jfmjfm@ruddles.sprl.umich.edu (John F. Mansfield) (05/08/90)
Organization: University of Michigan Electron Microbeam Analysis Lab. Recently I posted questions about why Microsoft word 4.0 and the WIDELY publicized bug fix version 4.0a ( BUG fix, are you listening Bill?) were continually bombing on my Mac IIci. Now I had called Microsoft support and the guy there after being told my configuration told me he couldnt think of any reason and told me not to use any inits! "Yeah, well, our program works real well but dont use it with anything else!!!" Marvellous. Okay so after my post a few people mail to me and tell me that there is a version 4.0b, so again I call Microsoft support and tell them my problem. I tell them that I am using 2 monitors and and ethernet card and the support "specialist" agains tells me that 4.0a should be fine. Well I ask for 4.0b and he says it shouldnt make any difference and I insist and he tells me to call another number and ask for the upgrade. Now I do that and am told it will take 8 or 9 days to get it to me, here I am, writing a proposal and have a totally unreliable word processing program. I have to resort to WriteNow (which incidentally has NEVER crashed my machine (II, IIci or SE/30). The only reason I dont use WriteNow all the time is everyone else around here uses Word and for compatibilitys sake I do too. ASIDE HERE: Why doesnt soemone make a word processing program that both READS and WRITES the common wors processing file formats? They all seem to READ other peoples but why not write too? END ASIDE. Anyway while waiting for the upgrade/bug fix I get a call from a Microsoft product manager and he tells me he is responsible for word. He read my news posting and thought he better try and help since people on NewsNet seemed to carry a fair amount of weight. Are you listening folks? He said it sounded like word was interfering with some NuBus memory and 4.0b would help. He said that he would send it out to me quickly. I thanked him and sat back and waited. I then discovered that I had a colleague who was going to visit Microsoft the next day and so I called the guy back and asked him if he could pass the disk along to my friend or the people she was meeting. He said that would be tricky but he would send it out next day air instead. It may have helped that the people that my friend was visiting were big mucky-mucks in the company, because I got a copy of 4.0b the next day. I also got the upgrade from the upgrade people too!! BUT that was 4.0A!!!!!!!!!! Good job this guy was actually on the ball!!! Now the Major points: 1. I want to thank the guy who called me Paul Davies he was most helpful and knew what was going on. 2. I want to bitch and moan like hell at product support and the upgrade section for not having a clue what is going on. 3. I also want to say to Bill Gates "DONT MAKE PROMISES YOU DONT HAVE A PRAYER OF KEEPING!" 4. I want to ask WHY Word development is done on Compaqs instead of Macs? 5. Why in heavens name dont they tell us the USERS that there is an incompatibility and there IS an UPGRADE/BUG FIX!!!!!???????????????? I spent the better part of 4 days trying to find out why their stupid program was bombing all the time, why cant Microsoft tell people when they release an upgrade or bug fix? I know why they have a president who would look stupid if he admitted that the BUG free program wasnt. But WE all KNEW that this would be the case before Word4 even shipped!!!! Enough I'm tired. John Mansfield, North Campus Electron Microbeam Analysis Laboratory, University of Michigan, 2455 Hayward, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2143. (313) 936-3352 jfmjfm@ruddles.sprl.umich.edu or John_Mansfield@um.cc.umich.edu
pfterry@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (05/09/90)
In article <1990May8.132419.10582@terminator.cc.umich.edu>, jfmjfm@ruddles.sprl.umich.edu (John F. Mansfield) writes: > 2. I want to bitch and moan like hell at product support and the upgrade > section for not having a clue what is going on. I would like to add my voice to those who are getting the run around on this particular bug fix for Word 4. I called the customer support dept. and ordered the 4.0b upgrade. The representative knew what I was talking about, but when the disk arrived, it was my old friend (and IIci hater) Word 4.0a. I'm sure every software company has trouble managing their upgrade disks, but I have a hard time being sympathetic when I have proposals and manuscript chapters to complete. Tomorrow I venture into the jaws of customer support again. I wish everyone luck. Fred ************************************************************************ ** ** ** ** Fred Terry ** A boy can learn a lot from ** ** Kansas Geological Survey ** a dog: obedience, loyalty, ** ** Univ. of Kansas ** and the importance of turning ** ** Lawrence, KS 66047 ** around three times before ** ** pfterry@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu ** lying down. ** ** ** ** ************************************************************************
