The G5 PPC – Thousands of MS Word Docs – PDFs – And the Mac Pro Apps Quandary

[Jeanne C]

I have a G5 Duel Core PPC 11,2 Mac, running OS 10.5.8.

I have thousands of MS Word 2004 Documents, PDF Articles, Books [Format: Adobe Reader 9.5.2].

I also have a multitude of Safari 5.0.6 bookmarks that tie into things I research.

The MS Word Documents, PDFs, and Safari Bookmarks are extremely important to me.

I obtained MS Office 2008 through a Promo, but never used it as I heard it was “buggy.”

Is there any way to convert these things to run in a new Mac Pro’s “Native” environment?

Can I upgrade these things to run in the “Native” environment on any of the old Mac Pros?

 

[smokeyrabbit]

By "Native" do you mean without having to buy MS Office 2011? LibreOffice and NeoOffice (well, for a small price) are free apps that preserve most of the formatting of Office files. Preview opens pdfs. The iWork apps open most Office files as well, although there can be formatting issues again.

If you set up your new Mac Pro using Migration Assistant your Safari Bookmarks will be brought along as well as all of the rest of the user data. Bring over all the Applications using Migration Assistant may cause some problems with Classic or PPC-only apps, as they won't run on the Intel Macs.

 

[Jeanne C]

Thanks Smokey. Actually, I believe I posed this question in the Mac Pro Forum and somehow it got transferred to the Power Mac Forum. Do you know if there is a way I can delete this thread and repost it as I intended?

 

[blesscheese]

Hi,
I'm not sure I entirely understand your question. I know that application programs (like M$ Word) have to be written in a language a processor can read and understand, and that Word 2004 was written for the PPC processor (like your G5) specifically, and that you cannot run Word 2004 on an Intel processor, at least not "natively."

While it is true that Word 2008 was written specifically for Intel processors, the installer program to install Word 2008 was written in PPC code, so it won't work on your Mac Pro either.

The above discussion isn't really germane to what I *think* you are asking: How can I open and read older documents created on a G5 with my new Mac Intel computer?

Good news!

Your documents are in a format that allows them (currently) to be read by a multitude of word-processing programs. Programs like LibreOffice or even Pages by Apple will convert the older .doc Word files flawlessly or almost so.

That is not necessarily true if the documents are in the newer .docx format.

Same with Preview, as mentioned in the first reply, this will open the PDF files perfectly (or almost so) as well.

It sounds like (with the Safari bookmarks & stuff) you are really asking about "migrating" bookmarks and other data from an older computer to a newer one.

Again, there are many guides and instructions out there for this. I don't want to go on answering a question you may not have. In general, I don't think you will go wrong by "cloning" your old hard drive (via a freeware program called SuperDuper! and keeping that safe, so you a) have a backup copy, and b) you can always go back to that safety, backup copy if something goes wrong.

 

[smokeyrabbit]

If you click the "report" button

and let a mod know that you'd like the thread moved into the PPC forum they will get to it.

And definitely back everything at least once before doing all this.

 

[benwiggy]

Is there any way to convert these things to run in a new Mac Pro’s “Native” environment?

You can't "convert" a PPC application to become an Intel one. Not without recompiling the source code, which you don't have.
Apple have included "Rosetta", a framework to translate and emulate the environment for PPC apps on Intel Macs -- but this is no longer included in OS X. It was a short-term fix (six years!) to tide users and developers over until new versions were released.

PDF files will run in Apple's Preview app, as well as the latest version of Adobe's Reader app.

Safari bookmarks can be migrated across to a new Mac using the Migration Assistant, along with all your other user settings and data.

Your Word docs will all open in any application that can read Word docs. As said, LibreOffice or NeoOffice will all open them fine. They may prompt you to save them in a newer .doc format, or docx, or the OpenOffice document format. Apple's Pages and TextEdit can also open Word documents with varying degrees of compatibility and success.

