is a labyrinth of horrors, not only with Microsoft.

Thanks again.

When is that fix due??

Mark

 

[mbanstendig]

BTW, What happened to the "edit" function for messages Ipost here.

I had it with my first post on another thread. But it is not present here.

I have a typo to fix....probably more than one.

Thanks.

Mark

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Mark:

Sadly, the most important lesson in computing is NEVER do ANYTHING important
with "Version 1.0".

Word 2008 is "Version 1.0". It is a mess. New software products always
are.

I am glad you made it through

Cheers

hanks a lot.

What a mess that made last weekend.

The most important thing I have written was finally finished and sent after
thirty years of revision. (listed at <http://anstendig.org/mainpage.htm> and
posted at <http://anstendig.org/revised_body.htm)>

What a mess that caused, with papers sent back and forth and finally sent in
the old WORD 2004 format.

But it was a true horror, with tempers boiling and lots more.

Computers and applications are supposedly getting better.

But what we are left with, due to no standardization worth mentioning, is a
labyrinth of horrors, not only with Microsoft.

Thanks again.

When is that fix due??

Mark

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Mark:

We had to ask Microsoft to take the editing function out.

The majority of the volunteers who give help here are not working on the web
server (it is too slow, and it doesn't connect the threads properly).

We are working from an NNTP feed that is sent out to a UseNet news server.

When a user posts to the Web forum, the web server sends the text into a
database, from where it is re-formatted for use on UseNet (and maybe soon:
RSS).

UseNet requires a unique identifier to each post. If you then edit the
post, the server cannot re-send it out, because the post already exists.
Which means the volunteers never see it, and any posts that have been edited
never get answered.

I somehow doubt that anyone will hold your typos against you. Fortunately
they seem to forgive me most of mine

Cheers

BTW, What happened to the "edit" function for messages Ipost here.

I had it with my first post on another thread. But it is not present here.

I have a typo to fix....probably more than one.

Thanks.

Mark

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[mbanstendig]

Thanks for the kind help. I really appreciate it.

Would I best reinstall my old Office? Or will that have the same problems with leopard as 2008?

Thanks again,

Mark

 

[Phillip Jones]

If they piad attention to myne, they would run me off thhe list. ;-)

Hi Mark:

We had to ask Microsoft to take the editing function out.

The majority of the volunteers who give help here are not working on the web
server (it is too slow, and it doesn't connect the threads properly).

We are working from an NNTP feed that is sent out to a UseNet news server.

When a user posts to the Web forum, the web server sends the text into a
database, from where it is re-formatted for use on UseNet (and maybe soon:
RSS).

UseNet requires a unique identifier to each post. If you then edit the
post, the server cannot re-send it out, because the post already exists.
Which means the volunteers never see it, and any posts that have been edited
never get answered.

I somehow doubt that anyone will hold your typos against you. Fortunately
they seem to forgive me most of mine

Cheers

--
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616 Liberty Street |Who's Who. PHONE:276-632-5045, FAX:276-632-0868
Martinsville Va 24112 |[email protected], ICQ11269732, AIM pjonescet
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[John McGhie]

Hi Mark:

Office 2004 has had all its updates, so it is a lot more stable.

I cannot say whether you should roll back -- it's a decision that you need
to make. But I can make some remarks that may help you make it.

I repeat what I told a different user yesterday:

For advanced users, "Yes".

Office 2004 has a lot more of the functions used by advanced users than
Office 2008.

For users who can live without advanced functions, then it's probably better
to buy Office 2008 -- it's simpler to use, for undemanding users.

It helps to understand where the difficulties lie:

1) There are Windows and Mac users who have not yet installed the free
converter for the new file formats. These people will continue to be unable
to open the new file formats until they update their systems.

But this is not the Mac user's problem. The tools are there, they are
no-charge, they can download them in a minute or two.

You cannot make people use the correct tools. Nor can you stop them
complaining about the difficulties they get when they don't. People just
love to play the helpless victim

But these people are currently pumping out a lot of text all over the
internet. In most cases, you will find that such people have either never
used the product at all, or have never learned to use it properly. Of
course, they won't tell you that!

