Microsoft Office: Is it okay to cross the streams?

Posted on January 8, 2008 
Filed Under Internet & Technology, The Bi-Platform Life | 8 Comments

There’s a bunch of us in our organization who exchange MS Office files (a PowerPoint here and there, maybe an Excel now and then, a lot of Word). I’m currently using Office 2004, I have Office 2008 on order to arrive next week. 4 folks are using Office 2003 and we’ve had no trouble with Mac-Windows file compatibility so far. Maybe a funky font now and then.

Now we have a new employee starting in a couple of weeks and it looks like I have to set up her new computer with Office 2007. I may be able to scare up a nonprofit license of Office 2003, but this late in the Office game it’s probably not worth it.

I’m hoping that file format compatibility between Office 2007 and earlier versions is no longer the issue it used to be now that Microsoft has released a compatibility pack.

Any real world experience in working in a cross platform/cross Office version environment I should know about?

A look at the new MacBook Pro

Posted on June 9, 2007 
Filed Under Internet & Technology, Macintosh, Salesforce, The Bi-Platform Life | 2 Comments

This afternoon is a bit of breathe and catch-up here. I spent some time configuring Salesforce to work with C3’s Google AdWords account. Only catch is that our web-to-lead is in GetActive (soon-to-be Convio), and I have to figure out how to get a hidden field into the form since I don’t have access to the raw code in the GetActive admin area. I sent in a ticket to support, hoping they’ll just add it for me somehow. Everything I do there is temporary since we’ll be migrating from the old GetActive administration to the Convio platform come Fall. In the meantime, I should at least be able to get a picture of how the keywords are doing through Google Analytics since I added the appropriate Javascript to our pages.

Then I purchased AppleCare for my MacBook Pro. Hard to believe it’s been almost 6 months since I got this computer. Before I know it, it will be a year old and I didn’t want to lose my chance to buy the protection. If anything dies on this thing a year or two from now, that $373.43 will be worth every penny.

While I was on the Apple page, I took a closer look at the specs on the new MacBook Pros introduced last week. That first time your computer is updated after purchase is always tough. Should I have waited? I do feel a little twinge of regret having purchased a BlackBerry 8800 when a couple of months later the new BlackBerry Curve has a much better keyboard. But I think I like the GPS more than I would a camera, and I’m getting used to the 8800’s cramped keyboard as long as I keep my thumb nails on the short side. This time, I’m relieved to say that I have no regrets about my MacBook Pro. Six months is a long time to wait for larger RAM capacity at 4GB (which would have added $750 to the bill), 40GB more disk space and a better display (no complaints whatsoever about the current one). That’s essentially the only improvements, aside from the processor bump to 2.4GHz from 2.33GHz that I probably wouldn’t notice.

Is virtualization enough for Mac development?

Posted on March 31, 2007 
Filed Under Macintosh, The Bi-Platform Life | Leave a Comment

Last week, I posted a review on Web Worker Daily of Tubes, a new friend-to-friend file sharing utility.

Tubes is not bad. Very friendly looking, drag-n-drop, kind of zippy when it works…and Windows-only.

Last week, the company announced Mac support in a link that reads, “Tubes™ Now Accessible to Mac Users.”

Boston, MA, and Renton, WA - March 29, 2007 - Adesso Systems, a leading provider of content replication and collaboration solutions, and virtualization leader Parallels, today announced that Adesso’s instant social networking application, TubesTM, is now accessible to Apple Mac users running Parallels Desktop for Mac, the first solution that lets Mac users run Windows and OS X simultaneously, without rebooting. By including full support for Parallels Desktop for Mac, Tubes now enables Mac users to create, connect and share via Tubes as easily as Windows users.

As easily? Windows users don’t have to buy $300 in software ($70 for Parallels, $200ish for the OS) and learn a 2nd operating system to use Tubes.

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I really like Parallels. I have nothing against Windows. I’m in Parallels at least 50% of the time. But it bothers me that a developer would optimize for virtualization and call it a day as far as Mac compatibility is concerned. Isn’t this what some in the Mac community feared when Apple first announced the Intel Macs?

I mentioned something along these lines in my WWD review, and received a comment from a Tubes’ developer:

Just to be clear, we’re not bypassing Mac support - In face, we intend a native Mac version soon. In the meantime we did something most small companies don’t do - we took the extra time to make sure our Windows product would would flawlessly for Mac users using Parallels. Most companies, including Apple with Boot Camp, won’t “support” products intended for a different platform but we actually made improvements in the product just for this purpose.

Fair enough, but nowhere on the Tubes site do they say that they’re developing a native version and it’s only hinted in the press release.

This isn’t meant as a dig at Tubes (which is pretty nice), or Parallels (which I can’t live without). It’s more of a general question wondering if this is an area that Mac users are concerned about? Should we worry that development of Mac OS X desktop applications coming from traditionally Windows-centric companies will stall or die altogether since they have the crutch of virtualization to fall back on? Does Intuit need much of an excuse to stop the Mac versions of their software? Or Microsoft?

