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Chat => Entertainment & Technology => Topic started by: Serious on December 16, 2006, 21:40:01 PM

Title: Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: Serious on December 16, 2006, 21:40:01 PM
Find and replace dialogue have a cancel button, which doesnt actually cancel anything you have done, and no exit button? :/

Must be them keeping up to the well known standards of Start/turn off computer.
Title: Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: Sweenster on December 16, 2006, 21:50:39 PM
MS works isnt full working software, it is a bundle software to make people think that a pc will be usable for word processing out of the box.

It is a stop gap until people realise they need office.

Title: Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: maximusotter on December 16, 2006, 22:52:24 PM
Works....spit. Horrid stuff. Its exactly as Sweenster said, a way to make you get frustrated and buy Office. I personally prefer Abiword for basic writing as its light, not trying to be a total DTP package, saves in .odf, and free. Please dont tell me youre writing your book in Works..please. :cry: :lol:
Title: Re:Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: Serious on December 17, 2006, 02:10:39 AM
I use a special writers proggie for that, small, lean and with some aids that no word processor has but the spellchecker isnt good so I use the one in works occasionally. Thing came with my lappy free so I might as well using it cause I paid the Gates tax for it. I really just wanted to find something in a large bit of text and it was the first thing available.

I write letters in OpenOffice, TBH I should do my book spell checking in it but cant be bothered.

Ive tried Abiword and the version I tried is better in Linux than on Windoze.
Title: Re:Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: Mongoose on December 17, 2006, 23:44:15 PM
works isnt worth the disk space TBH, there are so many more worthwhile things you could do with 500MB or however much that M$ bloat takes up these days. Thats got to be good for 250 photos from your Lumix for a start.
Title: Re:Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: Serious on December 18, 2006, 01:25:47 AM
I have 240GB internal (2x120GB drives) and another 250GB drive to go in if it gets tight so no worries there ;)

Its also version 8 so only a mere 160mb...?  :shock:
Title: Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: M3ta7h3ad on December 18, 2006, 01:36:43 AM
lol star office is free for students ;) lol could always just "say" you were a student :D lol.

I use that or OOffice. OOffice I have problems with however with regards to compatibility to microsoft office, work and uni all use ms office... so unless I print to pdf all the time, sometimes tables that look fine on my computer, naff up in ms office and vice versa.

Abiword used to be on my laptop. Worked great for just a word processor :) really low on resources too. :D
Title: Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: Sweenster on December 18, 2006, 10:16:51 AM
this is the problem of using one of the open source office programs, everyone else uses ms office still.

I have tried to use them but i have to ms office so my files actually work if i do anything other than just plain text.

Tis why they are trying to push the odf file format as a standard ahead of doc as then there is hope that ms will be forced to work in making the standard....

it was never going to happen with ms already owning the monopoly
Title: Re:Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: Serious on December 18, 2006, 15:58:23 PM
For book writers theres always .rtf It Works with just about everything :)
Title: Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: Deaths Head on December 18, 2006, 20:54:31 PM
Depends upon the version of MS Works, later versions included Word.
Title: Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: maximusotter on December 18, 2006, 21:18:25 PM
Whenever I exchange a document electronically, I do it via pdf. Mac and Linux both "print" to pdf out of the box. Its rude sending anything else unless its agreed upon. Its a shame MS needs add ons to produce what really is the defactor standard for electronic documents.
Title: Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: BigSoy on December 18, 2006, 22:11:24 PM
Quote from: maximusotterWhenever I exchange a document electronically, I do it via pdf. Mac and Linux both "print" to pdf out of the box. Its rude sending anything else unless its agreed upon. Its a shame MS needs add ons to produce what really is the defactor standard for electronic documents.

Thats fine for documents that only getting edited at one end, not so good when you need to pass documents around the team in a collaborative environment.
Title: Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: Beaker on December 18, 2006, 22:23:07 PM
Quote from: maximusotterWhenever I exchange a document electronically, I do it via pdf. Mac and Linux both "print" to pdf out of the box. Its rude sending anything else unless its agreed upon. Its a shame MS needs add ons to produce what really is the defactor standard for electronic documents.

PDF is a bloody annoying format.  one of the employment agencies im dealing with only sends stuff out in PDF, and it gets right on my tits.
Title: Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: Norphy on December 18, 2006, 22:23:59 PM
And I might point out that Microsoft has actually tried to get a PDF export facility put into Windows and Office but Adobe threw a major hissy fit when they did.
Title: Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: Serious on December 18, 2006, 22:26:56 PM
Quote from: maximusotterWhenever I exchange a document electronically, I do it via pdf. Mac and Linux both "print" to pdf out of the box. Its rude sending anything else unless its agreed upon. Its a shame MS needs add ons to produce what really is the defactor standard for electronic documents.

Most book publishers prefer rtf to anything else, send them a book in pdf format and they will most likely bin it.
Title: Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: Beaker on December 18, 2006, 22:39:58 PM
Quote from: NorphyAnd I might point out that Microsoft has actually tried to get a PDF export facility put into Windows and Office but Adobe threw a major hissy fit when they did.

only because Adobe sell Distiller, and if the PDF export facility was added without Adobe getting some money they would seriously lose out.
Title: Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: maximusotter on December 18, 2006, 23:09:17 PM
Quote from: Beaker
Quote from: maximusotterWhenever I exchange a document electronically, I do it via pdf. Mac and Linux both "print" to pdf out of the box. Its rude sending anything else unless its agreed upon. Its a shame MS needs add ons to produce what really is the defactor standard for electronic documents.

