Word for Mac

[bigboy99]

I'm trying to open a Word Perfect file in Word, but there doesn't appear to be the same conversion options that are available in the Windows version.

I've noticed that the entire MS Office suite is a semi-cripple compared to the Windows versions, particularly the keyboard commands.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

BB99

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

I don't feel Word is crippled, nor the Office suite (maybe except of the missing Access, but then again I've never really needed that on my Mac).

But then again I prefer other word processors over Word, like TextEdit for simple stuff and AbiWord for a bit more power. AbiWord should be able to open that WP file, just fine...

 

[kretzy]

I'm yet to find a keyboard command that doesn't work (are you using the apple key instead of ctrl?). If anything, I've found office for Mac better than its Windows counterpart.

 

[Macmaniac]

I love Word for Mac, it is easily much better then Word for Windows. I have had no problems with kb commands, it all seems to work fine. I must say Microsoft was thinking right with their recording notes feature, I love recording my lectures and having my notes sync with the lecture, for once a good Microsoft invention

 

[Will Cheyney]

That's the general consensus
I have moved over to Apple's Pages though... I find the less 'bulk' makes it more efficient.

 

[wwooden]

Office for Mac is 100 times better then office in Windows. The one thing that bugs me the most about office in windows is that little window that constantly pops us saying "help make office even better".
It still amazes me how some people think the Mac is a proprietary machine and you have to give a lot to use them. I pulled out my PowerBook and a friend of mine was like "so what do you do to write papers and make presentations?" I was like "Umm, I used word and powerpoint just like you do" and he was shocked that they had that for the Mac.

 

[bigboy99]

I love Word for Mac, it is easily much better then Word for Windows. I have had no problems with kb commands, it all seems to work fine. I must say Microsoft was thinking right with their recording notes feature, I love recording my lectures and having my notes sync with the lecture, for once a good Microsoft invention

The simple keyboard commands are similar, but the menu commands (alt key on PC) don't work the same. What is the keyboard combination for Paste Special? It's Alt-E-P-F (for formula, for instance, in Windows). The menus cannot be accessed in the same manner on the Mac. I'd like to find a command list for Office 2004.

BB99

 

[iMeowbot]

The simple keyboard commands are similar, but the menu commands (alt key on PC) don't work the same. What is the keyboard combination for Paste Special? It's Alt-E-P-F (for formula, for instance, in Windows). The menus cannot be accessed in the same manner on the Mac. I'd like to find a command list for Office 2004.

If your OS is Tiger, the menus can be accessed with whatever key combinations you like (within reason). The Keyboard Shortcuts section of the Keyboard & Mouse preferences let you set them in whatever way makes sense to you for each application.

 

[bigboy99]

If your OS is Tiger, the menus can be accessed with whatever key combinations you like (within reason). The Keyboard Shortcuts section of the Keyboard & Mouse preferences let you set them in whatever way makes sense to you for each application.

Before I change any of the Tiger defaults I'd like to examine the full keyboard shorts that are default for Office. I've searched, but cannot find anything for the current version.

 

[mpw]

The simple keyboard commands are similar, but the menu commands (alt key on PC) don't work the same. What is the keyboard combination for Paste Special? It's Alt-E-P-F (for formula, for instance, in Windows). The menus cannot be accessed in the same manner on the Mac. I'd like to find a command list for Office 2004.

BB99

This is where MS Windows has Mac OSX beat in terms of usability.

Keyboards shortcuts are IMO far better handled under MS Windows where there’s a logic and access ability to them that Mac just doesn’t have. And being able to program your own is not, again IMO, a suitable work-around.

 

[mduser63]

Word lets you create custom keyboard shortcuts for any menu item using the keyboard shortcut editor. Go to Tools->Customize->Customize Keyboard... and you can add, remove and change shortcuts for just about any action you can think of. It also might help you to know that you can access the menu bar from the keyboard by pressing control-F2, then using the arrow keys to navigate.

 

[Apple]

Word lets you create custom keyboard shortcuts for any menu item using the keyboard shortcut editor. Go to Tools->Customize->Customize Keyboard... and you can add, remove and change shortcuts for just about any action you can think of. It also might help you to know that you can access the menu bar from the keyboard by pressing control-F2, then using the arrow keys to navigate.

I also like the feature of being able to create new menu bars for word. Although I mostly just use the Formatting Pallete or whatever its called

 

[mkrishnan]

You can also see that the feature to navigate the menu bar by keyboard, à la the ALT key in Windows, exists -- the key is listed in System Preferences -> Keyboard & Mouse -> Keyboard Shortcuts. If you don't like it, change it.

Sadly, I don't know of a way to convert Wordperfect files, short of using a Windows PC. I'm sure there's an app out there, though. Perhaps OOo can do it?

If your expectation of OS X is that it perform and respond to everything in exactly the same way that Windows does, then clearly the solution is to buy a windows computer and put an apple sticker over the windows sticker on the palmrest. Hope that works out well for you.

 

[neut]

Don't feed the animals ... OpenOffice


peace | neut

 

[iMeowbot]

Another possibility is to get WordPerfect for Mac. It's a bit old now, but it can save as Word-friendly RTF. And WordPerfect on a modern Mac is painfully fast!

 

[mpw]

You can also see that the feature to navigate the menu bar by keyboard, à la the ALT key in Windows, exists -- the key is listed in System Preferences -> Keyboard & Mouse -> Keyboard Shortcuts. If you don't like it, change it...
...If your expectation of OS X is that it perform and respond to everything in exactly the same way that Windows does, then clearly the solution is to buy a windows computer and put an apple sticker over the windows sticker on the palmrest. Hope that works out well for you.

