Why Do Geeks Get All Irate About Microsoft?

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Sir Ralph
Use OpenOffice. It has no problem to read and write Word and Excel formats, is way less vulnerable and it's free.

Wrong. I've had ungodly trouble with compatability issues in the syslab at my school. Things like charts don't show up, and the text gets all screwed up.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Elok
I haven't figured out how to get it to make lists without switching numeral form halfway through for no bloody reason

"Switching numeral form"?

I can't get rid of the stupid web integration

Web integration?

I could probably download better fonts from somewhere but I see no reason to bother, since it's frigging everywhere and every lab I operate in has the default settings, so it's still a pain in the arse.

Both WordPerfect and Word use the /Fonts directory in your Windows install to populate the font lists...Maybe WordPerfect comes with a bunch of fonts now, but I'd be interested in knowing the names of those you like.

Besides, why should I have to take any time telling one program to behave when there's another available that does things exactly how I like them?

It's probably because you're just used to WordPerfect. The last WordPerfect version I liked was 5.0.

[Harovan]

Originally posted by Asher
I've not had much problems with Word being buggy really. OpenOffice crashed on me quite a few times in the very little I used it while in Linux, I can't recall the last time Word crashed...

My Word at work crashes regularly. At least twice a week. It freezes for minutes, because it can't locate its fonts in the ass-slow Windows 2000 network. Same thing when saving. Pretends it can't save, because the file already exists, although it does not.

But to call Word cheap crap would be wrong. It's expensive crap.

I don't use OpenOffice under Linux, because I just plain hate X. I use it under XP and it runs fine.

Nice, clean, responsive UIs that aren't an eyesore are a very good thing to look for when you're spending 20 hours straight typing papers.

The bloated, cluttered Word a nice, clean, responsive UI?

[Kuciwalker]

The bloated, cluttered Word a nice, clean, responsive UI?

What bloated, cluttered Word?

[Asher]

Originally posted by Sir Ralph
My Word at work crashes regularly. At least twice a week. It freezes for minutes, because it can't locate its fonts in the ass-slow Windows 2000 network.

Slow network isn't Word's fault, but poor design of your network.

The bloated, cluttered Word a nice, clean, responsive UI?

My Word ain't cluttered at all, and it's certainly nice, clean, and responsive.

[Harovan]

Originally posted by Asher
Slow network isn't Word's fault, but poor design of your network.

I grant you this one. Not Word's fault, but a design flaw. They shouldn't have taken Windows 2000. Windows and networks are 2 things that don't go well together. That includes WANs.

[Asher]

So it's Windows 2000's fault that your network is overburdened?

[Elok]

Originally posted by Asher
"Switching numeral form"?
Web integration?
Both WordPerfect and Word use the /Fonts directory in your Windows install to populate the font lists...Maybe WordPerfect comes with a bunch of fonts now, but I'd be interested in knowing the names of those you like.
It's probably because you're just used to WordPerfect. The last WordPerfect version I liked was 5.0.

Switching numeral form midlist: as in, 1, 2, 3, D, E, 6, 7, H, all in the same frigging column! It does that to me and I don't have any idea why. There's all sorts of little crap like that. Wordperfect doesn't have as many features but at least the ones it has are useful and actually work correctly.
Web integration: I do not want any buttons that have anything to do with the internet on my WP's toolbar. I never use them, but you can't get rid of 'em. While we're at it, I want to send that Helpful Genius guy or whatever he's called to go to hell and leave me my normal help features on the top row, not the toolbar, I don't want it to EVER print without showing a box asking for preferences first, etc...
Fonts: I'm pretty sure the massive selection of fonts I have came with the wordperfect suite. The list is literally three or four times the size of what comes with the form of Word they have at school, and since they have XP I'm guessing they have most of them. Wordperfect has three or four variants on most of the main types. I can't remember many by name, but my personal favorite is MacedonCapsSSK. It's obviously not useful for everything, but there are times when you just want to be able to print Olde English-looking letters. That's why I think it came with the package-I can't picture my dad going out of his way to get a typeface that lets you write like a monk. I use WP8, BTW.

[Kuciwalker]

Web integration: I do not want any buttons that have anything to do with the internet on my WP's toolbar. I never use them, but you can't get rid of 'em. While we're at it, I want to send that Helpful Genius guy or whatever he's called to go to hell and leave me my normal help features on the top row, not the toolbar, I don't want it to EVER print without showing a box asking for preferences first, etc...

I've NEVER seen this "web toolbar" you're talking about. I think it can be activated, but I've never actually seen it.

You can move the help buttons off of the toolbar.

If you want the prefs to show up before printing, use the print in the file menu. It's only one more friggin click.

[Asher]

I just hit CTRL-P and get the box.

It's a word processor, what the hell are you doing using the mouse.

[Harovan]

Originally posted by Asher
So it's Windows 2000's fault that your network is overburdened?

We have a workstation to server ratio of about 15:1 and most clients run word processors and spreadsheets. Or an IDE, in my case, which is most of the time also some kind of "word processor". These apps do not overly stress a network. Should be not overburdened. The network architecture is also fine, as far as I can see (although I'm not an expert), and it is daily administered. In one of my former work places we had a *NIX network with Windows workstations (don't know which *NIX, didn't care then). We had way more workstations per server and the admin came only 4 hours a week. In this time he mostly drank coffee with our secretary. Quite a difference, eh?

[Asher]

Indeed. I would tell you about my school's pathetically slow Unix network that is under constant maintenance, but I ignore your anecdotal evidence so I'm sure you'll do the same to mine.

[Elok]

I have too much crap to remember already without learning the shortcuts for programs other than Civ. If I remember the wrong combination of keys or press the wrong ones by accident, god only knows what word will do. I don't even like the fact that the Insert key EXISTS, for example. I brush against it by accident and suddenly I find my words erasing each other. Word probably has some "convenient" tool to make it permanent, or something similarly nuts. I'd rather do things manually than trust the 'puter to do them for me, but I have to wrestle like all get-out before Microsoft lets me.
And there's no "web toolbar," but the form of word they have at school has all this internet crap mixed in with the normal stuff. Why would I want to search the internet from my word processor, for example? I use my processor for *typing*, and embellishments of that typing. I have a browser for a reason. If I feel a sudden urge to use google, I do not see what the big deal is about minimizing and clicking on a shortcut.

[Kuciwalker]

Word actually - very conveniently - has a little indicator in the status bar that tells you when Insert has been pressed.

[Harovan]

Originally posted by Asher
Indeed. I would tell you about my school's pathetically slow Unix network that is under constant maintenance, but I ignore your anecdotal evidence so I'm sure you'll do the same to mine.

As you wish.

Although you should hear our admin curse...