dlw@hpccc.HP.COM (David Williams) (05/09/90)
John Mansfield asks in his epic about MicroSoft Word: >Why doesnt soemone make a word processing program that both READS and >WRITES the common wors processing file formats? They all seem to READ >other peoples but why not write too? As far as I know Claris's MacWrite II DOES WRITE out in the "Common" WP file formats. Why anyone uses MicroSoft products in the Macintosh environment is beyond me. Even Apple Computer foolishly uses this stuff (must be another one of those stupid secret agreements Apple has will Billionaire Gates). If you do normal run of the mill WP use MacWrite II or WriteNow. For grunting out manuals/big honking manuscripts look at Framemaker. Yeesh, makes you want to buy a NeXT which is still a MicroSoft Free Zone. -David "Sinanju buddy, the real stuff" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- David L. Williams -- hplabs!dlw -- dlw@iag.hp.com -- 408 447-5425 Hewlett Packard -- Information Architecture Group Distributed Application Architecture 19046 Pruneridge Ave MS: 46G Cupertino CA *
hermens@groucho (05/10/90)
In article <23174.264776a8@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu> pfterry@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu writes: > >I would like to add my voice to those who are getting the run around >on this particular bug fix for Word 4. I called the customer support >dept. and ordered the 4.0b upgrade. The representative knew what I was >talking about, but when the disk arrived, it was my old friend (and >IIci hater) Word 4.0a. I'm sure every software company has trouble >managing their upgrade disks, but I have a hard time being sympathetic >when I have proposals and manuscript chapters to complete. > I got the same disk (4.00A), however, the customer support person told me that 4.00A and 4.00B were the *same*. I'd like to hear the real story from a rep at Microsoft... Leonard
hnewstrom@x102c.harris-atd.com (Harvey Newstrom) (05/10/90)
In article <1990May8.132419.10582@terminator.cc.umich.edu> jfmjfm@ruddles.sprl.umich.edu (John F. Mansfield) writes:
]Why doesnt soemone make a word processing program that both READS and
]WRITES the common wors processing file formats? They all seem to READ
]other peoples but why not write too?
My MacWrite II has a selection in the save window that defines what format
the file is in. It then both reads and writes the file using this format.
__
Harvey Newstrom (hnewstrom@x102c.ess.harris.com) (uunet!x102c!hnewstrom)sorensen@athena.mit.edu (Alma G. Sorensen) (05/10/90)
In article <23174.264776a8@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu> pfterry@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu writes: >In article <1990May8.132419.10582@terminator.cc.umich.edu>, jfmjfm@ruddles.sprl.umich.edu (John F. Mansfield) writes: > > >> 2. I want to bitch and moan like hell at product support and the upgrade >> section for not having a clue what is going on. > > >I would like to add my voice to those who are getting the run around >on this particular bug fix for Word 4. I called the customer support >dept. and ordered the 4.0b upgrade. The representative knew what I was >talking about, but when the disk arrived, it was my old friend (and >IIci hater) Word 4.0a. I'm sure every software company has trouble >managing their upgrade disks, but I have a hard time being sympathetic >when I have proposals and manuscript chapters to complete. Me too. "Sure, we'll send out 4.00b right away." What arrives? 4.00A! Aarrgh! I appreciate the disk coming quickly, but who is sending out the wrong disks!? Greg Sorensen sorensen@athena.mit.edu
milton@ccu.umanitoba.ca (David Milton) (05/25/90)
In article <24856@netnews.upenn.edu> jeffe@eniac.seas.upenn.edu.UUCP (George J. Jefferson) writes: >>That would be nice. I know WriteNow 2.2 _reads_ Word 3.x and 4.0, but I >>don't know if it will write them. > >I expected no graphics, no equations, no style sheets etc. > - remaining text deleted - > >Can the V.2.2 translator be that much better? (ie worth using) I am using the WriteNow 2.2 translator and find it works quite well. There is one problem relating to the way Word handles headers for the start of a section (first page only) with a second header for the remainder of the section. The first page header and the remainder headers get switched sometimes. From my experience the translator reads both word 3.x and 4.0 format files. It has converted all of the text and matches all fonts used within the document and translates them correctly. Except for the exchanged headers I have found the translator very dependable.