| Author |
Message |
W. Dean Walker, AIA, CCS, SCIP
Senior Member
Username: wdwalkerspecs
Post Number: 10
Registered: 08-2006
| | Posted on Friday, May 11, 2007 - 04:42 pm: |    |
Word 2007: Anyone using it and how do you like it? |
Marc C Chavez
Senior Member
Username: mchavez
Post Number: 202
Registered: 07-2002
| | Posted on Friday, May 11, 2007 - 05:23 pm: | |
1. takes up more screen real estate (tool bars not as compact.)
2. Format different creates .docx files
3. MasterSpec Masterworks will not work until Arcom comes out with a fix late this summer
4. don't know about other macros yet, BUT if they reference the menus I bet you'll have problems.
5. Other than that... more features because you JUST GOT to have features. |
W. Dean Walker, AIA, CCS, SCIP
Senior Member
Username: wdwalkerspecs
Post Number: 11
Registered: 08-2006
| | Posted on Friday, May 11, 2007 - 05:29 pm: | |
Thanks, Marc.
I need to get a new computer and will probably have it built so that I'm not married to VISTA as seems to be standard on new computers today. |
Ron Beard CCS
Senior Member
Username: rm_beard_ccs
Post Number: 200
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Friday, May 11, 2007 - 06:15 pm: | |
I've heard that one can get new computers with both windows and mac operating systems. Anyone have experience with this? |
Margaret G. Chewning FCSI CCS
Senior Member
Username: presbspec
Post Number: 125
Registered: 01-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, May 12, 2007 - 06:23 pm: | |
I just got a new computer with the windows XP and Word 2007. The new Word is interesting getting used to. The new menus I can deal with. they have slowed me down a bit, but the biggist issue I have, is when I need to "bounce" between two documents, there is a lag time there that is aggravating. Not sure if it's Word or the computer (which is supposed to be faster than my old one, a '98 gateway upgraded twice). Has anyone else had that problem? and solved it? |
Melissa J. Aguiar, CSI, CCS, MAI, SCIP
Senior Member
Username: melissaaguiar
Post Number: 43
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, May 12, 2007 - 10:07 pm: | |
I HAD to buy a new computer about month ago for my new office. I HAD to use VISTA os and then had to purchase new Office Suite which cost me 500.00 on top of computer costs.
I am still trying to understand new software. Word is horrible. I have used Word starting back with 3.1 many years ago and this one is the pits.
1. Had hard time trying to find properties to turn off adminstrator settings which did not allow program to run on my new computer. I found them though, little stinkers!
2. New computer has more RAM than last computer but it runs slower than XP system.
3. Anytime that I try to get it to do a task, a little blue ring shows up at my cursor and it takes it forever to think before it acts.
4. Macros are ok. I have used them. The icon was located in a weird area though.
5. I do not understand why they went and messed up the toolbars from XP. I could deal with XP toolbars, but the new ones are crazy.
6. I have a cheaper Pdf program from last year, it is called ScanSoft PDF Creator Professional, 3.0 and tried to install without success. Called manufacturer, they will not provide patch. They said buy 4.1 version instead. So now I am out my pdf software. I am seriously debating to go to Adobe, it is costly but they probably stand behind product and provide patches and driver updates.
7. I also have Corel Paint Shop Pro X, and the manufacturer did have patch for it to work with Vista os.
I have many other items in which I have learned about the new os and new office software. If you have questions, you can email me and I will try to help you.
mjaguiar@prodigy.net |
John Bunzick, CCS, CCCA
Senior Member
Username: bunzick
Post Number: 714
Registered: 03-2002
| | Posted on Monday, May 14, 2007 - 08:38 am: | |
I have not used it. However, I've only just mastered the changes in Word 2003 which I started using about a year ago when I changed jobs. (Though I have used 2007 occasionally at home for a few years, I never put it through the paces like at work.) Inevitably, Microsoft will have changed menus, moved commands to (seemingly) obscure places, and taken away some of my favorite shortcuts. I do like Word, but it does suffer from substantial feature bloat. Unfortunately, they haven't added a feature I really loved or needed in at least three versions, and a number of tasks I do frequently now require many more mouse clicks or key strokes to accomplish. Good luck to all, and lets trade tips on where our good ole favorites are now hiding. |
Margaret G. Chewning FCSI CCS
Senior Member
Username: presbspec
Post Number: 126
Registered: 01-2003
| | Posted on Monday, May 14, 2007 - 09:02 am: | |
One thing I have found is that once you have it set up, its faster to convert page format (header/footer and styles, and margins) from "whatever" to something that resembles reason. It takes some thought, and time to do the first time, and I save my header for each project as an insert quicklink which works pretty well. As I'm getting used to it, I'm finding some shortcuts.
