M$ Word... Grrr! (A rant)

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dr wogz

dr wogz

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Man, I HATE word! But it comes bundled with M$ Office, which is on about 87% of all business machines.. So, I gotta use it..

I do Technical writing, procedural writing, as well as other tasks that involve word (Labels, address labels, etc..)

My biggest peeve is with Word’s numbering system; to make lists & numbered sections. Like what you’d see in a procedural manuals:

1.0 installing fins
1.1 make fins
1.2 glue in place

2.0 make Motor mount

Like, to get the numbers right, and to follow per the intended procedure is like root canal. And yes, I’ve read many help sites & books. Either I’m dumb, or (as others have said) it is a PITA!

Second thing is printing.. Despite having a ‘default printer’, Word will print to the last selected printer. No matter how many times you’ve opened & closed Word to do stuff, or even if the machine is turned off & on again. It remembers the last printer used and assumes that’s where you want all your stuff to now go. Regardless of that one print / copy that needed to go to an alternate printer.. So, then what’s the point of a ‘default’ printer?

Sorry, I’ve just had a few manuals come by for updates & re-work. And it seems that the older the document, the more futzing & formatting you have to do, regardless of the actual content that needs changing updating!

Grrr!! Just had to vent!

(and don’t get me started on the ‘artificial intelligence’ it has. Seems to be more of a hindrance that a help!)

Am I alone?
 
I do everything in OpenOffice.org 2.4. Cost me $0.00, does everything I need it to... can't beat that.

I wrote and published a book with OOo. Over 150 pages, two columns, embedded pictures, many tables, ToC and alpha index. I did have a few glitches to work out, but it did the job as well as Word would have (based on prior experience) and cost a heck of a lot less.
 
I grew my distaste for Word in a technical writing class last year, where as much of our grade was based on the layout and presentation of our content as it was on the content itself. With Word, I found myself spending more time getting the layout right than writing the report.

I switched over to TeX (specifically, the MacTeX distribution) and haven't looked back since. It's a bit more trouble, but for the markup inclined (I had a pretty decent HTML background), it becomes natural quickly and really lets you focus on the content. It's free, open source, and incredibly flexible; you can reformat the entire document without ever having to touch the file containing the content, and is the submission method of choice for many scientific journals. Check it out if you're doing a lot of technical writing -- it's a great tool.
 
I have mixed feelings about Word. When I first started writing on a Mac, I started using a very old version (3, I think). It was the most wonderful, flexible program ever written. Then, with each new version (both Mac and PC), it became more overloaded with crud. I, too, hate the "automatic" features of the program. I mean, if I want to number points, I think I can hit a number key, a period and a tab! The stupid thing automatically assumes that each paragraph is going to be another number point (I guess the programmers just assumed no one would ever want to have two paragraphs in a row under a numbered point!)

I'm like you - it is what I have on the PC at work and I have to work with it because IT won't let us install new programs (especially open source) on the company machines. But I, too, have been rewriting manuals and the formatting is a royal pain in the patoot.:mad:

I want my old Word 3 back! :cry:
 
Remember the old WordStar days? Saved your file on an 8" floppy? Worked on a terminal connected to a CP/M machine..

Oooh, I guess I just dated myself!! :D
of course, you didn't have WYSIWYG back then! Even with Wordperfect on the old XT (or 286)..

haha, I remember a comedian: "After the show, I'm going home to play with my Wang.... Gotta love those old word processors.." (few got it) :D:D
 
For all you technology Luddites:

Tools/Options click on the SAVE tab. There is a check box to disable features newer than Word 97.
 
Actually, my first word processor was Scripsit for the TRS-80 Model I. It was tough typing in lower case on a computer that could only display upper case! :p
 
The first major commercial word processor that I used was Wordperfect (before that we were typing text on the PDP11/70 at school) and then the whole company switched to MS products. I've always liked Word but it has become increasingly difficult to use, especially when it tries to guess what I want to do. I have most often written large text documents with little or no mathematics but sometimes with six or seven footnotes per page. Generally it has been good but is a PIT backside if you don't want to number your pages EXACTLY like it expects you to or format your footnotes EXACTLY like it wants you to (despite the fact that the Chicago Style manual -Turabian- requires it to be different).

Aside from that, it works pretty good.

Oh yeah, I own a copy of the newest upgrade to MS office but I have only installed it on my laptop because, although it does a lot, the interface is much more complicated and not at all intuitive.
 
Dr Wogz said:
Man, I HATE word! But it comes bundled with M$ Office, which is on about 87% of all business machines.. So, I gotta use it..

