Use Office v. X on new MacBook Pro?

[AllegraKussman]

I am about to purchase a new MacBook Pro and want to install the
Office package. I currently have the version X, S&T edition. I have
taken note of the updates in the 2004 edition, but really just need
some basic input about whether or not to purchase the 2004 edition or
stick with v. X. I use the suite primarily for word processing and
some spreadsheets. I will be using PowerPoint more heavily as well,
ultimately opening those files on my PC at work - I don't know what
version of Microsoft they are running there.

Also...can I just purchase an upgrade for the v. X that I do have?
Are upgrades available for the S&T editions?

Thanks!

 

[CyberTaz]

You can't upgrade from S/T to S/T - that's why the price is so low - you
have to repurchase the new version if you qualify for S/T pricing.

However, the S/T Office X *can* be used to upgrade to Standard or
Professional Office 2004 (but don't waste your money on Pro - the one thing
that makes it more expensive is Virtual PC, for which you'll have no use).

I'm sure you'll get several responses on whether to go ahead & upgrade now,
but I would say it's a pretty good move. You'll get some explanations about
why on both sides of the issue... And of course the release of 2008 is
anticipated the last half of this year.

Unfortunately I have to run out & pick up dinner, so I'll leave it to others
to sway you one way or the other

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Diane Ross]

I am about to purchase a new MacBook Pro and want to install the
Office package. I currently have the version X, S&T edition. I have
taken note of the updates in the 2004 edition, but really just need
some basic input about whether or not to purchase the 2004 edition or
stick with v. X. I use the suite primarily for word processing and
some spreadsheets. I will be using PowerPoint more heavily as well,
ultimately opening those files on my PC at work - I don't know what
version of Microsoft they are running there.

Office X is end of life software. It is not Daylight Saving Time compliant.
I would wait until 2008 is released and purchase it. You have invested quite
a bit of money in your MacBook Pro and to get the most out of it¹s
performance you need the latest software.

Also...can I just purchase an upgrade for the v. X that I do have?
Are upgrades available for the S&T editions?

There are no paths to upgrade the S&T edition.
--
Diane Ross, Microsoft Mac MVP
Entourage Help Page
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/>
One of the top five MS Entourage resources listed on the Entourage Blog.
<http://blogs.msdn.com/entourage/>

 

[AllegraKussman]

Okay...that makes sense. But in the meantime what software do I use
to produce documents, presentations, etc. ?? The problem is that as a
teacher I am using my summer to plan for next year....once the fall
rolls around I need to be able to transfer those files onto a work
computer (PC), which of course runs all Office programs..... ??

I'm also confused -- on one hand Bob says that the X version CAN be
used to upgrade to the 2004 standard....but Diane says it can't?

I really do appreciate and need all of this feedback -- thank you!

 

[Diane Ross]

You can¹t upgrade a S&T edition to another S&T edition. Bob is correct in
that you can use it to upgrade to a standard edition. I¹m not sure the MS
upgrade price is so great....just a guess...you might do better on eBay.
Just be sure to get a legitimate copy.

Go ahead and install Office X and update it for now. When Office 2008 comes
out, get the new version.

 

[John McGhie]

I think everyone is actually agreeing for once: WAIT for 2008

In the meantime install (and update) Office X. It will run just fine for
now, if it's fully updated. (Remember: When you reinstall, you must
re-apply all he updates.)

Office 2008 will be a huge leap forward: wait for it

Cheers

Okay...that makes sense. But in the meantime what software do I use
to produce documents, presentations, etc. ?? The problem is that as a
teacher I am using my summer to plan for next year....once the fall
rolls around I need to be able to transfer those files onto a work
computer (PC), which of course runs all Office programs..... ??

I'm also confused -- on one hand Bob says that the X version CAN be
used to upgrade to the 2004 standard....but Diane says it can't?

I really do appreciate and need all of this feedback -- thank you!

--
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]

 

[AllegraKussman]

Okay. So.... forgive me if my questions seem silly - I am a novice!

I'm going to order the laptop. I will not get the Office 2004.