I can't find any way within System Preferences to make menu navigation work as well in OSX as MS Windows IMO.

I wondered how long it would take for someone to come out in absolute defense of Mac OSX. The original poster is about the closest I ever heard to anyone admitting that in this one area MS Windows does it better.
Hopefully this will be recognized in OSX 10.5 just as all the 'single-button-mouse-is-best-brigade' begin to come to terms with Apple's acceptance of the multi-button mouse.

 

[neut]

I can't find any way within System Preferences to make menu navigation work as well in OSX as MS Windows IMO.

I wondered how long it would take for someone to come out in absolute defense of Mac OSX. The original poster is about the closest I ever heard to anyone admitting that in this one area MS Windows does it better.
Hopefully this will be recognized in OSX 10.5 just as all the 'single-button-mouse-is-best-brigade' begin to come to terms with Apple's acceptance of the multi-button mouse.

So, do you have a problem with OSX or MS Word for Mac?

Isn't MS responsible for Words capabilities?


peace | neut

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

I can't find any way within System Preferences to make menu navigation work as well in OSX as MS Windows IMO.

 

[mkrishnan]

I wondered how long it would take for someone to come out in absolute defense of Mac OSX.

Yes, MPW, you hit cork. I'm a fanboy troll.

I don't defend OS X in any absolute sense. I didn't even use it until mid-cycle Panther.

There are things I think it doesn't do well; I've stated them here many times (for instances, Finder's implementation of single session only burns of CDRs, incompatibility of the WebDAV implementation with other popular implementations, etc). I do think there's something to be said for creating a consistent, sensible operating system, though, rather than running like mad to implement every UI aspect that a few people consider useful.

I navigated menus in Windows the same way the OP describes. I still do when I use Windows.

To be honest, it only very rarely bothers me in OS X that this feature doesn't exist. And boo...it only *ever* bothers me in Microsoft Office, and even then, it was significantly reduced by the way 2004 does things, since many of the things I did this way (like Paste Special) now have much better and more intuitive methods that don't use the menu bar at all.

And of course, you conveniently deleted the part where I offered a practical solution to the original problem. Of which there has been relatively little in this thread.

 

[neut]

And of course, you conveniently deleted the part where I offered a practical solution to the original problem.

Sounds like a conspiracy to me ...


peace | neut

 

[mpw]

So, do you have a problem with OSX or MS Word for Mac?

Isn't MS responsible for Words capabilities?


peace | neut

I never seen in any software on the Mac OSX a keyboard/menu navigation system that is as easy to use as that in just about every program I've used in MS Windows (XP at least).

Under XP for example, if I want to use the "Save As..." command I can look at the menu options and hit 'Alt' The F in "File" is now underlined so I know to drop that menu I hit the F key. Now I look at that menu and I see "Save As..." so I just hit the A key and I'm there 3keystroke and I didn't need to remember any specific shortcut just the process.

Under OSX I have to hit 1two key combination(which I find quite an awkward combo) then either the navigation arrows 10keystrokes and enter or the navigation arrows 3keystrokes and then another 2keycombo. That's a minimum of 7keystrokes and the difference only goes up if you want something further down a menu or from a menu to the right like choosing a window.

 

[neut]

{FONT="I hate Comic Sans MS"}I never seen in any software on the Mac OSX a keyboard/menu navigation system that is as easy to use as that in just about every program I've used in MS Windows (XP at least).

Under XP for example, if I want to use the "Save As..." command I can look at the menu options and hit 'Alt' The F in "File" is now underlined so I know to drop that menu I hit the F key. Now I look at that menu and I see "Save As..." so I just hit the A key and I'm there 3keystroke and I didn't need to remember any specific shortcut just the process.

Under OSX I have to hit 1two key combination(which I find quite an awkward combo) then either the navigation arrows 10keystrokes and enter or the navigation arrows 3keystrokes and then another 2keycombo. That's a minimum of 7keystrokes and the difference only goes up if you want something further down a menu or from a menu to the right like choosing a window.{/FONT i hate}

Cmd + Shift + S doesn't work for you?

I use Windows all day long ... i use a few Menu access keyboard (alt) commands though, every version of of every program is so inconsistant that i hate searching through the damn file structure of a Menu item (especially in Photoshop). I bind keys to commands for processes i use all day everyday; i find ALT access in Windows too inconsistant. Most of the programs i use end up overriding a Menu access command anyway.


peace | neut

 

[mpw]

Cmd + Shift + S doesn't work for you?

I use Windows all day long ... i use a few Menu access keyboard (alt) commands though, every version of of every program is so inconsistant that i hate searching through the damn file structure of a Menu item (especially in Photoshop). I bind keys to commands for processes i use all day everyday; i find ALT access in Windows too inconsistant. Most of the programs i use end up overriding a Menu access command anyway.


peace | neut

Cmd+Shift+S doesn't work very well actually, I don't know why maybe my timing's off?
But anyway I know there are some everyday shortcuts that work fine like copy/cut/paste but what if I don't want to remember them all? The way XP does it I only need to remember to press Alt and follow the underscored prompts. I'm sure there will be some people who remember every keyboard shortcut I'll ever need but I want to use the computer to perform a task not for the love of using the computer.

 

[neut]

Cmd+Shift+S does work

Good.

Ban Comic Sans MS


peace | neut

 

[mpw]

Good.

Ban Comic Sans MS


peace | neut

Actually I typed that then tried it just to make sure and must've hit the keys funny cause the 1st time it did something in the Debug menu and then submitted the post before I finished typing. See the edit above.