 

[GermanyChris]

Hi,
I'm not sure I entirely understand your question. I know that application programs (like M$ Word) have to be written in a language a processor can read and understand, and that Word 2004 was written for the PPC processor (like your G5) specifically, and that you cannot run Word 2004 on an Intel processor, at least not "natively."

While it is true that Word 2008 was written specifically for Intel processors, the installer program to install Word 2008 was written in PPC code, so it won't work on your Mac Pro either.

The above discussion isn't really germane to what I *think* you are asking: How can I open and read older documents created on a G5 with my new Mac Intel computer?

Good news!

Your documents are in a format that allows them (currently) to be read by a multitude of word-processing programs. Programs like LibreOffice or even Pages by Apple will convert the older .doc Word files flawlessly or almost so.

That is not necessarily true if the documents are in the newer .docx format.

Same with Preview, as mentioned in the first reply, this will open the PDF files perfectly (or almost so) as well.

It sounds like (with the Safari bookmarks & stuff) you are really asking about "migrating" bookmarks and other data from an older computer to a newer one.

Again, there are many guides and instructions out there for this. I don't want to go on answering a question you may not have. In general, I don't think you will go wrong by "cloning" your old hard drive (via a freeware program called SuperDuper! and keeping that safe, so you a) have a backup copy, and b) you can always go back to that safety, backup copy if something goes wrong.

Office 2008 runs just fine on PowerPC

 

[Jeanne C]

Looks like the thread was redirected to the Mac Pro Forum.

No, I do not mind paying top dollar for MS Word 2011, if it will convert my documents to run on a Mac Pro using the latest operating system.

However, trying to work in a "Classic" environment rather than the "Native" environment of the computer's operating system is a hassle.

I do not want to edit thousands of Word and PDF documents.

I would like to drag them, drop them, and have the new printers, fax, scanners I need to interface with the forth Apple Desktop system that I want to purchase, process them in the format in which they were composed using the third Apple Desktop system that I have already purchased.

 

[derbothaus]

Your documents need zero converting. A .pdf or .doc can be opened by Win 95 or OS X 10.9. PPC vs. Intel. It does not matter. Neither does Office 2004-2011. The apps themselves may need to be different to work with the changed architectures but your data is, for the most part, considered generic. There are some exceptions but you have not mentioned any of them. It sounds like you might be complicating things.

 

[GermanyChris]

Looks like the thread was redirected to the Mac Pro Forum.

No, I do not mind paying top dollar for MS Word 2011, if it will convert my documents to run on a Mac Pro using the latest operating system.

However, trying to work in a "Classic" environment rather than the "Native" environment of the computer's operating system is a hassle.

I do not want to edit thousands of Word and PDF documents.

I would like to drag them, drop them, and have the new printers, fax, scanners I need to interface with the forth Apple Desktop system that I want to purchase, process them in the format in which they were composed using the third Apple Desktop system that I have already purchased.

Office 2008 is Fat it'll work on the G5 and your new Mac Pro and you already own it..

I don't understand what the issue is??

 

[Tesselator]

the forth Apple Desktop system ?
the third Apple Desktop system ?
"Classic" environment ?
"Native" environment ?

I have absolutely no clue what you're talking about but if all you wanna do is read, search, copy & paste, and print from among a wide variety of document formats there are several utilities in the share and free space. I myself use Yep! http://www.ironicsoftware.com/yep/ and occasionally OpenOffice http://www.openoffice.org/porting/mac/

 

[Jeanne C]

Perhaps I should clarify the issue, which appears as though it may not actually be an issue.

I just work with a lot of documents. Even though I don't need massive computing power for things like graphics, I have owned three Apple Desktop systems because they tend to last, unlike many of the other gadgets Apple produces.

My daughter on the other hand wants to take some sort of graphics courses in college. Since the only computer experience I have is on a Mac PPC and a Mac Pro will accommodate her needs, I would like to keep everything on the same platform.