New Post on WWD: 10 Reasons to Upgrade to Vista…Or Not

Posted on January 31, 2007 
Filed Under Macintosh, The Bi-Platform Life | 1 Comment

Don’t roll your eyes.

I had been thinking of doing a constructive “why upgrade” post in some way that wouldn’t get me run out on a rail at WWD, and then Om suggested I do a “10 Reasons…” post. I’ve been following all the press, and have been entertained by how much of it is about Apple/Mac OS X.

I decided to do the post, but I set some ground rules for myself (and the readers) up front. No OS comparisons. Switching platforms is not an easy decision. It’s not something you do because one operating system has Instant Search and the other has Time Machine. It’s about the applications, the hardware, what collaborators are using, budget, lifestyle, etc. It’s the whole experience. So even though I may personally prefer the promise of Leopard over Vista, that’s not the point. A person with thousands of dollars invested in Windows hardware and software isn’t going to care that Mac OS X is better. And they’ll resent you for even making the point. Even when I introduced Windows into my work life 3 years ago, I had too much in Mac software to even think about making a full switch.

Posting about Microsoft software with a positive spin is dangerous business, but I did it anyway. I spent some time with the Windows Vista Business Test Drive (in Parallels) and read as many articles as I could about the new features. I wrote “10 Reasons for the Windows Web Worker to Upgrade to Vista…Or Not” looking at Vista’s productivity non-Enterprise features solely on their own merits or as they compare to similar features in Windows XP, forcing myself not to make any comparisons to OS X. In some cases, that wasn’t easy. After listing 10 reasons to upgrade, I listed 10 perfectly valid reasons not to upgrade. If I didn’t make those arguments, the commenters certainly would. Once again, not allowing myself to touch on a different operating system’s strengths as a bargaining point.

Truth is, if it wasn’t for all the reasons I gave not to upgrade, I would think about it. The search feature works very nicely (better than Spotlight, IMO). I like the fact that Microsoft Office documents have live preview icons in Explorer (in OS X, only images and PDF files have live preview). The very functional Windows Calendar exposes OS X’s iCal for the lightweight candy that it is. But no, I will resist. There are about 3,560 things on my to-do list that are better uses of my time right now than spending $200 and all the time to install Vista into my Parallels drive.

Ironically, one of the first places I noticed the post was picked up was on MacSurfer.com. Go figure.

Windows Vista launch will fall flat, but will still dominate eventually

Posted on January 30, 2007 
Filed Under The Bi-Platform Life | 1 Comment

I’m learning that when I post about Windows on Web Worker Daily, you can almost hear the readership yawn. Folks are interested in talking about Mac OS X or Linux, and they love talking about Windows software. But they don’t seem to care about Windows itself. Sometimes the anti-Windows comments get downright testy. To most, Windows is something just tolerated. It’s what allows favorite applications to run. Not much more.

Niall Kennedy notes that a local Vista launch party was a dud. Not surprised. There are probably many more reports like that. Why? Because the early adopters have already adopted. With all the public betas and ways that people who wanted Vista could have gotten it, this launch is just for the everyday person. And the everyday person isn’t going to a midnight launch party. The everyday person is going to wait until their computer dies, they’re going to go to CompUSA and buy a new one, and when that new computer has Vista pre-installed, viola! they’ve upgraded. People line up for Mac OS X in part because Apple limits pre-launch distribution of the operating system to only the top developers and media, so the launch is a bigger deal to more users.

So while I don’t think people are going to run to the stores this week in large numbers to buy their box of Vista, it will still eventually be as ubiquitous as Windows XP is now in the home market. After a while, learning to use Vista on a new computer won’t be a big deal. But switching to Mac OS X or Linux is something that many people still won’t consider.

But I had to laugh watching coverage of the Vista launch on the Today show yesterday. Meredith Viera started the story with a walking, talking ad about what was so great about…Mac OS X! I could just picture Bill Gates sitting in his chair tapping his foot and mumbling, “You can stop telling the world how great Apple is anytime now, thanks.” Then Bill launched into his spiel talking about the Vista features like parental controls which have been in Mac OS X for years. “Imagine being able to set the time that your kids are allowed online.” Um yeah, Bill, I can imagine it, although the timing feature won’t be introduced until Leopard this year.

Until people are cursing, “Darn, I really need to run (whatever) but it’s only available for Mac OS X so if I want to use this, I better get myself a Mac,” nothing is going to change in the home market where the individual user has the most control. Small utilities are Mac OS X only, but few switch operating systems for a $30 piece of software. They should just market Vista honestly and get it over with…“9 out of 10 of you are going to be using this thing eventually in your home or small business, so why not now?”

I think Office 2007 is much bigger news. That’s what is going to change the way people really work. And it will matter to those of us who haven’t switched to Office 2007. I am not recommending that anyone at C3 upgrade to Office 2007 until we are all ready, because we exchange files so often.