Filed under: Software
Microsoft says file converter for Office 2007 in the works
According to a post on Mac Mojo, the Mac BU's blog, Microsoft is committed to getting out a free file format converter so that Mac users can open Office 2007 Open XML formatted files with Office 2004 (Laurie posted about the problem earlier today). This converter is expected to be released late March/early April and will be free.The next version of Office for the Mac will support the Open XML Format as its native format, and that is expected to ship 6 to 8 months from now.
Until then you can either use a hack, or ask your Windows using friends to save the documents they want to share with you as the older Word/Excel/PowerPoint 97-2003 Document (.doc, .xls, .ppt).
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Twist said 11:51PM on 12-05-2006
$10 says some shareware programmer beats them to it.
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Pete said 9:36PM on 12-05-2006
"Until then you can either use a hack, or ask your Windows using friends to save the documents they want to share with you as the older Word/Excel/PowerPoint 97-2003 Document (.doc, .xls, .ppt)."
They will anyway. Most folks I know are still using 97/2000. Not much reason to upgrade a home system (high cost low, if any, benefit) and people at the office won't save in a format they can't use from home. Assuming the office actually upgrades that is.
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JD said 9:53PM on 12-05-2006
I wouldn't get over concerned at least in the business world... Most companies will set up a domain group-policy so Office 2007 will save in Office 2003/4 format by default. Mainly due to the several(many?)-years it will take to grandfather out old licenses.
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Math Pedant said 10:35PM on 12-05-2006
As a grandfather, I take serious issue with the implications of the above usage: "to grandfather out old licenses". It is demeaning enough to be associated with the correct way in which 'grandfather' is used as a verb, which is pretty much the opposite of extirpation. You could probably look it up.
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thomas said 10:49PM on 12-05-2006
haha JD got pwnd by gramps
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JD said 11:32PM on 12-05-2006
from m-w.com
Main Entry: grandfather (clause)
Function: transitive verb
: to permit to continue under a grandfather clause
: a clause creating an exemption based on circumstances previously existing;
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Chris said 12:40AM on 12-06-2006
How long have they known about this? A 4 to 5 month wait for a file convertor is unacceptable.
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McDreeamy said 1:46AM on 12-06-2006
That BU is a joke. They have had 2 years to plan on the change over to XML, and now we have to wait 3-4 MONTHS for a solution. What a joke.
And make the messenger the same the windows version. The Mac version is a joke...
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Michel said 4:39AM on 12-06-2006
sad sad sad...
microsoft is even not willing to finish a converter the same day office 2007 is available...
their "new" xml format is not a sudden change of the month. they prepared it for more of one year.
they had AAAaaaall time to prepare. they simply don't want. they simply want to show the windows office version is the Real Stuff, the Real Premium Juicy Orangy Experience of the Sun.
nothing else. and the whole "open" standard format by ecma is a ugly insidious _joke_.
in the end , it changes _nothing_ for developpers. too much control by microsoft, too much limits, too much cumbersome to add that format in a competitive product. (to summarize : the main argument is microsoft is not bound to their ecma standardisation)
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Chris Meisenzahl said 7:12AM on 12-06-2006
Glad it's coming.
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Maimon Mons said 7:29AM on 12-06-2006
How about Pages and Keynote? I would love to see everyone use the same format so I don't have to worry about someone along the line changing applications.
Vendor lock-in is a b!tch.
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thomas said 1:19PM on 12-08-2006
Thanks JD for clarifying the meaning of "to grandfather". By doing so you have shown that you incorrectly used the word and have just pwnd yourself.
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All Evolve said 3:13AM on 12-07-2006
Just so you know, there's already a website where you can upload a docx file and have it converted to .txt.
http://docx-converter.com/
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