Garbage

[dave]

I am a small business owner/operator who purchased
Micosoft Office about a year ago for the first time. The
only reason is to try to be more compatible to my
clients. In the time I have had Office, I have attempted
to convert a spreadsheet and a database application to
Office and have run into more problems than if I had not
purchased Office in the first place.

Functions that are part of the software do not produce the
same results as comparable functions in my current
software. So I am constantly trying to create "work
arounds" to make up for that. In many cases, capabilities
of my current software simply do not exist in Office.
Again, more work arounds.

Unfortunately, it appears that the standard answer to this
type of problem is "Write a VB script". For people like
me, that is no help--I do not know VB and do not have the
time to learn it. Why should I have to write a script to
do something my current software will do via a menu
option? My business does not have the funds to pay
professional programmers to do conversions for
applications that are already working.

I have looked as some of the messages in the various
Office Newgroups to see if some help is there. There seem
to be similar questions to mine, but I am seeing that no
responses are given in a lot of the cases after about a
week of checking. I cannot wait a week or more for an
answer to a problem. It is obvious that the "experts"
cannot produce an answer to some of these problems, so how
are the novices supposed to cope?

It is bad enough that I had to pay over twice as much for
Office as I did for my current software. I end up with
less functionality which decreases my productivity. Now I
need to pay to have functionality added? Functionality
that should be part of the sofware in the first place. I
cannot wait on the "experts" for help. All of this is a
cost to my business and my clients. It is more cost-
effective for my clients to buy compatible software than
it is for me to spend money on converting to Office.

I wish I had never attempted to use Office and to try to
convert these applications. I have stopped any work on
these conversions and will not deal with this garbage
called Office. Microsoft must have paid off the people
making software-purchase decisions. It is obvious to me
that the end-users of the software must have had no idea
what they were being forced into using. If they were, I
cannot see Office being used anywhere.

 

[Gordon]

I am a small business owner/operator who purchased
Micosoft Office about a year ago for the first time. The
only reason is to try to be more compatible to my
clients. In the time I have had Office, I have attempted
to convert a spreadsheet and a database application to
Office

From what applications? Certainly most mainstream commercial spreadsheet
applications will do a "save as" in Excel format. (I can't speak for
databases as that's not my province, but most support exporting to csv
format I would suppose....)

 

[DL]

If you dont wish to reveal what software you were using, and what functions
are apparently 'missing', then yr tirade makes little sense.

 

[Rob Schneider]

You don't say what you were using. you don't say what you want to do.
You don't say what version of Office you are using. You don't say what
books you have read, nor the training you have completed. You had only
one reason to change, and yet you don't measure success against that
single reason, nor state if you had success or not. You keep looking
for work-arounds, instead of saying how you are learning the right ways
to do it. You don't say you don't have the resources to support a
change. You note that some questions in NG's (that you don't state
which they are) take weeks to get answers, yet you fail to notice the
ones that are answered quickly. You don't say that you've tried things
other than to ask questions in NG's.

You did everything right to fail. Declare success and move on.

 

[joust in jest]

It seems that you have to choose between two options:
(1.) Spend the resources necessary (time, money) to learn how to use
the software that your clients are using
(2.) Dump those clients who use MS Office and only service clients
who use the same software that you use.

steve

 

[Dave]

I have read the responses to my message. First, my
current software is not relevant. If Office had the same
(or better) functionality, this would not be an issue. To
make matters worse, Microsoft chose VB to make up for the
lack of functionality instead of developing decent
software in the first place. All this does is add more
complexity to using Office.

Second, "work arounds" are needed because the
functionality is not there. I need to use more steps in
Office to accomplish the same task, if it can be done at
all. Just because Office MAY do something in a different
way, does not make it the "right way" to do it. I need to
be comfortable with the way something is done, not take it
for granted that Office will do the task the way I want it
done.

Third, my "tirade" is that there are so many users that
have gotten dupped into using software that is so much
extra work to develop a spreadsheet or database
application. I just don't understand how this can
happen. I always thought that the user would help govern
what software "made it" in the marketplace. Either I am
naive or someone besides the user was involved.

Fourth, as a small business, I do not have the resources
to put into converting my spreadsheets and databases to
Office that larger businesses have. Because of the extra
work involved to develop an Office application, I am
liable to go out of business because I cannot afford to
keep up with it. [I would be curious to know how many
small businesses have folded because of this.]

