Microsoft Office and Virtual PC

[MacRumors]

After Microsoft's acquisition of Connectix, there have been user concerns regarding Microsoft's plans for the Virtual PC Emulation package, despite reassurances of ongoing development.

Reports indicate that beyond the current offerings of Virtual PC as a standalone package, Microsoft is also planning on bundling Virtual PC with Mac Microsoft Office to create a new Professional Office package. The standard (non-VPC) version of Office will continue to be made available and will see a price drop to make room for the new Professional suite. The introduction of a Student & Teacher version is also expected.

This reorganization will more closely mirror their Windows XP offerings for Office which include Professional, Standard and Student & Teacher versions.

 

[stoid]

Will VPC still be available as a standalone package??

 

[astray]

This is a mixed blessing, firstly if they bundle it, then they are going to have to improve VP6, as office keeps getting more bloated and power hungry, so VPC is not dead.

But, as we move inline with the windows version, does that mean they will have the same UI and interface? Will it lose the interface guidelines and be come less OSX -ish and more XP-ish...

 

[Docrjm]

Just so long as M$ don't make the pro version XP and that you actually need VPC to utilize it.

 

[arn]

Originally posted by stoid
Will VPC still be available as a standalone package??

"Reports indicate that beyond the current offerings of Virtual PC as a standalone package, Microsoft is also planning..."

 

[bbanzai]

Yikes!

I wonder if this is the first step down the road toward bundling Windows versions of Office with Mac Virtual PC!

 

[mkaake]

Admin edit: In no way does this article imply what is written below. Please don't spread fud

wowsa. i just wrote my initial impression based on the tone of the article...

i guess thinking out loud isn't a good thing then...

for the record, read my post below...

 

[arn]

Originally posted by mkaake
yeah... almost sounds like they're gonna start making one version of office and expect us to use vpc to run it...

except that they aren't.

arn

 

[cubist]

I don't like the implication that "Professional" = "Windows".

Actually, though, I think if VPC were done better, so that it didn't run in a window but ran Windows apps so that they looked like any other windows, that could be a big improvement.

BTW, does anybody know how to copy from VPC and paste into a Mac application? I can't get it to work, and the manual says nothing about it.

 

[jaykk]

Admin edit: In no way does this article imply what is written below. Please don't spread fud

This is exactly what I feared. We will have to depend on VPC to run all M$ products ( and possibly Adobe's new products offerings), and there wont be any mac versions of softwares. So, both the #1 and #2 software makers are heading in the same direction. Hopefully VPC (if microsfot wont cripple it) and realpc will run faster on g5 machines.

 

[iLilana]

vpc is useless

is VPC really necessary? I found it to be a waste of money.

 

[tny]

Wonder if this is MS's first step toward trying to market Windows for the Mac as an OS choice?

 

[Abstract]

@jaykk -- I think Arn just cleared that up for you. VPC isn't necessary to run all Microsoft products, such as Office.

I want a VPC alternative to come out.

 

[mkaake]

Originally posted by arn
except that they aren't.

arn

'almost'

: )

matt

p.s. even though that's the way it initially sounded, I don't think they're stupid enough to try it, unless they make vpc about 10 times faster than it's current itteration... and even then, I don't think they'd try it.

matt

 

[Freg3000]

I am so confused right now.

So is this good or bad? I know it isn't black and white, but, I mean, overall. I see this largely as a positive, because it basically confirms Microsoft still developing software for the Mac with VPC. But also it is bad because they might not make office for OS X anymore? Is that the gist of this?

[ Admin Edit: No. This is 100% wrong. See below. ]

 

[kenaustus]

There may be some benefits

I have to use VPC for one proprietary app and have found it very useful at times for other apps. The one feature I'm looking for (and probably won't get) is the ability for VPC to capture the card slot on my PB. I doubt if MS will be able to improve the performance of VPC as it really is a "virtual" computer I have just upgraded my PB from 512 to 1 Gig in order to allocate more memory to VPC when running - will also be very nice when working on pics in PS do I'm not too upset . . .

Adding VPC to the Mac Office makes sense for those users who work on both platforms and have a few Windows apps they would like to be able to use on the Mac.

While I'm no expert I have found that moving data (Office files) between the Mac and Win under VPC is simply a matter of dragging the file from one desktop to the other, then opening the app. I have also been able to drag Windows files downloaded from the Mac desktop to the VPC desktop, open them and use them in WIndows.

I'd rather be able to live without VPC, but it is useful for those of us that have to live in both worlds.

 

[MisterMe]

Re: Microsoft Office and Virtual PC

Originally posted by Macrumors
....

