Along with a new DAW, I figured I should update from Office 2007 to the current version. The GUI has obviously been tailored for tablet use. Very 2 dimensional with interlocking panes, great for a tablet, but on my monitor it's just a big white space. They put a lot of work into removing borders and separators that take up screen space. If you have a Microsoft Surface on your wish list, this app was made for you.

I guess what's really funny is my reaction when I first tried it. I'm trying to use Outlook and keep having flashbacks to X1's early days. It does everything the old version did, plus more, but I couldn't find any of my familiar stuff. The changed graphics put a whammy on me and the relocated commands finished me off. It changed everything, just like X1.

This is the new machine. X2 flies on this thing, it's pretty cool. On the downside, I just looked at the case online and assumed it would be just the same as my current tower. When I picked it up it was boxed up and I figured it was mostly packing. I get it out at home and it's as big as a Super Reverb, complete with it's own light show. I'll have to cover it up when company comes over.

Thermaltake Chaser MK-I motherboard
750W Power Supply
Intel I7-3770K Processor
ASUS P8Z77-V Pro Motherboard <- changed to bigger board
16GB DDR3-1600 Memory
AMD HD7950 3GB Video Card
Intel 520 240GB SSD HDD
WD 2TB Black Edition HDD
SD Internal Memory Card Reader
DVDRW Drive
Windows 7 Pro 64Bit Edition

Uh Oh

I may have to get Access 2013 if I expect to do 10 hours of work for a client every other month or so.

Well - I given up on Office a long time ago. At this moment I am using the completely free LibreOffice ( http://www.libreoffice.org/ ), and it does everything I want from a office suite. Of course - if you have clients that are using Microsoft-only obscure formatting in their documents you have no choice and cough up the money. But I rather use that money for other things. I am using PDF output as standard (and build-in standard MS document output for things like spread sheets) and this is sufficient in 95% of the cases.

Ugghh... I do Access programming and I'm still on Office 2003 at work, but some people have been upgraded to 2010.  I have 2010 at home, mostly to get ready for the inevitable at work, but I'm not looking forward to yet another version to have to be prepared for.  At least at work they tend to skip around and take time their time before updating Office, so there is a chance I won't have to deal with 2013 there.

Have you tried Open Office?

Genghis


Ugghh... I do Access programming and I'm still on Office 2003 at work, but some people have been upgraded to 2010.  I have 2010 at home, mostly to get ready for the inevitable at work, but I'm not looking forward to yet another version to have to be prepared for.  At least at work they tend to skip around and take time their time before updating Office, so there is a chance I won't have to deal with 2013 there.

I use/program access 2007 and 2010 at work. I am getting a little nervous since there seems to be very little info about any changes to Access 2013. I also don't like the licensing tied to the original machine.

IMO office 2003 was still the best of the bunch, I do use office 2007 now. But I won't upgrade again till they make me. Why spend all that time trying to re-learn what you already know how to do?

Another plus for LibreOffice. Very recent note that ver 4 is out.

I had the even more ancient Office 2003 or whatever installed.

Went to Win 7 and the MS bastards had me at ransom. This said with all the deep respect to what Microsoft and Bill have done for planetary information exchange.

Win 7 doesn't recognize my version of Word. Response to my inquiry was that they were in full sympathy with my problem and are there to make things right and guide me through to the Light. All it requires is a couple hundred dollars upgrade fee and life will be bliss as long as it is licensed/activated on one computer only...

Fork these theives in spite of the historical good they have done otherwise...

Went with Open Office and then Libre Office. These programs were a joke 5 years ago, but not now. Serious competitors. David and Goliath glory for the end user.

Libre and Open are closely related and a cooperative effort. I went with Libre a year or so back because they were ahead in opening the file X formats of the new Office. Don't know where Open Office is currently.

Libre and Open lack a replacement for Outlook, and like said, some subtle formatting may be missed opening an Access file from Windows in Libre.

Conventional opinion is that Outlook is replaced by Thunderbird email and their Calendar app, though don't have info on whether Thunderbird can navigate on a collective field. Like updates in the address book etc on a server system, say across multiple sites of an extended company.

Otherwise, the project is evolving and growing strength and grace in its open source rivalry.

Free, no activation scheme, opens anything MS can spit out. Well worth the investigation and download.
 
http://www.libreoffice.org/

John
 
edit to add Libre Office link

I'm sticking with 2010 primarily due to licensing.  I consult Office software automation, so if business needs it, I'll go with a 365 subscription at some point.

The open source office packages just don't cut it for my usage.  They're good for casual use and for your own stuff, but once you go into cross business sharing and automation, they just suck.  I work primarily in VBA and you can't beat the development environment in Office.

The extra features available for the UI in Access 2007 and after are WAY better than 2003 ever was.  I can draw up a really pretty UI that looks like a native application quite easily, in 2003 it looks dated and plain primaily due to the lack of control anchoring on forms.

There's always going to be change... roll with it :)

work just upgraded to office 2010 and it's driving me nuts.

dual screens at work and I can open a word document on each window no problem.  but excel, no.  have to do a convoluted open blah blah then it will open two instances.  then ya close everything and have to do it all over again.  truely frustrating especially since the SAME 2010 word works automatically opening another instance of word.

change is hard.  as I get older changes is more challenging.

I didn't even know  there was a 2013 ugh.