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Microsoft Office 2007 Home and student vs I Work

V

van2010rulz

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 13, 2010
152
2
So if you guys have read my previous threads you know that im in search of a mac. Not going to go over specs but anyway. As a pc user looking for an upgrade and to try something different, i have now come to the crossroad on what to buy for word processing and the works. Now i have been using office 2007 for the past year and a half and have rehabilitated to the new format. Since the pc version of office 2007 will not run on a mac and i will be forced to pay $150 for the one for the mac. Which is better. I works it only $100 in Canada (going to make that clear i live in Canada) Will i miss Office 2007 or will i work be something that i will enjoy to work with.

Thanks
 
Iwork for me. They are nice looking and powerful enough for my homework. I can also export in PDF. They look neat in PDF, and avoid potential compatibility problem with softwares on PC. You can also export them in word, excel format. But there are problems in reverse. Numbers doesn't read functions and symbols in Excel files very well. Pages has problems with pictures and tables in word documents. So it depends on your use. I don't copy a lot of documents from Office except the questions of homework.
 
I think that im going to have to go with Office. The things i hear about compatibility scares me. The though of not being able to access a document because of that will not work for me. Don't want to have to think about that.
Even though i could spend my time to fix it, it's just not something i want to deal with.

Thanks

Wait, topic not closed! I just realized that Office 2010 for Mac will not be released until Winter 2010! Ah crap not this leaves me in the same boat i thought i just got out of. Now, the thing is should i wait for Office 2010, and skip Office 2008. Buy Office 2008 and skip Office 2010. Don't buy either and take my chances with iWork 09. Or use Open Office for three months in September till Office 2010 comes out.

Now i use Open Office at school, and it's a pain in my ass to use. I think i can survive on it though for three months. Oh and one more question. Does iWork compatibility work well on Open Office because that's what my school with use come September.
 
If your school uses open office, then for best compatibility use Open Office.

If you can't stand the interface then MS Office would be more compatible with Open Office than iWork.

I like iWork a lot and Keynote is one of my favorite applications, but I've had more surprises than I care when exporting to PPT. You really need to check everything over or, alter your use of Keynote to avoid problems.
 
There are still some compatibility issues with opening/working on Microsoft files in iWork. As an owner of both and being a college student I pretty much exclusively use Microsoft Office. iWork is great software but compatability is key. You are not always guaranteed what you are woking on in iWork, saved as a Office file, will look exactly as it does in Office.

Tough call on whether to wait or not. I would just get it when you need it for when classes start. Open office is okay...
 
We will see how long it's going to take me to get my mac. If i see Office 2008 on sale i just might go for that. If i can wait i can wait. If i can't i can't!
 
word

i had the same problem, i too was a pc user and word 2007 is the best option. i had trilled both on my mac and found that i works was close to imposable to use. so i would choose word if i was you
from james
 
Ok so it's split. I think Office is the way to go spend a extra $100 so i know what im dealing with.:rolleyes:
 
Office is way better. If you can get away with bootcamping office 2007 or office 2010 now, wait for office 2011 for mac. Office 2008 for mac is better than iWork, but office 2011 will be way better with the ribbon.
 
vistadude said:
Office is way better. If you can get away with bootcamping office 2007 or office 2010 now, wait for office 2011 for mac. Office 2008 for mac is better than iWork, but office 2011 will be way better with the ribbon.
Click to expand...

I hate that ribbon! I've seen it in Office 2007 that my clients use. It's a royal PITA to find any commands on that thing! It's not intuitive at all. I'm very pleased with Office 2008, and have no motivation to change to a newer version.
 
GGJstudios said:
I hate that ribbon! I've seen it in Office 2007 that my clients use. It's a royal PITA to find any commands on that thing! It's not intuitive at all. I'm very pleased with Office 2008, and have no motivation to change to a newer version.
Click to expand...

I personally like the ribbon and don't find it a PITA. Yes it took me a while to find stuff but when it figured it out i found it quite nice.
 
I prefer iWork, however compatibility with MS Office isn't great. Work as a Trainer and have to create a lot of Word documents and PowerPoint presentations and they never convert over properly. I've used Office for Mac 2008 and don't get on with it so ended up installing Parallels and run Office 2007 from a virtual Windows 7.

You can download trial versions for both so would suggest doing that and see what you like the best.

On the whole Ribbon thing, hated it when it first came out, yet have grown to like it. Was quite suprised when I had to use Office 2003 and missed it lol. Glad to hear Office for Mac 2011 is going to have a version.
 
I believe the best solution for your would be to use vmware fusion or pararells. With either pieces of software you'll be able to use the current license for microsoft office that you have on your mac. An additional bonus would be that you can run some light windows games for entertainment.
 
One thing to consider is whether your Office 2007 serial number will work on Office 2008 for Mac. I know this was the case for Office 2003/2004 as I used my student/teacher serial number on my PC and the Mac I had at the time.

If this is still the case, you could just get hold of an Office 2008 CD and you're ready to go.
 
van2010rulz said:
I think that im going to have to go with Office. The things i hear about compatibility scares me. The though of not being able to access a document because of that will not work for me. Don't want to have to think about that.
Even though i could spend my time to fix it, it's just not something i want to deal with.

Thanks

Wait, topic not closed! I just realized that Office 2010 for Mac will not be released until Winter 2010! Ah crap not this leaves me in the same boat i thought i just got out of. Now, the thing is should i wait for Office 2010, and skip Office 2008. Buy Office 2008 and skip Office 2010. Don't buy either and take my chances with iWork 09. Or use Open Office for three months in September till Office 2010 comes out.

Now i use Open Office at school, and it's a pain in my ass to use. I think i can survive on it though for three months. Oh and one more question. Does iWork compatibility work well on Open Office because that's what my school with use come September.
Click to expand...

CHances are at some point closer to the launch of Office 2011, Microsoft will put a promotion out that if you buy office 2008 now you can upgrade free of charge to 2011. It hasnt happened yet since we are still six months from release but maybe three months from now. Might try Openoffice till then.
 
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