I do Technical writing, procedural writing, as well as other tasks that involve word [snip...]
Click to expand...
Just because it comes installed does not mean you have to use it unless your employer requires you to. Adobe Framemaker is pretty much the standard for technical writing. If that's what you do for a living, it's worth checking out. No slight intended, but you need to use the right tool for the job.

https://www.adobe.com/products/framemaker/

You can download a free trial at their site. All the tech writers I've ever worked with have used Framemaker, and it's pretty much the standard in corporations that take tech writing seriously. It's expensive, but well worth it if you make a living as a tech writer.


tms
 
What version are you using?

Right now i have the latest version and i dont have any issues with numbering.
 
Solomoriah said:
I do everything in OpenOffice.org 2.4. Cost me $0.00, does everything I need it to... can't beat that.

I wrote and published a book with OOo. Over 150 pages, two columns, embedded pictures, many tables, ToC and alpha index. I did have a few glitches to work out, but it did the job as well as Word would have (based on prior experience) and cost a heck of a lot less.
Click to expand...

I've known about "OOo" for several years, but never tried it. I finally downloaded it a couple weeks ago, when I was offered the download during a Java update. Did some transfers of Word and Excel docs in, and docs done in Writer and Calc out, and no problems whatsoever. My daughter has a laptop but no Office products, due to cost. I'll definitely set her up with these. I haven't tried the presentations, drawing, or database apps, but bet they are well done. There is also a Math program.
 
Dr Wogz said:
Man, I HATE word! But it comes bundled with M$ Office, which is on about 87% of all business machines.. So, I gotta use it..

I do Technical writing, procedural writing, as well as other tasks that involve word (Labels, address labels, etc..)

My biggest peeve is with Word’s numbering system; to make lists & numbered sections. Like what you’d see in a procedural manuals:

1.0 installing fins
1.1 make fins
1.2 glue in place

2.0 make Motor mount

Like, to get the numbers right, and to follow per the intended procedure is like root canal. And yes, I’ve read many help sites & books. Either I’m dumb, or (as others have said) it is a PITA!

Second thing is printing.. Despite having a ‘default printer’, Word will print to the last selected printer. No matter how many times you’ve opened & closed Word to do stuff, or even if the machine is turned off & on again. It remembers the last printer used and assumes that’s where you want all your stuff to now go. Regardless of that one print / copy that needed to go to an alternate printer.. So, then what’s the point of a ‘default’ printer?

Sorry, I’ve just had a few manuals come by for updates & re-work. And it seems that the older the document, the more futzing & formatting you have to do, regardless of the actual content that needs changing updating!

Grrr!! Just had to vent!

(and don’t get me started on the ‘artificial intelligence’ it has. Seems to be more of a hindrance that a help!)

Am I alone?
Click to expand...

NO YOU ARE NOT!:mad:

Bullets and Numbering can bite me!

Oh...wait...they have... more than once!:(
 
Thanks Guys!!

Another peeve, is that Autodesk & M$ never bothered to get together, and produce a picutre format that is easlily created in Autocad, and loaded nicely into Word [sharp, crisp lines, not fuzzy & pixelated]. We had the old 'HPGL' converter that worked like a charm, but that seesm to have been lost.. And, good luck tryign to make a pic / diagram 1:1! like a template or wrap!

I've worked in a co that switched to frame maker because of the complexities [frustrations] associated with Word & tech manuals. I'd love to have it, but the little company I'm with now.. I had to fight to get a leagal copy of ACAD, Windows, and Office.. Just for the tech advice, forums, and updates... Oh, and I had to bring in my own monitor...

Strange, how Mac programs seem to be gaining ground on PCs.. Frame Maker, Illustrator, Photoshop, Premier.... :D

I'm on office 2003, while a few are on 2007. Again, the co dosen't mind pirated copies, nor differences in OS & other 'shared' software between people & departments..
 
Dr Wogz said:
Thanks Guys!!

Another peeve, is that Autodesk & M$ never bothered to get together, and produce a picutre format that is easlily created in Autocad, and loaded nicely into Word [sharp, crisp lines, not fuzzy & pixelated]. We had the old 'HPGL' converter that worked like a charm, but that seesm to have been lost.. And, good luck tryign to make a pic / diagram 1:1! like a template or wrap!

I've worked in a co that switched to frame maker because of the complexities [frustrations] associated with Word & tech manuals. I'd love to have it, but the little company I'm with now.. I had to fight to get a leagal copy of ACAD, Windows, and Office.. Just for the tech advice, forums, and updates... Oh, and I had to bring in my own monitor...

Strange, how Mac programs seem to be gaining ground on PCs.. Frame Maker, Illustrator, Photoshop, Premier.... :D

I'm on office 2003, while a few are on 2007. Again, the co dosen't mind pirated copies, nor differences in OS & other 'shared' software between people & departments..
Click to expand...

