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Unbelievable!

Entry 768, on 2008-05-12 at 20:22:07 (Rating 3, Computers)

I'm a Mac computer consultant and programmer and I help many people at Otago University where we use a lot of Macs. My basic philosophy is to set the computers up the way the client feels most comfortable with. For example I try to install programs they are most familiar with and set up aliases, folder structures, etc to fit in with the way they like to work.

But I also like to try to advise people on the solutions I have found to be effective and I might even steer them in a particular direction when I can. One of the things I would really like to do is move them away from using Microsoft programs but the current reality is that they need them to interact with everyone else who already uses them.

So what's my point exactly? Well I was explaining why I have Microsoft Office installed on my computer. I don't use it myself, but I need it to help other people with it when it goes wrong (as it usually does).

When Microsoft Office 2008 was released I thought great, its finally here! It was the last major program to be converted to run on Intel Macs and I thought since they had taken so long and because Microsoft have had so much experience writing Intel code it might be quite good. I was even considering reversing my anti-Microsoft bias and using it.

But what a disappointment! Office 2008 is a hideous slow mess. I mean what are these people thinking? First they replace a mediocre but at least usable OS (Windows XP) with an "upgrade" that no one wants to use, then they do the same thing for the Mac version of Office. How can the PowerPC version (Office 2004) running in the Rosetta compatibility engine launch and run so much faster than the version designed specifically for the Intel processor?

Only Microsoft could be so incompetent. Its unbelievable. So that's it - they have had their last chance with me. This just confirms the essence of my previous anti-Microsoft rants: they always were a corrupt, incompetent company only good at using dirty business tricks to push their garbage products on computer users but they seem to have sunk to new depths now, both on the Mac and PC platforms.

They are on the way out as the preeminent computer company so its time for me to move on.

Comment 1 (1450) by Andrew on 2008-05-15 at 15:16:05:

Yes, and there is no Endnote plugin yet - which stops deployment. I wasn't blown away with the speed either. I was hoping as a universal app I'd stop hearing complaints about why is my office app so slow (and with coloured wheel pauses). It is fairly annoying to give people new machines and Office is terrible (and the majority probably just use Office, some email app and a web browser).

Sad to say but one lecturer showed up with this complicated Excel spreadsheet and was shocked at how quick it ran on a PC.

Comment 2 (1451) by OJB on 2008-05-15 at 16:21:47:

Good point. That is a major issue for us here at the University. I haven't heard an update on when EndNote will be ready. You are right about the speed on the PC too. The PC version is actually quite snappy. Maybe the Mac unit at Microsoft are labouring under the disadvantage of having to make the Mac product fit in with the PC coding model.

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