Reports indicate that beyond the current offerings of Virtual PC as a standalone package, Microsoft is also planning on bundling Virtual PC with Mac Microsoft Office to create a new Professional Office package. The standard (non-VPC) version of Office will continue to be made available and will see a price drop to make room for the new Professional suite. The introduction of a Student & Teacher version is also expected.

This reorganization will more closely mirror their Windows XP offerings for Office which include Professional, Standard and Student & Teacher versions.

For all the catawauling about killing VPC or Office:mac and forcing Office:mac users to run Office XP via VPC, a really big point has been missed. First off, Office for Windows is copy-protected via activation codes. Office:mac is not. I contend that it is not because Mac users won't tolerate it. The Student & Teacher version of Office for Windows is copy-protected by a "security device," to use M$'s term. I wonder if M$ will try the same scheme on the Mac version. If M$ can successfully sell copy-protection with its cheap version of Office, we will have entered a dangerous new world.

 

[JeffRutan]

I have MS Office X for my 1G PowerBook, as well as VPC 6. I found that MS Word 2000 under Windows 2000 under VPC runs more smoothly (even inside OS X.2) than the Mac OS native version of Word does! It looks like MS deliberately crippled Office X for the Mac! Office does look and feel nicer in OS X, but productivity with large complex documents is much better under VPC.

I would say that with Apple getting better at supporting MS networks, just let MS deliver all their monopolistic bloatware in WinTel format with bundled VPC. If they end up crippling VPC, then use Real PC or something else instead, and buy the MS OS separately. This will allow MS to focus their resources on one platform, and leave the MBU to focus exclusively on VPC optimization, refinement, and closer integration with Mac OS. Then we will not have to worry about the little incompatibilities between Mac and PC versions of Office, and we will have our favorite Mac OS with integrated Mac OS 9, X Windows, Linux, and MS Windows emulators as needed. When viruses and internal bugs eat up the MS Windows virtual machine, just nuke it with the quick install CD (Windows and Office in one shot), and keep going (keep all your data files in Mac OS shared folders). This will also leave the market more open for better office compatible products on Mac OS.

 

[arn]

Originally posted by Freg3000
But also it is bad because they might not make office for OS X anymore? Is that the gist of this?

I'm not sure why this is hard to grasp for people. Was my article that poorly written? This makes no implication regarding future software development of Office X.

Go to the store. Right now you can buy:

1) Virtual PC
2) Office X

Rumors state that when you go to the store in the the future, you might be able to buy

1) Virtual PC
2) Office X
3) Office X bundled with Virtual PC
4) Office X Student and Teacher

That is all.

arn

 

[robotrenegade]

WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO RUN XP. THATS WHY YOU GOT A MAC!!!! WHO CARES.

 

[MrMacMan]

Originally posted by robotrenegade
WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO RUN XP. THATS WHY YOU GOT A MAC!!!! WHO CARES.

Because there are some programs that are PC only, like if you work with your buisness they might have a program that is nessary for your work, therefore you would need VPC.

 

[Lord Bodak]

Originally posted by arn
I'm not sure why this is hard to grasp for people. Was my article that poorly written? This makes no implication regarding future software development of Office X.

But look at Microsoft historically. This _does_ make an implication regarding their future development. If you can get the users to run Windows Office under VPC, where is the motivation to spend development dollars maintaining Office X?

Just b/c it doesn't have an affect right now doesn't mean it doesn't have an affect at all. Did anyone think Safari would lead to IE for Mac being discontinued?

At the same time, it doesn't necessarily mean that it will affect Office X. Obviously, more choice is better.

Since it could have either affect, what's the harm in discussing all the possibilities?

 

[Freg3000]

Oh God, sorry. I am way off. I understand now. I think the problem is not the way you wrote the article Arn, it is just that Mac Heads, myself included, jump to the worst conclusion when we see Microsoft because everyone thinks they are evil. I am quick to assume that any software move made by Microsoft in relation to the Mac platform is always going to be negative. I know this is wrong, but sometimes that emotion overrides even what we read.

Sorry to jump the gun there.

 

[jaykk]

sorry about my post earlier too, now its all clear.

 

[pcharles]

Makes Sense for Microsoft to Promote VPC

It would certainly make sense for Microsoft to do everything they can to promote a Virtual PC - based approach to life.

My feeling is that Microsoft should not care whether you run office on a Mac or a PC if you purchase Office and run their OS via Virtual PC. After all, it is still money in their pocket.

If Microsoft can get Virtual PC running in Mach-O we should see performance increases and a lot more people using it, which is a win-win situation for us and them.