Microsoft Office v. X for Mac Review

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(More customer reviews)Office is far and away the best thing Microsoft does, and probably the main reason for their dominance in the software industry. The Mac OS X version of Office is generally regarded as superior to the Windows version, so this is the very best version of all. Having used a trial version for a month, I have to admit that it is in many respects very impressive. Although it occassionally misbehaves, for the most part it works splendidly with the OS X operating system. The interface is very nice: it looks better even than Apple's office suite, Appleworks. It does sometimes hog a little more CPU when it's open but not being used, but that's typical of 3rd party carbon ports.
Despite the many fine qualities of his app, I cannot give it a complete endorsement. I suspect that many people buy MS Office because of its prestige and its dominance in the market, not because they necessarily need it. If you rarely use spreadsheet, don't really need to make presentations, and don't need all the extra features of MS Word, then you don't need this application. Excel and Powerpoint are industry standards. If you're in business and you need such things, those are the ones to have. If you're not, you don't really need them. The spreadsheet and presentation program that comes with Appleworks will do fine. (Or if you don't have Appleworks, install XDarwin and use gnumeric or KOffice for free.) As for MS Word, well, to tell the truth, I prefer the Appleworks: it's simply easier to use. In all the times I've used Appleworks, I've never had to go to the help browser to figure out how to accomplish something. With MS Word, even a simple task such as changing or realligning paragraphs requires a visit to the annoying little help box. While I recognize the awesome power of the program, I just don't need anything quite that sophisticated. I suspect that there are a number of people out there who shell out the big bucks for MS Word or Office but who don't really need its power. There's no reason for that. Nor is there any reason to buy it just so you can open us MS Word documents. Appleworks, Abiword, and OpenOffice will open all but the most sophisticated word docs. As for those they can't open, well, let's face it: Mac and Linux users really need to begin putting pressure on people to send documents in file types that use open standards, like rtf and PDF. There's no reason why non-Windows users should cooperate in extending Microsoft's dominance in the market.

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Microsoft Office v. X is a fully native program designed specifically for Mac OS X that harnesses the power of Office, the simplicity of Macintosh, and the stability of Unix. Office v. X has been completely redesigned with a fresh new Aqua interface. Office v. X supports all Mac OS X features and technologies, and has Mac-only features like Formatting Palette, Microsoft Word Data Merge Manager, Microsoft Excel List Manager, and Microsoft PowerPoint Movies. Office v. X includes Microsoft Word X, Excel X, PowerPoint X, and Entourage X, for Mac.
The modern user interface within Office v. X has been completely redesigned to include a bold new Aqua visual appearance--a perfect representation of what an application running on the new Mac OS X should look and feel like. Communication is a snap. E-mail is made even easier in Entourage X by allowing connections to Microsoft Exchange servers, Hotmail, and Mac.com so users can more efficiently manage e-mail online and off. With the integrated and improved Entourage calendar, you can easily organize your schedule and set reminders for important events and projects.
Office v. X is compatible with Office 2001 for Mac, Office 98 Macintosh Edition, Office for Microsoft Windows, AppleWorks 6, and FileMaker Pro 5.5., so you can share files with anyone, whether they use a Mac or a PC. Keep track of contacts with the comprehensive Address Book, which stores all of your contact information and lets you locate an address on a map or find driving directions from Expedia.com. Improved task reporting, calendar functions, and international time zone adjustments make time management even easier. Easily access customizable templates for résumés, catalogs, newsletters, calendars, and more from the Project Gallery. The Clip Art Gallery, including hundreds of images, provides tools to make working with graphics quick and easy.
Note to users attempting to install Office v. x for Mac on new Apple hardware systems: Customers that have the Office v. X Test Drive Installed when attempting to install Office v. X may experience installation failure. The Test Drive is currently pre-installed on the PowerBook 12- and 17-inch models, as well as the 15- and 17-inch LCD iMacs. To facilitate successful installation, it will be necessary to remove the Test Drive by quitting any Microsoft Office applications and running the Remove Test Drive application located in /Applications/Microsoft Office X/Remove Test Drive. For more information on the Test Drive and its effect on your new Mac PC, please visit the Mactopia website at www.microsoft.com/mac.

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