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Does mac come with any app to *open* MS office files??

XheartcoreboyX

XheartcoreboyX

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 3, 2007
753
0
is there any app to let you just open and read microsoft office files,such as ms word files in the net?
or shall i download/buy a software to do the job?whats the best?
- i heared that MS office for mac really suck,true?why? >_>

Thanks,
 
XheartcoreboyX said:
is there any app to let you just open and read microsoft office files,such as ms word files in the net?
or shall i download/buy a software to do the job?whats the best?
- i heared that MS office for mac really suck,true?why? >_>

Thanks,

-Oops sorry..put it in the wrong forum =\-
Click to expand...

Once again, don't believe the rumors. Many people will whine simply because a product is made by MicroSoft. Stupid, but they do it anyway. Are there some things it could do better? Sure, but it is the industry standard for a reason.

Interesting trivia, MS Office came out first on the Macintosh platform iirc. It was designed for the Mac, and was later ported to window land.

MS Office documents can be opened by Appleworks, and I think even by Text Edit (I could be wrong though).
 
Office for Mac is a pretty darn good program. For free alternatives, investigate NeoOffice/OpenOffice.
 
James L said:
Once again, don't believe the rumors. Many people will whine simply because a product is made by MicroSoft. Stupid, but they do it anyway. Are there some things it could do better? Sure, but it is the industry standard for a reason.

Interesting trivia, MS Office came out first on the Macintosh platform iirc. It was designed for the Mac, and was later ported to window land.

MS Office documents can be opened by Appleworks, and I think even by Text Edit (I could be wrong though).
Click to expand...
will Appleworks come with macbook pro or i have to buy/download it?!
 
James L said:
Once again, don't believe the rumors.
Click to expand...

Yeah... I totally respect that people may choose to use Neo or OOo... And I also totally respect that Office has been slow to go UB and slow to get translators for the misguided "new" office document formats.

However, the smear campaign does a disservice to the Mac platform, and is absurdist.... every time I use Office on Windows, I miss features in MS Office 04. I really never miss features in Office 03 on Windows that are not present in 04.
 
XheartcoreboyX said:
will Appleworks come with macbook pro or i have to buy/download it?!
Click to expand...

You would have to buy it. But I really wouldn't bother with AppleWorks. It can still do some neat things, but it hasn't really been updated in over seven years now, so I seriously doubt its ability to handle recent Office documents. I believe the best it can officially handle are Word/Excel 2001 formats. It can't do PowerPoint.
 
XheartcoreboyX said:
will Appleworks come with macbook pro or i have to buy/download it?!
Click to expand...

Appleworks no longer comes preloaded on any Macs. Actually, it has been superseded by iWork and Apple no longer updates Appleworks.

I'd try NeoOffice for now, mostly because it is free.
 
just a quick question... my neooffice spell checker and spell underliner thingo doesnt work. it stopped working 2 updates ago, it used to be good but its kinda like the dictionary isnt there or something. spell checker doesnt even return incorrect words now....

neooffice is good tho, but the M$ office for mac is faster...my neooffice runs like a dog
 
Anyone else really annoyed by the fact that a mac of all things doesn't come with a permanent Office-type program?
 
Not really, Windows doesn't come with Office either. You get the tools for making simple documents (TextEdit) and you can buy Office or similar if you want to do more. I for one am glad that I'm not paying extra for bundled software that I don't need.
 
XheartcoreboyX said:
is there any app to let you just open and read microsoft office files,such as ms word files in the net?
Click to expand...
Text Edit can read Word documents. However, it may not display embedded graphics.

XheartcoreboyX said:
...
- i heared that MS office for mac really suck,true?why? >_>

...
Click to expand...
Yes, Microsoft Office on the Mac sucks. Statements to the contrary come from people who have never seen a word processor that doesn't suck. However, Office:mac sucks less than Office:win.

That said, I am not sure if you asked the correct question. I would want an application which can write Word documents. If the app can write RTF, then your Windows-using colleague will open it in Word and never be the wiser. If opensource meets your fancy, then give AbiWord serious consideration.

Even though Word is the worst productivity killer on any platform, I recommend it if you really need Word-compatibility. There is no honor in using a Word wannabe.
 
MisterMe said:
Yes, Microsoft Office on the Mac sucks. Statements to the contrary come from people who have never seen a word processor that doesn't suck. However, Office:mac sucks less than Office:win.

...

Even though Word is the worst productivity killer on any platform, I recommend it if you really need Word-compatibility. There is no honor in using a Word wannabe.
Click to expand...


I am not neccesarily sure I agree. I have always considered Word for both mac and windows to be an incredibly good word processor, and the way the whole suite of office applications work together has always made me more productive both at work and with classes. While it does suck that MS has been slow to update the mac version of office to UB, the current version has fitted my needs perfectly, and does great justice to the polished item that is office:win.

I work in a big office for a huge corporation, and we would not get any work done without the convinence that all of the office apps bring to our jobs. If office is such a poor suite of productivity applications, why is it the standard for home, school and office. I would argue that it is so good, apple threw appleworks into the depth of obscurity 7 years ago, and hasn't really tried to top it since. Google apps is starting to compete, but much of the funtionality and design looks strinkingly similar to office on windows, and one of it's biggest selling points is its integration with office.

Yes, Microsoft Office on the Mac sucks. Statements to the contrary come from people who have never seen a word processor that doesn't suck. However, Office:mac sucks less than Office:win.
Click to expand...

Example?
 
James L said:
Interesting trivia, MS Office came out first on the Macintosh platform iirc. It was designed for the Mac, and was later ported to window land.
Click to expand...

Funny thing, i get the same face from people every single time i tell them that :confused::eek:
 
MisterMe said:
Yes, Microsoft Office on the Mac sucks. Statements to the contrary come from people who have never seen a word processor that doesn't suck.
Click to expand...

Umm ... OK ... I'm not a MS apologist by any stretch of the imagination, but -- for the sakeof argument -- what are these non-sucking WP packages of which you speak.

Mention Appleworks and you automatically lose.

Cheers

Jim
 
James L said:
Interesting trivia, MS Office came out first on the Macintosh platform iirc. It was designed for the Mac, and was later ported to window land.
Click to expand...

You're almost right!

PowerPoint was originally a Mac-only application. It was first developed by Forethought and released in 1987, Microsoft bought it later that year. So PowerPoint has just celebrated its 20th birthday. :) The first Windows version came out in 1989.

Excel was also a Mac-first application, originally released in 1985. The Windows version didn't come out until 1987.

Word, however, was originally a Windows application. It was released in 1983. The Mac version was released in 1985.

Regards,
Nadyne.
 
Jim Campbell said:
Umm ... OK ... I'm not a MS apologist by any stretch of the imagination, but -- for the sakeof argument -- what are these non-sucking WP packages of which you speak.

Mention Appleworks and you automatically lose.

Cheers

Jim
Click to expand...

hhmm what have u got against appleworks?? apart form the fact that its PPC only? appleworks is the greatest program of all time!! i love it and still use it everyday, does such a good job with everything.
 
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