 

[Gordon]

I have read the responses to my message. First, my
current software is not relevant.

Of COURSE it is relevant. If you tell us what it is, someone may have a
solution!

Dork.

 

[Rob Schneider]

I have read the responses to my message. First, my
current software is not relevant. If Office had the same

It is relevant since most respondents here will try to help. Without
knowing where you are coming from, it's impossible/difficult to help but
you aren't, it seems asking for help... only wanting to winge and vent,
it seems). No wonder you have business problems.

(or better) functionality, this would not be an issue. To
make matters worse, Microsoft chose VB to make up for the
lack of functionality instead of developing decent

Not really. You don't say what functionality you want or expect.

software in the first place. All this does is add more
complexity to using Office.

It does, if you use VB as the solution to your problems. It is not
necessarily the right solution and in general is a last resort.

Second, "work arounds" are needed because the
functionality is not there. I need to use more steps in
Office to accomplish the same task, if it can be done at

What tasks? Compared to what application?

all. Just because Office MAY do something in a different
way, does not make it the "right way" to do it. I need to

You have to start to learn that you are just dealing with a computer.
It is important to learn how to use the computer and the application.
It's not rocket science, but unless you learn how to use it and stop
fighting it (it's not a person), you'll continue to be frustrated.

be comfortable with the way something is done, not take it
for granted that Office will do the task the way I want it
done.

Never take this for granted.

Third, my "tirade" is that there are so many users that

How many? Who? About what?

have gotten dupped into using software that is so much
extra work to develop a spreadsheet or database
application. I just don't understand how this can

It is hard work and difficult to build spreadsheets and database
application. It requires knowledge, skill, education, and experience.
Professionally-trained and experienced people make careers at this sort
of things. Don't assume it's simple.

happen. I always thought that the user would help govern
what software "made it" in the marketplace. Either I am

They do. It's called who buys what. You clearly are not old enough to
know that before about 1993 or so there was no such thing as "Office"
and before about 1990 there was no such things as Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, and Access in Windows. A lot of other products were in the
market place users voted with their pocket book to move to Windows and
Office.

naive or someone besides the user was involved.

You are naive.

Fourth, as a small business, I do not have the resources
to put into converting my spreadsheets and databases to
Office that larger businesses have. Because of the extra

Then you are making the wrong business decision.

work involved to develop an Office application, I am
liable to go out of business because I cannot afford to
keep up with it. [I would be curious to know how many

That's life. There is nothing that says business have a "right" to
exist when they don't know how to exist.

small businesses have folded because of this.]

As have large businesses. Quite a few are big companies that competed
with and lost against Microsoft. Microsoft's battles are just starting.
We'll see if they are around in the same way in 15-20 years. They may
just be a passing pheonema (based on the pattern of the industry).

 

[admiral_victory]

You don't say what you were using. you don't say what you want to do.
You don't say what version of Office you are using. You don't say what
books you have read, nor the training you have completed. You had only
one reason to change, and yet you don't measure success against that
single reason, nor state if you had success or not. You keep looking
for work-arounds, instead of saying how you are learning the right ways
to do it. You don't say you don't have the resources to support a
change. You note that some questions in NG's (that you don't state
which they are) take weeks to get answers, yet you fail to notice the
ones that are answered quickly. You don't say that you've tried things
other than to ask questions in NG's.

You did everything right to fail. Declare success and move on.

I like it !

I wish I'd said that !

B.N.

 

[Deb in Nashville]

Keep the software you like.

Years ago I learned to program in dBase, which I loved. Then our office
switched to MS Access. I tried and tried to learn it and to do what I did in
dBase. My learning just didn't work and my frustration grew. I did have
the option of keeping dBase and so I did. Then I started using excel and
seeing what it could do. I tried to relearn Access and this time instead of
comparing it to dBase and trying to do things the dBase way, I compared
Access to Excel and saw how similar they were. Then when I realized Access
was not like dBase, I could learn it. It did take a long time. Now I do not
use dBase and do not miss it. I have learned that MS Access can do even
more.

My mistake was in thinking the two were more similar than they were and
expecting to be able to do what I did before.

If you have a choice keep the old software; it does what you want and need.
Maybe you can slowly clear Office and use it only for new types of things.
Or sell it on ebay! There will be plenty of bidders.