Susan flawed updates and thanks

[jlk]

Susan, yes, there's no reason why the cd should be
necessary for the removal of Works, but the ms article
said it was. I just don't understand (and I really try)
why these contradictory or confusing instructions seem to
be the norm and not exception.

But I was wondering, what kind of problems are in the add
in for Word that made you tell me to remove it? which I
certainly will do.

But I was wondering, what kind of problems are in the add
in for Word that made you tell me to remove it? which I
certainly will do.

As for your comments in defense of critical updates which
cause "inconveniences" because the worms or viruses out
there could trash our computers, I just had to respond to
that. My feeling is that if Microsoft wasn't so anxious
to get new products onto the market as fast as possible
before they are thoroughly tested, then the critical
updates wouldn't be necessary in the first place. I'm
certainly not the first person to say that on these
boards. I think MS is testing its products on the backs
of the end users.just ordinary people like me,(and
wasting our time, energy, not to mention the money we
spend trying to get the products to work) that I hardly
think inconvenience is the word. I have thought about it,
and somehow that doesn't seem right to me...but that's
just my feeling about it.

I've read so many posts on the numerous newsgroups here,
especially the Windows Update newsgroup, from people in a
panic, a fury, or simply stumped, and it is so depressing
to read these posts, but perhaps the best way to learn...
(for instance service pack 4 causing all sorts of
problems....no printers, etc.) that I'm always happy to
have someone make me laugh about it all, and some
newsgroup poster did, when he wrote "Microsoft is aware of
the problem in service pack 4 and maybe a fix will be
upcoming. Then again, so is Christmas."

Having said all that, Susan, I'm so glad there are people
like you out there who can help people like me. It doesn't
make the frustration go away, but when you write as you
do, clearly and straightforwardly, and especially (as was
the case for the cut and paste question I asked) when you
come up with a solution, it at least takes a little bit of
the edge off the frustration. Thank you again for your
help. I really appreciate it.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Here's Office MVP Beth Melton's description of what the Microsoft Works
Suite Add-in for Word is good for:

The "Works Suite Add-in" doesn't do much. It allows you to use a Works
database as a mail merge data source, use the Works Mail Merge Wizard, and
a few other minor options.

What it does poorly in Word is what it's best-known for. <g>

It will clear the Clipboard when Word starts, overpopulate or underpopulate
the Mail Merge command under the Tools menu, add overall instability of
Word, modify and save the Normal.dot each time Word exits, causing file
bloat and ultimately the corruption of Normal.dot, and those are just the
main items that crop up.

As you can see from Beth's description, if you're running Word freestanding
(not starting it from the Works Task Launcher) and don't expect to use a
Works database or address book as a data source for a mail merge in Word,
you're better off uninstalling the add-in. Its most pernicious effect is
making Word prompt you to save Normal.dot every time you quit Word, and we
strongly suspect it is implicated in the problem of saving a document in or
as Normal.dot.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://www.mvps.org/word
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Graham Mayor]

Suzanne has addressed the question. May I address the complaint.
Microsoft, like *all* other software producers tests its products, but like
all other software there will be bugs in those products. It is simply not
commercially viable or even possible to eliminate them all. This is why the
aeroplane you fly in will have three computers running different software
performing the same tasks.
Every day new software and hardware is introduced which moves the goalposts.
The success of Microsoft in the marketplace has brought another problem. The
more people that use it the more people there are to find fault. This tends
to give a distorted picture.
Because it is the biggest supplier, it is also the biggest victim of hacking
attacks, and the script kiddies are always one jump ahead. The updates you
complain of are an attempt to address that. I can assure you that if Linux,
for example, was the major platform, it would be Linux having the problems.
If you think that by choosing a word processor from another manufacturer it
would be any more reliable, then you are simply dreaming. It may work
differently, it may be better suited to what you want to do and to your way
of working, but more reliable? Not a chance!
And before you ask, I don't work for Microsoft!

--
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP
E-mail (e-mail address removed)
Web site www.gmayor.dsl.pipex.com
Word MVP web site www.mvps.org/word
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>>< ><<>

 

[jlk]

Graham, thank you for taking the time to explain what
until now has been unexplained and confusing, at best, for
me. I guess what you're saying is that MS is the big hero,
and the scriptkiddies, as you call them, want to bring
down the hero. That makes sense, of course. just seems to
me that there is a BETTER way than the current way to
address these problems. MORE testing before marketing,
would be one. I don't think anyone thinks that all the
holes and bugs can be found even if the products were
tested more, but it MIGHT alleviate some of the stress and
stop some of the scriptkiddies. Personally, I LIKE word
and have had few problems with it. As for another platform
being less a target than big MS is, well, all that's true.
which is why i'm considering using both this OS AND buying
a new Apple. I won't give up using this system, but it
would make me feel much better to have a second machine
and system separate from this one whose OS isn't the focus
of such attacks because of the scriptkiddies being one
step ahead. For them, i guess, it's no fun to mess with
Apple, who cares? right? Anyway, thank you for making a
reasoned and well written explanation of the issue. I
really appreciate it.

 

[Graham Mayor]

If it is any consolation, Word 2003 is being beta tested at the moment, by
thousands of people for launch (probably) next month. Will it be bug free?
Of course not. Some bugs will slip through the net and others will be
ignored, because they don't cause enough problems to justify the time and
cost of fixing them. That's little consolation of course if the thing
unfixed is the thing that you personally need more than anything else.

It is also very difficult to fix things until you know what needs to be
fixed, so until a hacker gets in there you don't always know what to block.
You could make the applications perfectly secure, but they are also supposed
to be simple to use, and the two don't go together. Some security measures
introduced have positively interfered with that ease of use.

Neither do I think the potential for problem will go away if you buy a Mac,
but don't let me put you off if that's what you want to do.

FWIW I am on-line around the clock. I work behind a firewall, and a
constantly updated copy of Norton AV. I run all my incoming e-mail traffic
through Mailwasher and am ruthless in discarding suspect material. I monitor
cookies with Cookie Pal and pop-ups with Xenobar. Constant vigilance means
that when my defences have been breached (rarely) that the problems are
quickly handled before they can be passed on to anyone else. I don't install
software - especially that from magazine cover discs - just to see what it
does, so my system runs with clock like precision, but just in case the
wheel comes off I regularly make Ghost images of the working discs so even
in the event of a major catastrophe, I can be back to speed in half an hour.

--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>>< ><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP
E-mail (e-mail address removed)
Web site www.gmayor.dsl.pipex.com
Word MVP web site www.mvps.org/word
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>>< ><<>

 

[Bruce]

I understand that MS is a target of hackers, etc. because
of its prevalence, and that its vulnerability to these
attacks has more to do with so many people attacking it
than with inherent flaws. At the same time, MS seems
anxious to roll out new products instead of addressing the
problems and shortcomings in the current ones. If I want
features not available in Word 2000, that is a reason to
upgrade to Word 2002. However, I shouldn't have to pay
for the newest version just to fix problems with what I
already own. Outline numbering styles are an example of
this. There are some helpful articles on how to tame the
beast, but there are also documented and undocumented bugs
that sometimes prevent it from working as planned
(unespected results, I think they call it). I could
provide details of what I have observed, but I won't do it
here. The biggest problem I have is that there is no
reliable way to contact MS or to report problems. I know
there are ways to send in comments and to "report"
complaints, but frankly I have little faith that such
input is noticed. I will continue to use Word and other
MS products, but I really would like to see more
responsiveness to current issues rather than a raft of new
features in the next version.