When my computer comes, I will use the disc I have now to install
Office X, S&T right? And then -- to update it -- How can I go about
doing that?? And what do I update it to...the Office Standard 2004?
Do I need to purchase another disc...? Is it something I can download
online? Ebay???? Ah! (hahaha) John confused me a bit by suggesting
that I "install (and update) Office X" but then reminding me to
"reinstall [and] reapply all the updates") I'm not quite sure how
those two fit together.

THANK you, again, for the help.

 

[CyberTaz]

Hello Again - see I told you some other fish would bite - and a couple of
pretty big ones too!

Re what John wrote - be clear on the distinction between up*grade* and
up*date* - upgrade pertains to new version releases, such as Office X ->
Office 2004 which involve a cost to the user, whereas update are
version-specific interim "fixes" to the software supplied gratis. IOW,
version 10.0 to 10.1 to 10.1.8 are updates & then going to version 11 is an
upgrade. But you are right as far as installing Office X from your current
CD...

John's point is that when you do the install you will be installing whatever
version of Office X is on the disk - which is probably v. 10.0 - and the
"current" build of that version is 10.1.9 - so you will need to apply the
update to bring what you install "up-to-date"*. The necessary updater is a
free download available from the Mactopia web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.aspx?pid=download&location=/mac/downl
oad/OFFICEX/OfficeX_1019.xml

What you need to REMOVE before installing Office X is the Office 2004 Test
Drive (trial version) that will be on your new Mac. Best bet is to not even
run any part of that at all. Just drag the Test Drive folder from the
Applications folder to the Trash & empty the Trash. If there is *any* doubt
at all as to whether any of the programs in the Test Drive have been used it
will be necessary to run the Remove Office Utility before installing Office
X - in fact, it won't hurt to do son anyway. Instructions are available if
you need them... Just post back when the time comes.

*You'll probably be prompted to do so when you install Office. There will
most likely be a similar prompt to update OS X as well when you first start
up the new Mac - the installed OS version may not be fully current when you
receive the unit.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[CyberTaz]

<snip>

I think everyone is actually agreeing for once:

<snip>

By golly I think you're [pretty much] right!!

I don't want to spoil the occasion, but just to offer a thought;

The OP apparently qualifies for S/T 2004 which can be had for <US$149 -
certainly not an insignificant amount, but not outrageous, either. As you
have pointed out on numerous occasions it does offer some distinct
advantages compared to X, and quite frankly there is no reliable indication
of when 2008 will be available... "Second half of 2007" could be another 6
months even if the press release is on target.

If there was an *announced* release date - even 3-4 months down the road -
I'd be fully aboard the "wait for 2008" bandwagon, but I'm afraid I'm
dragging my feet just a little. If it were my decision to make - and it were
in the budget - I believe I'd go ahead & upgrade to 2004 now... Who knows -
If a release date is announced in the next several months MS may offer retro
consideration for recent purchasers of '04 to upgrade to 2008 at a reduced
rate as they did from X to '04. OTOH, if the release of '08 is delayed past
the first of the year, the newer ('04) version will have proved well worth
the investment.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[AllegraKussman]

I appreciate everyone's input. With every suggestion I become more
computer literate, so thank you.

Yeah - I'm starting to wonder if it would simply be easier at this
point to purchase the 2004 edition simply to feel a bit more in line
with the direction the software is going and perhaps facilitate the
switch to the 2008 version, if I choose to do so when it is released.
I don't know much about how one version flows into the next as far as
upgrades go --- is it wrong to think that the switch from version X to
the 2008 might be more buggy than moving from the 2004 to the 2008?

Also -- just to make sure I'm fully clear -- if I purchase the 2004
S&T today....in order to upgrade to the 2008 I'd either have to pay
some amount and upgrade to the Standard version OR repurchase a new
S&T 2008 version, yes?

 

[Michel Bintener]

I don't know much about how one version flows into the next as far as
upgrades go --- is it wrong to think that the switch from version X to
the 2008 might be more buggy than moving from the 2004 to the 2008?