Of course, you should form your own opinion about the appropriate action for
yourself.

2) There are currently a large number of bugs in Office 2008. Many of
these will be resolved by the Service Pack that is out now. The rest will
be fixed over time: we can expect at least one more major service pack.

3) Mac Office 2008 is a substantial cut-down of Office 2007. Microsoft has
left out about half the functionality.

So Office 2008 is not able to create or display or work with many of the
things that Office 2007 can.

Non-professional users do not use these functions, on either a PC or a Mac.
Research abounds that proves conclusively that 80 per cent of users use only
ten per cent of the software's functions. Such users will never need or
notice the missing functions.

However, the other 20 per cent of us DO stretch Office applications to their
full capability. We frequently use things such as Macros, Automation,
Graphics Editing, the Analysis Toolpack, and a full range of citation
standards.

Such users are better advised to sit this release out. Office 2008 has
limited functionality. Office 2004 is still a supported product.
Professional users and power users can afford to wait for the next version,
and in most cases, they should.

There, that's a fairly expansive answer. I hope it gives you what you need
to form your own opinion.

Hope this helps

Thanks for the kind help. I really appreciate it.

Would I best reinstall my old Office? Or will that have the same problems with
leopard as 2008?

Thanks again,

Mark

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[mbanstendig]

Fabulous, John. Absolutely fabulous!

More than many thanks!

Just one question:

Can both versions co-exist on the same computer?

Or does one have to uninstall one, in order to install/work with the other?

Thanks again.

Very enlightening (and BTW, I am one of those who does not need/use much of the functionality)

Mark

 

[Phillip Jones]

To have the best of both worlds I would do the following before loading
up 2008 go to Mactopia and look for the Mac Office Translators (other
can give the official Name) and install them first so that you can read
and write docx Files, or xlsx or ppsx files First.

because one of the caveats on the page for the download says, if the
translators are installed on a Hard drive in which 2008, it will render
the translators in 2008 useless (my opinion here; for some reason they
didn't figure out how to make the two installs completely apart from
each other.)

Then install 2008 and apply the 12.01 upgrade patch.

that way you have th best of both worlds.

Fabulous, John. Absolutely fabulous!

More than many thanks!

Just one question:

Can both versions co-exist on the same computer?

Or does one have to uninstall one, in order to install/work with the other?

Thanks again.

Very enlightening (and BTW, I am one of those who does not need/use much of the functionality)

Mark

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip M. Jones, CET |LIFE MEMBER: VPEA ETA-I, NESDA, ISCET, Sterling
616 Liberty Street |Who's Who. PHONE:276-632-5045, FAX:276-632-0868
Martinsville Va 24112 |[email protected], ICQ11269732, AIM pjonescet
------------------------------------------------------------------------

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<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Jones/default.htm>

<http://www.vpea.org>

 

[Beth Rosengard]

Hi Mark,

Yes, the two versions of Office will coexist just fine on the same machine.
One caveat: You cannot have both versions of Entourage open simultaneously
(in case you use Entourage). Be sure to quit out of one before launching
the other (though you shouldn't need Entourage 2004 once you've made the
transition).

--
***Please always reply to the newsgroup!***

Beth Rosengard
Mac MVP

Mac Word FAQ: <http://word.mvps.org/Mac/WordMacHome.html>
My Site: <http://www.bethrosengard.com>

 

[mbanstendig]

Thanks,

I found that out this morning.

Both are now on the machine and can run separately.

That's just in case.

In the meantime, I will be working as before, namely using the very few features I will probably ever need and not using White on blue, unless Curt comes up with a fix.

Lots of thanks and love from here,

Mark

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Mark:

I have both installed here I have Word 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008 on
this computer

You can run both versions of Word side-by-side -- I often do. If you are
working on valuable documents, I think I would ensure that only one version
at a time was running.

However, you MUST make sure that only one version of Entourage is allowed to
start.

If you choose to run Entourage 2008, then disable Entourage 2004. Entourage
2008 converts the database, after which, 2004 can't read it.

