Apps opening blank documents on launch - is there a hack?

[mastergold]

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

I have been reading about this issue on the forums here and rather than MS listening to users they keep pointing to "Apple user interface standards." How sad. I guess we the users are the last people MS actually wants to please. I have been using mac for over 20 years and this irritating behavior was never an issue with a myriad of applications I have used over these years. Yet Bob Jones here on the forums says:"Apple standard that if an application is open with NO open documents, then clicking on its icon in the dock will activate that application WITH a blank document. " Funny, just about every other application on my Mac, almost a hundred (!) do NOT do this. For example: I want to launch Word or Excel and while they launch (slow - needless to say) I want to switch to my email app or web browser, a blank Excel document will actually pop in front of my browser window while I'm reading something and blocks it from view! I guess this is called "user-friendly" in the MS dictionary. Clearly it irritates the hell out of a lot of users and instead of pointing fingers MS, why don't you guys just simply provide a simple preference setting for this option. Rather than trying to help users and implement something so simple, you spend a lot of energy and time pointing fingers and blaming something else.

 

[CyberTaz]

I'm not sure how much good it will do to respond to someone who chooses to
quote out of context & disregard the bulk of the remainder, but here goes...

I have no idea who the "you" or the "you guys" is to which you refer at the
end of your post. If you have the impression that you're communicating with
Microsoft here in this public newsgroup you're sadly mistaken. We're users
of the product just like anyone else & have *nothing* to say about what MS
does or doesn't do with regard to the design of their products. All we can
do is offer an explanation of *why* it was done. Anyone who doesn't like the
explanations offered is welcome to reject or dispute them. It is taken on
good faith that those who choose to do so, however, will get their facts
straight before doing so. Sometimes that faith, unfortunately, is misplaced.

As to the accusation of "finger pointing", if you actually have done the
reading you claim to have done you undoubtedly would have seen the links
that have been provided which *point* to the Apple Guidelines themselves.
Whether you've bothered to follow those links I have no idea, but the facts
are there for those who wish to see them. Responses identical to mine have
been submitted by people who also consult with Apple & are involved with OS
X beta testing, as well as independent developers who know & understand what
the guidelines call for.

Review of the conversations also details the fact that Mac applications fall
into different categories & each category is spec'd accordingly... There are
those which are intended to generate a document window, there are those
which are not. Try the "Dock click thingy" with *Apple* programs such as
TextEdit or Pages & see how they behave. If you find their preference
setting to alter the behavior please let us know. It's also understood that
not all programs comply with the guidelines and that some were developed
before the guidelines went into effect. [I always find it curious that there
are people quick to condemn when MS does something "wrong" & just as quick
to condemn when they do something "right"...perhaps those people are just
quick to condemn, period?]

Regarding your "user-friendly" complaint, my guess would be that you might
be running Office 2008 & using the Spaces feature of Leopard. That's another
well-discussed issue which you may want to research. If that isn't the case
it may simply be the technique of launching multiple apps in quick
succession. Not that I expect this to be an acceptable explanation, but once
again it isn't the program but the OS that establishes the pecking order.

In closing this conversation I'd just like to mention that if you do have
any specific comments, requests or criticisms for MS you're welcome to take
advantage of the Help> Send Feedback option in any of the Office Apps. You'd
be surprised how much weight that information carries.

Good Luck |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac