What version of Microsoft Office to install

[Halcyon]

For strictly work reasons I need to install Word, Excel and Powerpoint on my Mac (don't need anything else from the Office Suit).

I did install Office 2008 a while back and it was just unusable so I removed it. Right now I'm running Office 2004 (which runs fine) but some of the files being sent by my clients have functions specific to Windows Office 2008, so I'm in need of greater compatibility.

Have the released updates to Office 2008 for Mac have made usable or is it still buggy, slow and full of quirks?

Should I go ahead and download a Beta version of Office 2010 and work with that for now? (my better judgement tells me not to go with any Beta software, but I've read good reviews from Mac user's that are on it right now...and who have bypassed the 2008 version for the same reason I did).

TIA

 

[GGJstudios]

I've never found Office 2008 to be unstable. I use it extensively on a daily basis and it works just fine.

 

[robo456]

I've never found Office 2008 to be unstable. I use it extensively on a daily basis and it works just fine.

Same for me:

Word - for basic word processing (forms, fax cover sheets, certifications)
Excel - run of the mill spreadsheet stuff
Entourage - exchange server mail

What exactly are you having trouble with?

--rob

 

[Halcyon]

Well, I did install the first version that came out of Office 2008...you must be running one of the updated versions that came afterwards, maybe that's why you have no problems..which is really good news.

Back when I installed version 2008 my problem seemed to be originated by the large amount of fonts I had installed, as many other users had reported the same. Stripping down my fonts resolved the issues, but it is not an option as I'm a graphic designer and doing so is just cumbersome.

I think I'll give it a try with the latest release of Office 2008.

Thanks.

 

[Consultant]

I've never found Office 2008 to be unstable. I use it extensively on a daily basis and it works just fine.

Some versions of it were unstable, even the first major service pack was unstable. Recent updates fixed that.

 

[Halcyon]

It seems like the problem could have been the early version I had. Ialready have the latest updated version of Office 2008, so I'll go ahead install and give it a try.

Thanks everybody

 

[nadyne]

Back when I installed version 2008 my problem seemed to be originated by the large amount of fonts I had installed, as many other users had reported the same. Stripping down my fonts resolved the issues, but it is not an option as I'm a graphic designer and doing so is just cumbersome.

We've put in a lot of performance and stability improvements in Office 2008 since its launch, so let me know whether it's better for you.

If you've got a lot of fonts and you're still seeing slow launch times with the latest updates (12.2.4 as of this writing), one good fix for this is to turn off WYSIWYG fonts in Office. To do so, go into the Word preferences and look for "WYSIWYG font and style menus" on the General tab. Uncheck that box.

Regards,
Nadyne.

 

[Halcyon]

Thanks Nadyne...I have indeed upgraded to a much recent version and all is smooth sailing so far (I don't even need to turn off the WYSIWYG font menu option).

Best regards to everybody that helped.

 

[GGJstudios]

(I don't even need to turn off the WYSIWYG font menu option).

Word > Preferences:

​