However, that lag time when bounceing between doc's is a pain! Doesn't happen with the other Office programs such as excel that opens right up. Just Word.
Any one with an explanation and solution? |
W. Dean Walker, AIA, CCS, SCIP
Senior Member
Username: wdwalkerspecs
Post Number: 12
Registered: 08-2006
| | Posted on Monday, May 14, 2007 - 09:08 am: | |
It sounds to me like I should stay with Word 2003 as long as I can if I want to stay as productive as I have been. As I use Masterworks extensively, until ARCOM has worked out the bugs I had better leave well enough alone and get my new computer with XP with an option in the future to upgrade to VISTA. |
Richard Howard, AIA CSI CCS LEED-AP
Senior Member
Username: rick_howard
Post Number: 133
Registered: 07-2003
| | Posted on Monday, May 14, 2007 - 09:57 am: | |
When you purchase a new computer, there is no reason you cannot get older software installed, either formatting the hard drive (which also gets rid of all the junk software that comes loaded on new machines) or on a separate partition using a dual-boot setup. Copies of older software are relatively cheap once a newer version comes out. Also, if you are retiring a computer, you can move your licensed copies of software from the old to the new one. You just need to make sure it can be authenticated so that you continue to get updates as they are released.
Computer makers can sell you remanufactured computers with software versions that were current at the time they were initially manufactured. Most of these are returned stock that have never been out of the box and the "remanufacture" consists of adding the updates to the original software versions. You can save hundreds of dollars by buying this way, but you may not get the absolute latest processor. However, since Vista was just rolled out, there is a brief window of opportunity to get an XP machine with the best available processor. |
Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP
Senior Member
Username: lazarcitec
Post Number: 373
Registered: 05-2003
| | Posted on Monday, May 14, 2007 - 10:10 am: | |
This is why I remain addicted to Wordperfect, esp. the current X3 version - down with Word!!! Ok so there remains some compatability problems, but there are too many other things to do in a day than have to worry about my bread and butter word processing program...enuf said. |
Ron Beard CCS
Senior Member
Username: rm_beard_ccs
Post Number: 201
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Monday, May 14, 2007 - 10:59 am: | |
Jerome:
Amen on WordPerfect.
I have been considering switching to Mac on my next computer. But, IIRC, WordPerfect is not very well accepted by Apple, except maybe some of the older WP versions. Is there anyone out there using WP on Mac? |
Mark Gilligan SE, CSI
Senior Member
Username: markgilligan
Post Number: 168
Registered: 05-2005
| | Posted on Monday, May 14, 2007 - 11:21 am: | |
For those who will not be upgrading soon to Word 2007 shortly, there is a problem an a fix. Word 2007 has introduced a new file format but Microsoft offers a free download that will allow the older versions to read the new file formats. |
Nathan Woods, CCCA, LEED AP
Senior Member
Username: nwoods
Post Number: 206
Registered: 08-2005
| | Posted on Monday, May 14, 2007 - 11:22 am: | |
Mac comes with a program called Bootcamp that allows you to load Windows as a separate item. Meaning, you have to reboot into Windows instead of Mac, but you can do it on the same Mac hardware platform.
Fortunately, there is a better way! There is software for Mac called "Parallels" ($80) and it allows you to run Windows simultaneously with Mac. XP (or Vista) is in its own window and you can even drag and drop between operating systems, which is pretty cool.
Mac's are not magical. Their hardware is now very identical to a PC's, but costs $1,000 more. The Mac OS is very nice, but not perfect, and longtime PC users will find some annoyances (browsing for files: Window's Explorer is better than Finder in my opinion).
The biggest issue with going to Mac is software costs. Far less competition, MUCH higher software fees for everything. I priced out a 15" Macbook Pro the other day at over $4200 including the software I needed. The hardware alone was $3,000, and the specs are comparable to a $1,200 Toshiba laptop.
I really don't see the magic., but if I had the money, I would buy a Mac over Vista.
NOTE: The current Mac hardware is 64 bit, but the OS is not! The new Mac OS comes out in October, so until then, you are running a 32 bit OS on a 64 bit machine, which means you are not getting top performance out of it. And of course, being a Mac, you need to buy the new OS at full purchase price.... |
Ron Beard CCS
Senior Member
Username: rm_beard_ccs
Post Number: 202
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Monday, May 14, 2007 - 10:56 pm: | |
Nathan:
Thanks. Your comments have been very enlightening.
Ron |
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