I simply trashed the shortcut in the Dock, so I don't start it by mistake.

Cheers

Fabulous, John. Absolutely fabulous!

More than many thanks!

Just one question:

Can both versions co-exist on the same computer?

Or does one have to uninstall one, in order to install/work with the other?

Thanks again.

Very enlightening (and BTW, I am one of those who does not need/use much of
the functionality)

Mark

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[mbanstendig]

Many thanks, John.

That may be very valuable to be able to do.

Now, does anyone know when that promised update is coming?

Thanks again.

Mark

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Mark:

"Which" promised update? The one that arrived on March 11, or the one in 3
to six months time?

The older one: Yes, we know when that arrived -- March 11th

The next one? As usual for ANY proposed/rumoured/expected release from a
major software manufacturer: "Those who know are forbidden from telling us;
those who attempt to tell us, don't know."

My guess is November 2008. You can poll everyone else in here, get their
guesses, and average them. The result will be wrong, we just have no idea
by how much

Cheers

Many thanks, John.

That may be very valuable to be able to do.

Now, does anyone know when that promised update is coming?

Thanks again.

Mark

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[mbanstendig]

I meant the update that, evidently, arrived on the 11th. And no, we didn't all know it had arrived. Why?:

I have, for days, been checking the "check for updates" option in Word, and it has been coming up with "there are no updates available for your.....".

I have installed just now, manually downloaded from "Versiontracker.com".

Word info now says 12.0.1.

Maybe things will be better.

Thanks a lot,

Mark

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Mark:

That's an extremely good question. To which I too would like to know the
answer...

They have chosen not to put it on Automatic Update yet.

They have not told us why...

Cheers

I meant the update that, evidently, arrived on the 11th. And no, we didn't all
know it had arrived. Why?:

I have, for days, been checking the "check for updates" option in Word, and it
has been coming up with "there are no updates available for your.....".

I have installed just now, manually downloaded from "Versiontracker.com".

Word info now says 12.0.1.

Maybe things will be better.

Thanks a lot,

Mark

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[mbanstendig]

Thanks John,

I have oddly sensed something strange from the get go. As though things were somehow short-circuited and the people involved with updates and fixes are a bit frazzled and hysterical.

You really cannot imagine what a mess it was, sending a 39 page pre-update 2008 file to a PC, even one with the translators. Font spacings were missing, and it was random, following no pattern. And other oddities. They spent days combing through the text, and still find oddities, even after it has been posted on the net.

I haven't tried sending new updated 2008 files yet.

I reinstalled 2004 and am doing new files in that for the time being, until I do some tests.

Also, white on bue background is still messy, even though it works with newly generated files: files generated with non-updated 2008 now, with the updated application, come out partly white on blue and partly black on blue. Really weird. Even when modified in updated 2008 and saved again in updated 2008.

Very strage stuff.

Ever best and thanks,

Mark

 

[Phillip Jones]

Well at 144 mb or more I would think it would be impractical.

auto update is only practical for no more than 20mb unless you have a T1
or T5 connection. I have DSL (slow That it is) and the download from
Mactopia took 1/2 hr to download. with Cable I might have gotten it 15
maybe 10.

But many in the world even in the US are still dealing with good pots
network using s 56K modem. If it took me 1/2 hour with a 756K DSL
connection how long do you think a 56K connection would take (about
12hrs maybe?).

I have my doubts it will ever be on auto update.

Hi Mark:

That's an extremely good question. To which I too would like to know the
answer...

They have chosen not to put it on Automatic Update yet.

They have not told us why...

Cheers

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip M. Jones, CET |LIFE MEMBER: VPEA ETA-I, NESDA, ISCET, Sterling
616 Liberty Street |Who's Who. PHONE:276-632-5045, FAX:276-632-0868
Martinsville Va 24112 |[email protected], ICQ11269732, AIM pjonescet
------------------------------------------------------------------------

If it's "fixed", don't "break it"!

mailto[email protected]

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<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Fulcher/default.html>
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<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Jones/default.htm>

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