[OLUG] Misbehaving Microsoft products: what to do?

[Dietz, John D.]

	I have been using Word since version 2.0 for Win3.1 (Unfortunally, it was
necessary for my job)...  That is an interesting problem, and I think there
might be a(n) online fix.  Since you didn't specify much information about
which version of word she is using, I am going to assume that she doesn't
have the necessary updates necessary to fix these problems.  She should hop
onto http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/ and see if she can download the
Service Pack 2b..  After I install that, I never had any problems with Word.

	Also, does she have the ability to export this particular document into
something else she has or can she copy and paste this into something else..
Oddly enough, she could also start a new word document and then import this
other document into it... Strangely enough, I have fixed formatting problems
this way....I just wish that Microshaft could make something that worked
perfectly...


John Dietz
-----------------------------------
e-mail: dietz_j at penguinpowered.com

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dave Burchell [mailto:burchell at inetnebr.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, June 06, 2000 12:23 AM
> To: olug
> Subject: [OLUG] Misbehaving Microsoft products: what to do?
>
>
> An old pal and former co-worker called me Monday.  She's got a problem,
> and guess what?  It is a problem with a Microsoft product!  I know, I
> was skeptical at first, too.  But apparently Microsoft Word has a bug
> or two.  Whodaguessedit?
>
> The story: my friend works in an all-Mac office.  A group of people are
> collaborating on a 200+ page document using Word for Mac.  Word is
> misbehaving, mangling the font changes, screwing up the pagination,
> fouling up the headers, botching the table of contents, etc., etc.  I'm
> no Word expert, but I've seen this before when merging sections of text
> into one document: Word goes to pieces and try as you might you can't
> fix up your text.  (Too bad it doesn't have a Word Perfect-style
> "Reveal Codes" feature; that's how I always fixed WP 5.1 for DOS's
> hissy fits.  But I digress...)  The victims whiled away many an hour
> with Microsoft's tech support, but to no avail.
>
> My friend's request: do I know any Mac and Microsoft Word experts she
> could hire to get her people out of this mess?  I answered that I
> didn't know, but I'd ask the closest bunch of people I could think of
> -- you folks.
>
> However, I suspect the answer is this:  No one can save you from
> Microsoft Word when trying to do a big project.  It's just not robust
> enough for the job.  The only answer is to ditch Word for this project
> and use something else.  (Linux, LaTeX, and LyX come to mind.  Hmm,
> visions of Yellow Dogs...)
>
> However, my friend doesn't want to have to teach her users something
> new (and I see her point).  And she doesn't want to abandon her Macs
> (again, understandable).
>
> If this were my project I'd go with XML.  A big document like this
> makes XML worth the trouble; you won't have to change the font on 300
> level-two headers by hand.  I'd either write a DTD or borrow one that
> is already in use somewhere.  With the DTD in place and the right
> editor, such as Xeena from IBM, the users don't have to learn to do
> much -- just insert text into the XML editor with the right "tag"
> (e.g., head1, footnote, blockquote).  Perhaps I'd use XSL to convert to
> LaTeX, then produce final formats of PostScript and PDF.  (In my work
> with XML I've just used Perl scripts to make HTML so far.)  Everything
> is headed for XML, right, so why not beat the rush?  Does Microsoft
> Office 2000 have XML support?  If so, then that is their migration
> path.  (Of course, given Word's track record they may be better off
> with clay tablets.)
>
> That's my rant; what is your advice?
>
> And does anyone believe they have the needed skills (or know someone
> who does) to take on the consulting job?  (Does anyone have the
> sadistic streak needed to take on Word's bugs where Microsoft Tech
> Support has failed?  Or the bravery to recommend leaving Word for
> something that works?)
>
> By the way, since Paul is goading me, I guess I could give a talk on
> XML at some OLUG meeting if the demand is there.  I could give a BRIEF
> talk on where to get started with it and how I made it work for me and
> my users.  Perhaps a half hour of me droning and then an installfest?
>
> --
> Dave Burchell                                          40.49'N, 96.41'W
> Free your mind and your software will follow.              402-467-1619
> http://incolor.inetnebr.com/burchell/
> burchell at acm.org
>
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