So I was thinking about buying a 2010-12 Mac Pro in the next few weeks, something like the 3.33 Hex model, and letting her start out with that.

Then when Apple comes out with the Ivy Bridge, I figured I'd buy her one of those, and move over to the 3.33 Hex myself.

The problem was that when I looked at the Specs for the Mac Pro models the other day, it said that PPC Applications would not run with the Lion operating system. I had to throw away a lot of hardware and documents once before, because Apple changed its architecture and operating systems, so I was a bit panic stricken by this notification of a clash between PPC Apps and the new Mac Pro operating systems.

I follow this forum and most of the things people talk about here are far too technical for me. I'm sure that most people here would feel my needs for word processing and information gathering could easily be accommodated by an "i-Gadget," but then how many of them would I have had to purchase over the 8-years that we have been using this computer.

Fortunately, it sounds like there are ways to transfer printed documents between the PPCs and Mac Pros.

If Apple comes out next week with high value, moderately priced, entry level systems -- like they did in 2008 -- then I could get my daughter one of those. Otherwise, a 2010-12 model will get her through some classes and do everything I need for years after she outgrows it, so long as I can transfer my documents over to it and print them out in a reasonable fashion.

Either way, I will back up everything in triplicate using Super Duper before I give it a whirl.

 

[blesscheese]

Perhaps I should clarify the issue, which appears as though it may not actually be an issue.

I just work with a lot of documents. Even though I don't need massive computing power for things like graphics, I have owned three Apple Desktop systems because they tend to last, unlike many of the other gadgets Apple produces.

---

Either way, I will back up everything in triplicate using Super Duper before I give it a whirl.

Hi again,

So, it really sounds like you are facing "migration issues" moving from an older Mac to a newer Mac.

The good news is, you have done your homework. You are correct, the older PPC applications will not run on the newer Intel architecture. You will likely have to do a self-exam to see what programs you use/need will or won't run in the new system (10.8 Mountain Lion, at the moment) that you were using on your older hardware.

The "not so good news" is that a most people went through these issues years ago, and memories may be hazy--don't automatically believe everything you read on the forum until you have double-checked it.

If you want to use MS Office 2008, I am unsure if it will run in Mtn. Lion. You can look that up. You don't need to buy a newer office, unless your kid needs it for college (see if they have a deal), as there are plenty of free office suites out there that work just as well.

You may want to search the internet/these forums for looking at how people migrated info from an older Mac to a newer Mac. Apple has a program called "Migration Assistant" that will do this automatically for you, although some people seem to have issues with it. In any event, cloning (i.e., making a bootable backup copy of your hard disk) will ensure you have some insurance against disaster.

Oh, and regarding purchasing a new Mac Pro, a new model *may* (no guarentees) be announced soon (within 2 weeks), so prices on both new and used models may change/go down after the new model is released.

Feel free to ask questions, just realize a) the more specific your questions are, the likely more helpful the responses will be.

 

[GermanyChris]

Perhaps I should clarify the issue, which appears as though it may not actually be an issue.

I just work with a lot of documents. Even though I don't need massive computing power for things like graphics, I have owned three Apple Desktop systems because they tend to last, unlike many of the other gadgets Apple produces.

My daughter on the other hand wants to take some sort of graphics courses in college. Since the only computer experience I have is on a Mac PPC and a Mac Pro will accommodate her needs, I would like to keep everything on the same platform.

So I was thinking about buying a 2010-12 Mac Pro in the next few weeks, something like the 3.33 Hex model, and letting her start out with that.

Then when Apple comes out with the Ivy Bridge, I figured I'd buy her one of those, and move over to the 3.33 Hex myself.

The problem was that when I looked at the Specs for the Mac Pro models the other day, it said that PPC Applications would not run with the Lion operating system. I had to throw away a lot of hardware and documents once before, because Apple changed its architecture and operating systems, so I was a bit panic stricken by this notification of a clash between PPC Apps and the new Mac Pro operating systems.

