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Apple Archive

The Dark Side of Software Upgrades

- 2003.05.09

PowerPoint XP 2002 for Windows has a whole new set of slide transitions and backgrounds, not all of which are available in previous versions or in the Mac version. That's fine if you're planning to use it on a computer with Office XP, but moving a presentation to a machine with an older version of PowerPoint can be a nightmare.

The Microsoft Way

I completed one recent project on my PC in PowerPoint XP and then transferred it to the Mac. Once I ran it on the Mac, I realized that I needed to spend another hour redoing all of the transitions and animations - the ones I chose on the PC weren't available on the Mac. To make matters worse, I was told that there was no way to download the new transitions and effects for earlier versions of PowerPoint. This, as I have been informed, is the Microsoft Way.

Another part of this New Way is the intrusiveness of new versions of Microsoft software (for example, when I typed "New Way" into Office XP, it immediately thought I was writing street directions and asked me if I wanted to add an address). Office XP tends to be very intrusive, constantly asking you what you want to do with items you put into your clipboard and things you might want to paste into another Office application. Office 2001 and X seem to be less intrusive, but only slightly.

Of course, you only have to use Windows XP Home to find out how annoying Microsoft software can be. Setting up a network takes twice as long as it should thanks to the "convenient" wizards included, and even viewing and handling pictures and music files seems to take more time.

Apple Not Immune

And it's not just Microsoft. AppleWorks 6 files don't open in AppleWorks 5, and this is a problem in schools. iMacs and PowerMacs may be running version 6, but the LC 500 series Macs can't open the files.

Apple is always saying how well the Mac works with the PC. Sharing files is no problem with built in Windows file sharing, however sharing other types of files might be a problem. In one recent article on Low End Mac, I read that AppleWorks 6 doesn't have a translator for Microsoft Works documents. Since I know that many PC companies install Microsoft Works on their PCs instead of Office, and many people actually do use what it preinstalled on their PC, it really is important for Apple to get a Works translator into the next AppleWorks update.

Most people just want to use their time to get more work done - not spend time redoing all of the work they have already done or go through endless wizards and dialogue boxes to complete a simple task. They don't have time to play around, and Microsoft (and any company guilty of this) should recognize this.

I'd like to see either downloadable transitions for older versions of PowerPoint or at least have Microsoft label which transitions and animations are compatible with older versions (and the Mac version) for those planning to transfer the file from one computer to another.

Backwards compatibility and ease of use are two important things software companies all seem to forget in this age of "more dialogue boxes must mean better software."

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