Hi Bosse:
Microsoft "has" fixed the issue: there is an update to Mac Office 2008 that
enables it to handle the XML format that PC Office produces, and there have
been two updates on the PC that correct the format that PC Office writes.
If both sets of patches are in place, you should not experience any
problems. Of the thousand-million-odd copies of Word in use around the
world, you are the only one reporting this issue "this week", so the fixes
are fairly effective.
It may be worth your while to start checking for things such as corrupt
templates on the PC side. If Word 2008 can handle the same file in RTF but
not in DOCX, that indicates there is something being written into the file
that Word 2008 can't handle. RTF is not a perfect copy of DOCX, there are
several object that Word 2007 can create in a document that RTF simply
ignores because it is not sophisticated enough to describe them.
Anything to do with the fundamental file format an application writes is
fairly major surgery: the level of analysis and testing required to make
sure you do not break a billion installed copies around the world is
extreme. It's the kind of fix that you budget for and schedule. Anything
else will turn a problem into a disaster.
The next version of Word is already released to manufacturing, too late to
change that one. The earliest they can change the file format is Office 15
(Word 2012). I don't know, but I suspect that Office 14 on the Mac (Office
2011) already contains the fix.
Hope this helps
John,
Many thanks - very helpful! I have applied all the latest updates on the Mac
side. Will open Font Book and resolve duplicate conflicts. I have also found a
workaround - simply using .rtf as file format on PC and Mac. Obviously, this
is not a satisfying solution due to file size etc. Astounding that Microsoft
is not fixing the issue now. Do you have any idea why? I mean, many people
must be affected!
Best wishes,
Bosse Lindquist
Swedish Television
--
The email below is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless I ask you to; or unless you intend to pay!
John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word), Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. | Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410 | mailto:
[email protected]