Microsoft Office Word

[Skid]

Question: I got a new computer and it doesn't have Word program loaded on it yet. Does anyone have a solution to where I might fnd the program without breaking the bank?

[Freebird]

You might want to download Open Office. It is free and seems to work very well. It will open Microsoft Office documents.

 

http://www.openoffice.org/

[halfwitt]

I just learned that my kids school district offers Microsoft Office 2007 to students and parents for $75. Check your local school district website. Then there is OpenOffice which is a free download and a very solid program

[friesman]

We have started offering google docs as an option to people in the School system I work for. It gives you word processing, spreadsheets and more and it stores them off your machine (if you like) so you can get at them anywhere. Also its all backed up on googles servers (if you want)so if your machine craps out you dont have to worry as its all on a server.

You will have to sign up for a free google account though, to get at this free bunch of apps.

 

http://www.google.com/google-d-s/intl/en/tour1.html

 

Brian

[GigaWhiskey]

I thought about using Google for documentation storing for the team I ran almost a year ago (an internal global IT HelpDesk) and toyed with it for a while. Then I did not want to take the chance that it would get hacked. Would have made the company I work for look bad and the stock price would have dropped for sure.

 

So I just built an internal site with database and search engine and it was adopted by multiple teams.

 

I am not saying that it is not a good alternative, just be careful of the content you leave there.

 

Wow, this is way off topic, sorry.

[SilvrT]

Just a bit of FYI... if you're familiar with MS Office pre-2003, stay away from newer versions... good old Microsoft figgured it was time to mess everybody up so they totally changed the program. I've been using (and teaching and supporting) Microsoft Word since it was a DOS program way back in the late 80's and every version change up to and including 2003 has been relatively easy to adapt to. The current versions are so different you pretty much have to learn everything over from scratch...even their file types are totally different...so much so that Microsoft has made available a convertor so that you can convert the documents backwards to older version.

 

When you have a captive audience....ya can do whatever you want. Talk about world power eh?

[GigaWhiskey]

I am running 2007 at work before everyone else. Man, are you ever soooooo right. They hacked this one up something special.

 

Toolbars are now ribbons, you can't hardly find a darn thing in them. It took me a couple weeks to figure out how to send a word doc as an email, the option was buried. It couldn't even find the GAL.

 

It is just not the same in a ton of different ways.

[Skid]

OK, while I'm gettig all this good advice, What are some good anti-viruses to load? I had Norton, adware, and Spybots before......

[GigaWhiskey]

My preference you pay for.

 

For free, AVG.

[Al Bates]

OK, while I'm gettig all this good advice, What are some good anti-viruses to load? I had Norton, adware, and Spybots before......

Used them all I have AVG on 4 machines, been using it for 5 years now. It's like 35.00 for 2 years (advance)for one machine, it may have went up in price, not sure. I saw it in Sam's club last week for $27.00 for two years (basic) I did use the free one for two years and like it so much I purchase the advance with spyware built in. AVG is the only anti-viruses I will use now.

[lonestarmedic]

If you are active, reserve, or retired military you can get full Office 2007 for $20.00. Also works for government civilians. If you are army, it is available through AKO. Can't remember the other branches but it is through the Microsoft HUP (Home Use Program).

It is available for both PC and MAC.

 

JB

[dr_bar]

Try Computer Associates version, it's licensed for 3 computers...

[BradT]

Just a bit of FYI... if you're familiar with MS Office pre-2003, stay away from newer versions...

The current versions are so different you pretty much have to learn everything over from scratch...even their file types are totally different...

 

I am running 2007 at work before everyone else. Man, are you ever soooooo right. They hacked this one up something special.

 

Toolbars are now ribbons, you can't hardly find a darn thing in them. It took me a couple weeks to figure out how to send a word doc as an email, the option was buried. It couldn't even find the GAL.

 

It is just not the same in a ton of different ways.

 

 

Agree we switched everyone over as well and what a pain, can't find anything.

 

NOT too mention the company customized the files and locked them so you can not change backgrounds colour etc... in Power point, and word.

 

Brad

[GigaWhiskey]

Colors, LOL, you know they are not missing much!!!! As little as it is, MS wasted their time even R&Ding it.

