MS Office differences between platforms (was: Re: [WinMac] MacWorld Expo Report - Something for everyone!)

Tim Scoff(casper[at]nb.net)
Sun, 25 Jul 1999 22:43:08 -0400

>> MICROSOFT:
>>
>> 1) Outlook client for Exchange: Currently, the MacOS
>>version is at 8.2,
>> with improved stability. It is available for download from Microsoft's FTP
>> site, or on a separate CD. The Mac group is going to an independent release
>> schedule - If they happen to fall with the Exchange Server Service Pack CD
>> distribution, the CD's will be shipped together.
>>
>> A new version of Outlook will be shipped in about six months,
>>FINALLY
>> matching up with it's 95/NT counterpart with full support for scheduling
>> features.
>
>Cool, ONLY 4 - 5 years to do this...MS is getting lazy again. (note, I
>mean the MS windows folks, which unfortunately seem to control the Mac
>Exchange client. This really needs to get put under Ben Waldeman's group
>and fast!)

        This is one of my biggest problems with Microsoft's products,
especially MS Office. The features are different between the two
platforms, and in some cases the file formats are different also preventing
cross platform offices who standardize on MS Office/Back Office from being
able to seamlessly share everything with everyone in their office.

        If you buy MS Office for the Mac you can not get MS Outlook or MS
Access. MS Outlook is a much more full featured client than MS Outlook
Express is, and it just isn't available unless you have an Exchange server.
And the Outlook Client for the Mac will ONLY work with Exchange Server.
You can not use it to access your Exchange mailboxes and your POP/IMAP
account at the same time. You can use MS Outlook for the PC to access your
Exchange server and a large number of other mail servers at the same time.
MS Access just does not exist for the Mac and probably never will.

        MSIE 4.5 for the Mac has a wonderful self repair feature and a
great auto fill feature for filling in web forms. MSIE 5.0 for the PC has
a half baked auto fill feature and it doesn't have the self repair feature
that the Mac version has.

        I would really love to see MS's products on both platforms match
each other a little bit more in functionality and usability. I use both
platforms at work on a daily basis and having to remember what is different
on the two different platforms when I'm using the same program is a pain.
Especially when there are features on both versions of MS Office that I
would like to be able to use on both platforms, not just one or the other.
Tim Scoff, MCSE
casper@nb.net
<http://www.nb.net/~casper/>

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