I use the .wmf
scaled correctly they work well...

This was created in cadd and saved as a wmf.

test.wmf
 
WMF is a format that even Microsoft doesn't support well (and it's their own proprietary format) so it's hardly surprising that I can't see it either on my 100% non-Microsoft computer.

Spaceman Spiff said:
I've known about "OOo" for several years, but never tried it. I finally downloaded it a couple weeks ago, when I was offered the download during a Java update. Did some transfers of Word and Excel docs in, and docs done in Writer and Calc out, and no problems whatsoever. My daughter has a laptop but no Office products, due to cost. I'll definitely set her up with these. I haven't tried the presentations, drawing, or database apps, but bet they are well done. There is also a Math program.
Click to expand...
The presentations and drawing apps are pretty decent, I'm told; I never have need for them, so I don't really know. The database isn't really ready for prime time yet, certainly no competition to M$ Access, but when I'm doing database apps I use Python, MySQL, and GTK, rolling everything myself from scratch. M$ Access accelerates the first 90% of the project, but then makes the last 10% drag (as you try, and repeatedly fail, to get the program to do whatever odd things it's not designed to do). With my trio of tools, the first part of the project takes longer as I'm creating my gui etc... but that last bit, doing the complicated parts, is MUCH faster and MUCH less painful since I can control almost every aspect of the program's behavior.

Ah, I've digressed. For formatting ordinary documents, OOo does as well as Office in my opinion. I'm told that laying out very complex documents can be done well using Scribus, but I've never spent any time with that program.
 
The most annoying feature of Word for me is that is steals focus at least twice during startup, which also takes ages.
The whole idea of multitasking is that you can do one thing while something happens in the background, but M$ have decided that if you open Word you are not allowed to do anything else until it has completed. I regularly want to open a doc, then instantly click to do something else while it loads in the background, but it will force itself to the front twice, and then accept any mouseclicks or key combos that you'd intended for another app :mad:
 
jflis said:
Oh man, that brings back memories.... I used to teach "PDP11/70" class at Digital :) Heck, I remember when that puppy was state of the art! (core memory and all :D )
Click to expand...

Jim, are you using a computer at the Old Folks Home? ;)

I agree about the numbering--I want to bash the screen in whenever that comes up and a lot of the writing I do requires numbering. Some things like the thesaurus which I used often are now an extra click to get to.

I'd love to go back to the older version but this is what the kids use in school so I'm stuck.
 
bobbyb said:
I use the .wmf
scaled correctly they work well...

This was created in cadd and saved as a wmf.

test.wmf
Click to expand...
Oh, I didn't realize there was a picture supposed to be there. I use Firefox, so it took an earlier post to make me pull this up under Internet Explorer.

By the way, did you realize there's an odd alien creature peering from under your fin template?
 
Dr Wogz said:
Second thing is printing.. Despite having a ‘default printer’, Word will print to the last selected printer. No matter how many times you’ve opened & closed Word to do stuff, or even if the machine is turned off & on again. It remembers the last printer used and assumes that’s where you want all your stuff to now go. Regardless of that one print / copy that needed to go to an alternate printer.. So, then what’s the point of a ‘default’ printer?
Click to expand...

That "feature" (because if MS would've considered it a bug, it stood a decent chance of being fixed a looong time ago) is truly annoying & AFAIK is the only program that behaves like that. That inconsistency (a MS trademark!) is truly frustrating for us users.

That said, it's nice to hear others chime in with positive things to say about OOo! I'm not a big fan of Sun choosing to attempt piggyback it onto the latest Java updates (as IIRC, OOo is ~125MB download!), but Sun does need to find a healthy way to promote it out there as a very viable alternative to MS Office.

3 more comments:
1) Another great feature of OOo is that is has a built-in PDF "printer"--so if you've ever wanted to create your own PDF files, it's a part of OOo. No hassles :)
2) OOo Writer, Calc, & Impress can read/alter/save files in Word, Excel, & PowerPoint formats, respectively. It comes with it's own format but don't feel like you are making the leap while leaving compatibility behind... If anything, it's MORE compatible! Also, OOo 3.0 is around the corner (it's in beta right now). OOo 3.0 promises to add the ability to open/modify/save Microsoft Access database files with OOo Base & provide compatibility with all of the MS Office 2007 file formats (.docx, .xlsx, & .pptx)
3) The drawing program, OOo Draw, is quite usable for basic diagrams. It's not going to give Corel Draw or Visio a run for their money, but if used for simple tasks, it'll do. (I have been quite successful in using it to generate some good rocket-related templates.)

HTH,
 

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