PDF is a bloody annoying format.  one of the employment agencies im dealing with only sends stuff out in PDF, and it gets right on my tits.

:shrug: Why? Its a great format. You might want to get a better viewer than Adobes which is a bit clunky, but for things you dont edit, its the clear winner.

Complaining about pdf strikes me as absurd as bitching about the forms being in English. :P
Title: Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: Beaker on December 18, 2006, 23:13:38 PM
Quote from: maximusotter
Quote from: Beaker
Quote from: maximusotterWhenever I exchange a document electronically, I do it via pdf. Mac and Linux both "print" to pdf out of the box. Its rude sending anything else unless its agreed upon. Its a shame MS needs add ons to produce what really is the defactor standard for electronic documents.

PDF is a bloody annoying format.  one of the employment agencies im dealing with only sends stuff out in PDF, and it gets right on my tits.

:shrug: Why? Its a great format. You might want to get a better viewer than Adobes which is a bit clunky, but for things you dont edit, its the clear winner.

Complaining about pdf strikes me as absurd as bitching about the forms being in English. :P

oh im fine with viewing them, its just they host them, and if im not on my own PC (i.e at work) they open up in the browser window.  Considering the fact where im working now has weird rights management on the AD it means im usually waiting 5-10 minutes for the frickin document to open.  I dont even mind HTML e-mails, in fact i send them myself often enough, but i loath the fact i usually have to open about a 7Mb file in my browser when ive only got 10Mb of profile space.
Title: Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: Sweenster on December 19, 2006, 01:45:03 AM
It is about time that adobe actually made a browser plugin that doesnt just halt the browser till it has the whole file.

You accidently click on a 50MB pdf and you are left with the choice of waiting for a long time for it to finally load or canning the browser.

The format is great, the software they expect to use with it isnt.

The worst problem i have come across is with acrobat and acrobat reader. They have absolutely crap printing options, which for a document viewer is appalling.
Title: Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: maximusotter on December 19, 2006, 02:28:15 AM
Quote from: SweensterIt is about time that adobe actually made a browser plugin that doesnt just halt the browser till it has the whole file.

Why use the plugin to begin with? Thats just over-integration. I have them automatically download into /tmp and open with Evince (nix) or Foxit (xp). That way if you get tired of waiting, you can just cancel the download. ;)
Title: Re:Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: Serious on December 19, 2006, 04:05:12 AM
Moved to Software and Web Development, some idiot doesnt know what the different forums are for... :roll:







:whoops:
Title: Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: Norphy on December 19, 2006, 09:32:37 AM
Quote from: Beakeronly because Adobe sell Distiller, and if the PDF export facility was added without Adobe getting some money they would seriously lose out.

According to Adobe, the PDF format is supposed to be open. Do you think that the myriad of free PDF readers and writers out there pay Adobe a license fee for it? Do you think the various Linux devs pay? Does OpenOffice? Does Apple?

Then wtf should Microsoft?
Title: Re:Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: Mongoose on December 19, 2006, 11:43:10 AM
yeah dislike them though I do I have to side with M$ on the PDF issue, they should be allowed to add it to Windows. Still there are plenty of freebe PDF "printer" software thingys out there.
Title: Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: Serious on December 19, 2006, 12:04:46 PM
Quote from: NorphyThen wtf should Microsoft?

Because they always try to screw it up? Look at what they did to their version of Java.

As to open, that means open, freely available, source code, not that people are allowed to screw around with it or install it in their own proggies. Adobie may allow others to do so but thats their choice.

for another way to look at it even if someone goes out to clubs and has sex with every girl available why should they have to have it with the most minging girl in the world?
Title: Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: Beaker on December 19, 2006, 12:11:25 PM
Quote from: Norphy
Quote from: Beakeronly because Adobe sell Distiller, and if the PDF export facility was added without Adobe getting some money they would seriously lose out.

According to Adobe, the PDF format is supposed to be open. Do you think that the myriad of free PDF readers and writers out there pay Adobe a license fee for it? Do you think the various Linux devs pay? Does OpenOffice? Does Apple?

Then wtf should Microsoft?

Because most (if not all) of the PDF readers and the like are free.  Office isnt.  If they allowed MS to bundle PDF writing into Office Adobe wouldnt see a penny.  Adobes sole problem with MS adding the functionality IIRC was that Adobe want a slice of the action, and MS dont want to give it them.  The actual licence runs along the lines of Free To Use for non-commercial applications, or with prior agreement.  
Title: Re:Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: snellgrove on January 07, 2007, 16:46:47 PM
http://docs.google.com

Good enough for most document writing I need to do - built in spell checking & automagically saves, has revisions so you can go back in time too if necessary.

Handles spreadsheets & documents, you can upload .doc / .xls etc and I generally print to .PDF like Max, if I need to
Title: Why does the M$ Works...
Post by: M3ta7h3ad on January 07, 2007, 17:22:26 PM
except it handles them poorly.

Very very poorly. Its just writely.com bought by google.