I follow this forum and most of the things people talk about here are far too technical for me. I'm sure that most people here would feel my needs for word processing and information gathering could easily be accommodated by an "i-Gadget," but then how many of them would I have had to purchase over the 8-years that we have been using this computer.

Fortunately, it sounds like there are ways to transfer printed documents between the PPCs and Mac Pros.

If Apple comes out next week with high value, moderately priced, entry level systems -- like they did in 2008 -- then I could get my daughter one of those. Otherwise, a 2010-12 model will get her through some classes and do everything I need for years after she outgrows it, so long as I can transfer my documents over to it and print them out in a reasonable fashion.

Either way, I will back up everything in triplicate using Super Duper before I give it a whirl.

Just FW to FW and bring all your stuff over with Migration assistant..

For your applications just google them to see if their Power only.

 

[blesscheese]

Office 2008 runs just fine on PowerPC

You are right! However, I do recall hearing that the *installer* was written in PPC code, so people trying to install it on an Intel Mac in Lion or Mt. Lion (or even Snow Leopard, without Rosetta installed) could not do it.

Is my memory on that incorrect? In any event, the workaround was to install it on an older PPC model, and then migrate it over to the new Mac.

My PPC's were never fast enough to run Office 2008, so I never used it with a PPC...hence the distorted memory.

----------

Just FW to FW and bring all your stuff over with Migration assistant..

For your applications just google them to see if their Power only.

I don't know if it was here, or on the Macintouch website, but somebody wrote a script to read all your applications, and tell you whether they were PPC or not.

That may save some time, depending on how many applications you have.

 

[MisterKeeks]

Just tried to install Office 2008 on a MBP running 10.7. It appears to work fine, but I didn't try putting in the registration code.

 

[Demigod Mac]

Office
Office 2008 will work fine, but Microsoft is ending support for that version soon, so I would advise getting Office 2011 Home & Business edition. It can open the older .doc format Word documents without any conversion. It can also be configured to keep using the old format for saving new files (which is probably a good idea if you don't need the features of .docx files)

Adobe Reader
I use Adobe Reader XI and have had zero issues opening PDF documents, even very old ones.

Safari
Bookmarks should export>import just fine from Safari 5 to Safari 6.

I'd also wait if you can until after WWDC (June 10) to see if Apple announces any new Mac Pro systems. Today's Mac Pros are 2010 technology at modern prices.

 

[GermanyChris]

You are right! However, I do recall hearing that the *installer* was written in PPC code, so people trying to install it on an Intel Mac in Lion or Mt. Lion (or even Snow Leopard, without Rosetta installed) could not do it.

Is my memory on that incorrect? In any event, the workaround was to install it on an older PPC model, and then migrate it over to the new Mac.

My PPC's were never fast enough to run Office 2008, so I never used it with a PPC...hence the distorted memory.

----------



I don't know if it was here, or on the Macintouch website, but somebody wrote a script to read all your applications, and tell you whether they were PPC or not.

That may save some time, depending on how many applications you have.

When 10.8 first came out you couldn't install it with auto update turned on..That wasn't necessary when I did a reinstall on one of my Mac's that was running 10.8.2

 

[MisterKeeks]

Office
Office 2008 will work fine, but Microsoft is ending support for that version soon, so I would advise getting Office 2011 Home & Business edition. It can open the older .doc format Word documents without any conversion. It can also be configured to keep using the old format for saving new files (which is probably a good idea if you don't need the features of .docx files)

If support is really an issue, get 2011, but I don't think that it really matters. They both handle the same things.

 

[Jeanne C]

"I don't know if it was here, or on the Macintouch website, but somebody wrote a script to read all your applications, and tell you whether they were PPC or not.

That may save some time, depending on how many applications you have."

