Petrified

[VickyVee]

I am a writer and just picked up a new Powerbook, and Microsoft Office.
However, I am petrified to switch my last ten years of writing/Word
files over to the Mac. They all work fine on the Mac. But I'm worried
that, years later, if I'm using a PC again, the files will have
formatting and other errors. I'd hate to have errors in what amounts to
my life's work. So I'm thinking of returning the Mac, though I love it,
and staying with a PC.

So, the question here is: Am I going to have problems with my files (in
various word formats dating back some ten years)when I alter/resave
them on a Mac and then open them on a PC years later?

I don't care if a font or something changes, but has anyone had major
problems with compatability btwn Mac/PC?

Please help while I still have time to return the Powerbook...
Thanks,
VV

 

[JE McGimpsey]

So, the question here is: Am I going to have problems with my files (in
various word formats dating back some ten years)when I alter/resave
them on a Mac and then open them on a PC years later?

All WinWord 97/00/02/03 and MacWord 98/01/v.X/04 files share the exact
same file format, so you will have no problem with compatibility for
resaved past files, or new files in the foreseeable future.

That's not to say that either WinWord or MacWord of 2014 will still be
able to open Word4 format files - nobody can predict what MS will do in
that regard (or even if Word will still be a viable product). But the
files produced by any of the above versions will be compatible.

I don't care if a font or something changes, but has anyone had major
problems with compatability btwn Mac/PC?

If you're not using macros that depend on VBA6 (MacVBA is VBA5,
equivalent to WinWod97), you'll have few if any problems with file
compatibility. Fonts will definitely change, usually in a subtle way,
but often enough to cause different paginations (but the same thing
happens between WinTel machines with different fonts).

There are features of each platform that aren't supported on the other,
of course, but that doesn't affect compatibility either - the
unsupported features are just ignored.

 

[Clive Huggan]

All WinWord 97/00/02/03 and MacWord 98/01/v.X/04 files share the exact
same file format, so you will have no problem with compatibility for
resaved past files, or new files in the foreseeable future.

That's not to say that either WinWord or MacWord of 2014 will still be
able to open Word4 format files - nobody can predict what MS will do in
that regard (or even if Word will still be a viable product). But the
files produced by any of the above versions will be compatible.


If you're not using macros that depend on VBA6 (MacVBA is VBA5,
equivalent to WinWod97), you'll have few if any problems with file
compatibility. Fonts will definitely change, usually in a subtle way,
but often enough to cause different paginations (but the same thing
happens between WinTel machines with different fonts).

There are features of each platform that aren't supported on the other,
of course, but that doesn't affect compatibility either - the
unsupported features are just ignored.

Vicky,

I work on Word files that go between PCs and Macs all the time. I own PCs
and Macs. There is no problem with current Word file configurations unless,
for example, someone has used hard page breaks and has simply emboldened
Normal for headings -- then you can get, respectively, pages with only one
line of text (it's overflow from the previous page, caused by very slightly
different font metrics -- though it happens to a lesser extent on the same
platform between different computers -- before the hard page break is
applied) and headings at the bottom of the page. These shortcomings are
easily corrected. Post back if you need more information.

I endorse entirely what JE said.

Cheers,

Clive Huggan
Canberra, Australia
(My time zone is at least 5 hours different from the US and Europe,
so my follow-on responses to those regions can be delayed)
============================================================

 

[Tony]

Hi,

There is also a product to translate and batch translate among word
processor formats (just in case): MacLinkPlus Deluxe.

http://www.dataviz.com/

That is.

---

 

[Stoptime]

Ah, this is why I love the Internet. Thanks! I've backed up my files
on CD, and transferred them all over to the Mac with peace of mind.
Thanks for sharing your experiences. And those Dataviz programs really
put my mind to ease: at least I know there's always a way to rescue a
file caught between OSs.

Newly Satisfied Mac User,
VV

 

[Gene van Troyer]

I am a writer and just picked up a new Powerbook, and Microsoft Office.
However, I am petrified to switch my last ten years of writing/Word
files over to the Mac. They all work fine on the Mac. But I'm worried
that, years later, if I'm using a PC again, the files will have
formatting and other errors. I'd hate to have errors in what amounts to
my life's work. So I'm thinking of returning the Mac, though I love it,
and staying with a PC.

Vicky,

I sympathize. Fortunately, Word has a very long memory when it comes to file
formats. Have have files dating all the way back to Word 3.0 (that's the
original Mac era), and I have been able to open them in the most recent
versions of Word. I have also seldom encountered any problems with documents
the older versions of Word for the PC. One good thing Microsoft has always
done is to ensure backward file compatibility.

So don't return that Mac. You'll always regret it. On top of that, do keep
in mind that there are always other apps that can open Word files and
convert them.

On a more general level, you are always going to be faced with the prospect
of computing changing to such a degree that any older file format may be
superceded. It's probably a good idea to save all of your previous work in
archival PDFs and plain ASCII text as well as Word files, and keep them on a
storage medium that has a format that will be around for a long time.

In addition to PAPER COPIES...

Gene van Troyer