 

When this hits the company population, OMFG (excuse the language oh lord, Don and all else).

[BradT]

Colors, LOL, you know they are not missing much!!!! As little as it is, MS wasted their time even R&Ding it.

 

HAHA you do not like my Colour (CDN version).

 

Our company colour is on headers etc.. Power point does not allow for the standard page to be changed and again our company colours.

 

Not sure how they were able to change the standards and then lock it out, but they did it.

 

Brad

[GigaWhiskey]

Sounds like you and I are in a similar field Brad.

 

I just wanna put this out for Brian in Canada. Dude, don't hate me.

 

Skid, I feel like I am the cause of your thread going array. I apologize.

[SilvrT]

Because of what Microsoft has done, my employer had decided to move all our systems to OpenOffice. We find some situations where we require Office but for those, it is segregated to specific users (such as myself) and I can tell ya, I ain't upgrading beyond 2003 version. In fact, we implemented that decision 2 years ago when I started this job. For the most part, it's working out just fine.

[GigaWhiskey]

Vista, 2007, they both blow chucks, and they know it, LOL.

[BradT]

Vista, 2007, they both blow chucks, and they know it, LOL.

 

Related to Metzler ?

 

 

To those that like the Metzler, Ijust could not help myself.

 

Brad

[GigaWhiskey]

Dude, MAC rules!

[friesman]

Sounds like you and I are in a similar field Brad.

 

I just wanna put this out for Brian in Canada. Dude, don't hate me.

 

Skid, I feel like I am the cause of your thread going array. I apologize.

 

Hey Giga, no one hates you,,,,(except the owner of this thread...lol!)

 

Actually I am in a full MS operation and we havnt upgraded to anything newer than Office2003 either and it doesnt look like we are going to. We have an agreement with google apps and docs to host all of our 22000 students so it takes a big load off our need for storage downtown, and we are seriously looking at open office and already have it running on a couple hundred test machines.

 

Brian

 

Ps just replaced my first mac server yesterday with an HP w2k3 only 15 more to go to get all them mac OSX servers gone....lol

[az1103]

Dude, MAC rules!

 

Sorry guy, have to disagree..... I closed my business and retired 3 years ago but I used Mac for graphics since the first one came out and up to the G3. I can tell you that I never..ever updated their system without problems. I even specifically remember their System 10; It was sooo bad that I uninstalled it and threw it away!!!

The one good thing about them was that their support, although expensive, was vastly supperior to Microsoft's geniuses from Mumbai!!!!!

 

I do however agree with the general vein of this thread. Both Office and Vista, and particularly Vista are crap of the lowest sort!!!! And if you ever have to talk to their so called tech support, and who hasn't! Then you know what I mean about those geniuses from Mumbai, Manila, etc..etc...etc...

[GigaWhiskey]

Glad you do not hate. I am not a MAC admin as you may have been. I shore love it as a user at home. Makes getting on a computer enjoyable again when I get home. I like you as a person.

Edited September 10, 2008 by GigaWhiskey

[az1103]

Poor Skid!!!!! his question started an avalanche that went the wrong way! Get Open Office and forget Microsoft!!!

[GigaWhiskey]

I am not a MAC admin as you may have been. I shore love it as a user at home. Makes getting on a computer enjoyable again when I get home. I like you as a person.

 

Sorry guy, have to disagree..... I closed my business and retired 3 years ago but I used Mac for graphics since the first one came out and up to the G3. I can tell you that I never..ever updated their system without problems. I even specifically remember their System 10; It was sooo bad that I uninstalled it and threw it away!!!

The one good thing about them was that their support, although expensive, was vastly supperior to Microsoft's geniuses from Mumbai!!!!!

 

I do however agree with the general vein of this thread. Both Office and Vista, and particularly Vista are crap of the lowest sort!!!! And if you ever have to talk to their so called tech support, and who hasn't! Then you know what I mean about those geniuses from Mumbai, Manila, etc..etc...etc...

 

Hey AZ, get your chit straight. Somewhere in there I mentioned something about me NOT being a MAC admin and something about me being a HOME USER! In at leat some post on this forum. So do not include me your form of bashing when I am NOT invovled.