--------- That would be so cool !!! Wonder How You'd Google That?

 

[blesscheese]

"I don't know if it was here, or on the Macintouch website, but somebody wrote a script to read all your applications, and tell you whether they were PPC or not.

That may save some time, depending on how many applications you have."

--------- That would be so cool !!! Wonder How You'd Google That?

Just found it: look here...

HTH!

Sorry, that wasn't too extensive. Macintouch has everything broken down by model of computer, so things are often artificially separated.

Try this for info on how to check for PPC programs

 

[MichaelLAX]

You are right! However, I do recall hearing that the *installer* was written in PPC code, so people trying to install it on an Intel Mac in Lion or Mt. Lion (or even Snow Leopard, without Rosetta installed) could not do it.

That is a myth that somehow got propagated even though it is not true: you can install Office 2008 without Rosetta in Lion or Mt. Lion.

 

[blesscheese]

That is a myth that somehow got propagated even though it is not true: you can install Office 2008 without Rosetta in Lion or Mt. Lion.

Well, that's what I get for believing what I read on the internet!

For the record, I have found the Mac versions of MS Office to be awful compared to the PC version (crippled, almost...exceedingly slow, and with weird differences). Plus, I need to use Access for work, so I run Office 2010 (the PC version) on my Mac via CrossOver.

So, I am definitely not the source for any Mac info regarding M$ Office.

 

[Jeanne C]

Just found it: look here...

HTH!

Sorry, that wasn't too extensive. Macintouch has everything broken down by model of computer, so things are often artificially separated.

Try this for info on how to check for PPC programs

I just followed the directions on that site. Thank you. That's a very interesting article, and it told me a lot.

My system profiler indicates that everything associated with Microsoft Office 2004 -- Adobe Reader -- and Allume Systems "Stuffit Deluxe" are strictly PPC. Everything else is "Universal."

I'm thinking I'll have to load MS Office 2008 and see if it has "Universal Applications," which the site says OS 10.8 and maybe 10.9 will allow. That leaves a lot of articles and books I have accumulated in PDF form. Hopefully, Adobe has developed its own system for converting these documents when they are simply dragged and dropped onto a drive running a more advanced reader application.

This was the case when Apple shifted between OS 9 and 10.3.

However, about the time I loaded "Tiger" onto our G4, I began to encounter messages that stated: "Adobe Cannot Locate the Application that Created This Document."

As the article you point to indicates, everything I had from Adobe went "SNAP," despite the fact that Adobe itself had written the "Application that Created the Document." That was a situation between two operating systems that were both functioning in a PPC environment; and it appeared that Adobe simply had no basis for supporting anything related to "Classic" when Apple stopped supporting it. The same thing happened with about $2000 in Epson printers, scanners, etc, when Apple shifted to Leopard from OS 9, about a year after we bought our "G3 Mini Tower."

Now it appears that the "Rosetta" applications are going to be rendered extinct by Apple's really late-late-late platform, which is about to emerge. Seems like their i-gadget marketing scheme is running out of steam too, so who knows, maybe they'll have to start paying a wee bit more attention to the Pro's, right here on this forum, who as I recall gave "Apple Computer" a basis for going into business in the first place.

My dad has a 41 year old Buick he's been driving since it came off the assembly line, and the Marines are flying the very same helicopters he flew in 1972. But Apple can't make anything, except their "Pro Line," function for more than 3-years, before they systematically abandon it.

This is the WWDC that will make them or break them. There's a world full of i-gadget makers now!

 

[GermanyChris]

Well, that's what I get for believing what I read on the internet!

For the record, I have found the Mac versions of MS Office to be awful compared to the PC version (crippled, almost...exceedingly slow, and with weird differences). Plus, I need to use Access for work, so I run Office 2010 (the PC version) on my Mac via CrossOver.

So, I am definitely not the source for any Mac info regarding M$ Office.

crossover is good stuff isn't it!!