I want a MAC

[maxgraham]

Hey, i'm down for cheap! Thanks for this info. My move to the MAC world is coming soon I guess.

Mac! haha (MAC is a makeup company!)

you'll love the switch, i produce with both strangely enough but i can't say enough about OS X and how great it is to deal with compared to windows.

[liveISlife]

(I don't use Google anymore, I use the Lounge).

I love this.

Maybe I'll make that my new sig.

Google is going to have to watch out. They have a new competitor on there hands... * Cues The Lounge Theme Song*... The Lounge.

[leedsquietman]

Windows excel and word files are usually interchangeable so long as you have Microsoft Office for Mac on your Mac computer.

The freeware OpenOffice will be able to read them (cross platform) usually too, but I'm not sure if you can make changes or read-only.

[maxgraham]

Windows excel and word files are usually interchangeable so long as you have Microsoft Office for Mac on your Mac computer.

The freeware OpenOffice will be able to read them (cross platform) usually too, but I'm not sure if you can make changes or read-only.

Thats not true, you do not need office on your mac, iwork opens, edits and exports as word and excel. There's no way apple would get switchers if they didn't have software that allowed you to work on office files without actually buying office.

[ChiDJ]

+1 for iWork.

[DRStudio]

Someone told me to derail the thread because it's too serious for the lounge.

[shimmy]

Is this the refurbished Mac that recommended I get?

[leedsquietman]

What's not true about Microsoft Office files being interchangeable between Office for windows and Office for Mac ??

Nothing's not true, that's what's not true !!!!

What I believe you mean Max is that iWork can load those file types too. If this is the case, then that's fine, because when I worked daily on macs we always used Microsoft Office for Mac and older versions of Apple's built in software did not do this reliably, if at all in some cases. Office for Mac sucked under OS8 and OS9 but improved considerably under OSX.

Iwork is a very lightweight application in comparison and we never used it.

From macrumours - comparison of iwork and microsoft office http://guides.macrumors.com/Comparison_ ... oft_Office

Microsoft Office for Mac has excellent support for Microsoft Office for Windows files, though there can sometimes be minor compatibility issues, Office 2008 can import both traditional Word documents and new Office 2007 "Open XML" Office files. iWork also has support for both traditional and "Open XML" Office Files but can have moderate compatibility issues with Word files containing complex formatting or Word-specific features — as will be the case with all word processors which must reverse-engineer Microsoft's file formats or don't include the exact same feature set. Some very old Word files will not open in Pages, but they will generally open in TextEdit. If you use iWork and you want to send files to Windows users that don't require editing it is probably better to send them as a PDF.

Although iWork can open and save Office files, file management can be inconvenient. iWork automatically converts Office files to iWork formats upon opening, so when saving, users must "export" files to Office format, even if they were in Office format to begin with.

[smutek]

Is there settings I can use to limit what other users touching the Mac can only access?

This is a good guide for securing your mac:

http://www.nsa.gov/ia/guidance/security ... tems.shtml

[maxgraham]

What's not true about Microsoft Office files being interchangeable between Office for windows and Office for Mac ?? "so long as you have Microsoft Office for Mac on your Mac computer."

you absolutely do not need "Office for mac" to use office files on your mac...iwork works perfectly for most users, everyone we've sold iwork to
(at my apple shop) has been very happy to not have to deal with slow/bloated office for mac.

[leedsquietman]

You are totally missing the point. I agreed that you can use iWork (it's not bloated because it lacks a lot of stuff).

What I was saying is that you can use Office for window files in Office for mac. I didn't say this was exclusive and the only way to open Office files. If you re-read my posts I identify iWork and also OpenOffice (freeware) as being able to do this (albeit occasionally with some issues mostly related to font conversion).

If you are used to advanced features in Word and Excel, iWork falls short compared to Microsoft Office although it is suitable for the majority of home users who don't need some of those advanced features. I will give kudos to Keynotes though, that is the best part of iWork.

As for compatibility, the Mac Rumours link I gave last time is pretty much spot on in my experience. I don't know why people have to get so defensive when it comes to Apple's products. iWork comes bundled with the computers and is certainly better than Microsoft's Works which is a cut down version of Office given free with most PCs (or at nominal cost). Office hasn't been the premier Office Suite for so many years for nothing though (the full, payable version) and the version for Mac is good now.

[maxgraham]

making evil techno

[arctic ranger]

i get your point, all i did was reply to something YOU ASKED so I TOLD YOU. your comment was wrong and i corrected it five posts ago (i even quoted the part YOU ASKED about and corrected it AT YOUR REQUEST), why are you still going on about this? Nobody is getting defensive either, i'm not arguing about shit or trying to prove any points, you simply said something WRONG that could mislead people "Windows excel and word files are usually interchangeable so long as you have Microsoft Office for Mac on your Mac computer." it's wrong and i corrected it (regardless of what you meant in your own head, that appears to others, incorrectly, that you MUST HAVE OFFICE), you were confused about what i corrected so i clarified again. get it now? Also iWork does NOT come bundled with them. This is clearly not your forte is it.

This is why i stay off message boards. People spout incorrect things then have to feel like arguing it just to prove to a bunch of people they will never meet that they have some sort of point.

i have music to make...goodnight

isnt there a maxforlive patch that can sort this out?!?

[hereschenes]

The freeware OpenOffice will be able to read them (cross platform) usually too, but I'm not sure if you can make changes or read-only.

You can definitely use OpenOffice to create, edit and save files in MS Office format. Occasionally you will get some minor formatting differences, and as such it's always best to check the document with a copy of MS Word/Excel/whatever (if it's something important, like you're sending off your CV or whatever), but other than that there's no reason to buy Office for Mac to maintain compatibility.

http://www.openoffice.org/

[leedsquietman]

Jeez. Max - chillax man.

Yup go off and make some tunes, that should get the blood pressure back in line.