I have to vent... MS Word 98

MDLarson

MDLarson

Registered
OK, we inherited some manuals in Word format... I have to update these pieces of crap.

We all know about the frustrating "wonderful, automated smart things" Word likes to do for us automatically, but there's more...

The main problem was that the page numbers did not print on the Mac OS 9 (Word 98) version, even after a visit to Page Setup. They do print on Windows XP, whatever version of Word XP has.

I decide to fix this problem, and move the page number up in the footer. Well, it turns out that this document somehow has "sections", three of them. The first section has 1 page, the second section has 1 page, and the third secion has 77 pages. So if you specify page 1 of 1 in the print dialog, you get three freaking pages! JUST A LITTLE CONFUSING, EH, MICROSOFT?

Then I get to trying to simply move the page number up a line in the footer, and it seems like everything I try, the opposite happens; like trying to control a mouse when another person is trying to control a second mouse plugged into the same machine! Eventually I got it, but I've never been more frustrated at a piece of software (except for PowerPoint).

Anyway, thanks for listening to my vent, and never, use inferior Microsoft products if you don't have to!!!!!!!!!
 
Dang... thanks for the sympathy.

I thought folks around here could still be 'friends', even though we have different political diferences... sheesh
 
well, that's proof again that I take things too seriously sometimes! Maybe you could use the little ;) smiley next time. :)
 
Yeah I was feeling sorry for you and everything... then I read your signature and you lost me. :)

While we're ranting I have a very serious rant about Excel.
First let me preface this by stating that Excel is one of my favorite MS programs... I know having one seems wrong... but it's true.

Anyway, on to the rant...
I have been using Excel to set up databases for my web sites. It's kind of a nice way to dump content and share that content with clients in an .xls file.

Unfortunately, M$ will be M$... and they cannot trust you enough to enter information, such as a date, the way you entered it. Oh nooooooo M$ has to assume that because you enter 1/12 you're talking about a date and converts it to Jan-12 or some other de-facto date format M$ thinks you should see... Then if you see this and try to convert it back to say a number, or something like that... you'll get the numerical value conversion... very frustrating!!
 
I often imagine the meeting that must have taken place when someone was pitching this idea to their boss... then that boss to his/her boss then finally making its way up to the senior staff meeting with Bill.

It might have gone something like this...

"... so remember how we had that problem in Excel? The problem of distinguishing between dates, currency, and general numbers. As you remember, studies have shown that people aren't using our labeling the fields feature we spent 11 Million implementing in 95. They are just entering in information without telling the program this is a date, a dollar amount, or just a general number. Well I think you'll agree Billy, we can't have that sort of reckless abandonment occurring upon data entry! Which is why I suggest we FORCE the number into one of those categories... based on a few loosely determined criteria that me and a few other guys came up with while drinking at lunch. What do you think? It should only cost us about $7 Million in development -- which we can always pass on to the consumer of course."
 
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