I don't think so. You mentioned that you use PowerPoint quite often, and
PowerPoint documents created with PowerPoint v.X will open flawlessly in
both PowerPoint 2004 and PowerPoint 2008, since the file format is the same.
In other words, there should be no problem in moving from Office v.X to
Office 2008.

Also -- just to make sure I'm fully clear -- if I purchase the 2004
S&T today....in order to upgrade to the 2008 I'd either have to pay
some amount and upgrade to the Standard version OR repurchase a new
S&T 2008 version, yes?

If Microsoft does not change the upgrade requirements, then yes, this should
be the case. Either buy the upgrade version or the S&T version. If you are
eligible for the S&T edition, I would recommend that one, since it is
cheaper than the upgrade edition. There are some restrictions, though; for
instance, you are not allowed to use the S&T edition for commercial
purposes.

To answer your original question: Office 2004 does have a vast number of
improvements over Office v.X, and depending on how frequently you use the
applications, you should seriously consider getting Office 2004 now. At the
same time, it won't be too long before Office 2008 is released, which is why
I would wait if I were you.

--
Michel Bintener
Microsoft MVP
Office:Mac (Entourage & Word)

***Always reply to the newsgroup.***

 

[John McGhie]

Hmmm... Well, we are all speculating here. Those who know when Office 2008
is coming out are not allowed to tell us. Those who tell us, don't know.

I agree with Bob that we have no clear indication of when Office 2008 will
come out, and some of us believe it is running late.

I also agree that Office 2004 runs better on later versions of OS X.
Although the difference is not great. Not enough to persuade me to buy it
when the new version is coming in less than a year.

To save upgrade worries going into the future, at some point you need to
upgrade to the Full version. I would do that at the time that you change to
Office 2008.

For the first time, Office X/2004 and Office 2008 will be almost totally
unrelated. Office 2008 is a very major change indeed. In auto terms, it's
as if they jacked up the hood and drove a new car underneath! There's not
much of the old code left. Although, of course, I don't "know" that, and I
didn't "say" that -- right?

So while I think we can depend on it having a liberal supply of bugs (every
large and complex piece of software has, including OS X...) these will be
brand new made-for-leopard bugs. The old bugs we know and love will all be
replaced by new, upgraded bugs.

The same bugs will hit us whether we upgrade from Office 2001 or Office X or
Office 2004, or if we have never installed Office before. So it's false
logic to waste money on Office 2004 now hoping to get fewer bugs in Office
2008 when it arrives. You won't, you will get just the same bugs. And the
upgrade price is the same, regardless of which version you upgrade "from".
You either have a qualifying previous version, or you don't. Same price.

On the other hand, when we do get Office 2008, it will be wise to allow
Office 2008 to convert all the files we have into its new format. Office X
does not have some of the features of Office 2004. So its files are very
slightly simpler. And that means they will be slightly easier to convert,
and may thus produce slightly less trouble when you do convert them.

Let me hasten to add that you do not HAVE to convert files to use them in
Office 2008. (Well: Office 2008 can only work in the new format, so it
will convert them anyway, but it will save them back to the old format when
you quit, if you so insist.)

You can continue to use the old file formats: but that would be silly. The
main advantage of Office 2008 is that the new file format is very much more
reliable than the old one.

The only time you might choose not to convert is if you have some
non-Microsoft application that can read only the old formats: this is not
likely to be an issue except in large corporations.

Hope this helps

I appreciate everyone's input. With every suggestion I become more
computer literate, so thank you.

Yeah - I'm starting to wonder if it would simply be easier at this
point to purchase the 2004 edition simply to feel a bit more in line
with the direction the software is going and perhaps facilitate the
switch to the 2008 version, if I choose to do so when it is released.
I don't know much about how one version flows into the next as far as
upgrades go --- is it wrong to think that the switch from version X to
the 2008 might be more buggy than moving from the 2004 to the 2008?

Also -- just to make sure I'm fully clear -- if I purchase the 2004
S&T today....in order to upgrade to the 2008 I'd either have to pay
some amount and upgrade to the Standard version OR repurchase a new
S&T 2008 version, yes?

--
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]