It seems like every time I look at an electronic device, it has to do some sort of update. I came into work on Tuesday and started one of the Microsoft Office products only to discover it had a number of updates to download. Having 2 mobile phones makes the problem worse as one of them always seem to have some pending application update. Then last night I decided to set up my PS4 on my sailboat. It had been off since I brought it out in November. Not only did I need to update the system software, but every game I had played in the past 6 months had an updated that needed to download. I burned through 9 gigabytes of data in one evening.
This has me evaluating all of my electronic devices that are connected to the Internet. I don't keep a lot of apps on my phones unless I really use them. Periodically I go through and delete programs I haven't used in several months. When I turned on my PlayStation 4, I thought I deleted all of the game files I didn't think I would play. I probably should have deleted more of them. I also am sure not to install software on my computer unless I really need it.
All of this downloading and updating seems like I am keeping up with the latest features and sometimes that is true. Security updates are very important and should be installed as quickly as they appear. Unfortunately some of the updates don't really effect me. Most of the updates for the PS4 dealt with online play features and I don't really do a lot of that currently. Furthermore, Apple has a tendency to remove functionality in the name of simplicity. But what if I am using that feature?
Finally I question the size of all these downloads. Retrieving 9 gigabytes of data in one evening seems a bit excessive. My experience with bug fixes is that you should just have to send an update to a library and those can be very small. Maybe I just have a bunch of games that needed new content and there is no way to make that tiny. I will have to go through and see if I notice any difference. My guess is I won't.
Showing posts with label Microsoft Office. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Microsoft Office. Show all posts
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Annoying Software Updates
This morning I was minding my own business and going through e-mail when the Microsoft Office Auto Update program decided to take over my computer. I was typing mid-sentence when a dialog box appeared on my screen and stole the focus from a very important e-mail I was composing. I was slightly annoyed but decided that it was probably a good idea to get the update and let it continue. That was a mistake. The installation program decided that it didn't want any other programs running while it updated the Microsoft Office software. Now I can understand the need to shut down other Office programs like Outlook and Word, but why did it need to shut down my non-Microsoft Browser?
At this point I did what I should have done when the auto update program first appeared, I put it in the background and ignored it until I finished what I was working on. I sent my e-mail and then allowed the update to take place while I went and got a drink of water. When I got back, my computer was ready to use again.
I don't know who writes these auto update programs, but I am sure they lack any form of social skills. You know the type. Those people that interrupt important conversations with mundane and routine comments that should be kept quite until the grown-ups are done talking. I wonder if they started their careers as telemarketers calling people during dinner?
At this point I did what I should have done when the auto update program first appeared, I put it in the background and ignored it until I finished what I was working on. I sent my e-mail and then allowed the update to take place while I went and got a drink of water. When I got back, my computer was ready to use again.
I don't know who writes these auto update programs, but I am sure they lack any form of social skills. You know the type. Those people that interrupt important conversations with mundane and routine comments that should be kept quite until the grown-ups are done talking. I wonder if they started their careers as telemarketers calling people during dinner?
Friday, May 14, 2010
The Death of OpenOffice.org
Two days ago, I received an e-mail about how OpenOffice is dead because of the new release of Microsoft Office 2010. The author comments about the quality of online office suites like Google Docs. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the online office suites are no replacement for a full fetaured office suite like OpenOffice or Microsoft Office.
The author then goes on to talk about all the new features of Microsoft Office 2010 and how it is so much better than OpenOffice that everyone should switch to Microsoft Office. His justification is that if you can't afford to pay for software, use Google Docs. That is like someone who has just had his first ride in a Ferrari saying that you should never own a Toyota and if you can't afford a Ferrari, you should take the bus.
I like Microsoft Office on the Mac and think it is a great product. I like OpenOffice on Linux and think it is a great product. Recently I have started using Microsoft Office on Windows and have to say that I hate it. In Office 2007 on Windows, they completely redesigned the user interface and it is difficult to find anything. I will probably replace it with OpenOffice and only use Microsoft Office on the Mac. As for Google Docs, it has its place, but anybody that thinks it will replace a full-featured office suite has had a bit too much of the Google Kool-Aid and needs to give it a rest.
Is OpenOffice dead? Not at all. There are lots of people that will continue to use OpenOffice, myself included. I think the real issue is that the person who wrote the article about the demise of OpenOffice works for ZDnet and ZDnet sells advertising space. Companies like Microsoft pay for advertising. OpenOffice doesn't. I'll let you do the math.
The author then goes on to talk about all the new features of Microsoft Office 2010 and how it is so much better than OpenOffice that everyone should switch to Microsoft Office. His justification is that if you can't afford to pay for software, use Google Docs. That is like someone who has just had his first ride in a Ferrari saying that you should never own a Toyota and if you can't afford a Ferrari, you should take the bus.
I like Microsoft Office on the Mac and think it is a great product. I like OpenOffice on Linux and think it is a great product. Recently I have started using Microsoft Office on Windows and have to say that I hate it. In Office 2007 on Windows, they completely redesigned the user interface and it is difficult to find anything. I will probably replace it with OpenOffice and only use Microsoft Office on the Mac. As for Google Docs, it has its place, but anybody that thinks it will replace a full-featured office suite has had a bit too much of the Google Kool-Aid and needs to give it a rest.
Is OpenOffice dead? Not at all. There are lots of people that will continue to use OpenOffice, myself included. I think the real issue is that the person who wrote the article about the demise of OpenOffice works for ZDnet and ZDnet sells advertising space. Companies like Microsoft pay for advertising. OpenOffice doesn't. I'll let you do the math.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Google Docs
Recently I had the chance to use some of Google's applications. The company I now work for keeps all of our spreadsheets and documents in Google Docs. I had heard about Google Docs before, but had never really taken a look. I have always used Microsoft Office or OpenOffice.org for such tasks and didn't see the need to switch. It has been almost a month now and I still don't see a reason to switch.
Google is an innovative company that has managed to do one or two things right. They remind me of the Microsoft of a decade ago. Microsoft has never been good at getting the right product out the door the first time. However, they continue to refine it until it is a great product. Look at Windows. There were versions 1.0 and 2.0, but nobody really adopted it until version 3.0. Even then, it was quickly followed by 3.1 which fixed a lot of problems. So it would not surprise me that even though I am not a big fan of Google Docs right now, that may change.
The primary difference between Microsoft Office and and Google Docs is that you need to install the Microsoft product on your computer while you use Google Docs on the web. If you are always connected to the Internet, then it isn't much of an issue to run your word processing or spreadsheet software on the web. However, what happens when you are not connected to the Internet? Perhaps you have hiked to a secluded spot in the forest to work on your version of "The Great American Novel." Google Docs isn't going to work for you.
The advantage of running software on the web is that it is much easier to share documents. You don't have to worry about attaching a spreadsheet to an e-mail so a friend or colleague can go over your numbers. Furthermore, if you update your document, it is updated immediately for everyone you have shared it with.
As for functionality, there is no comparison. Microsoft Office and OpenOffice.org are much more feature rich than Google Docs. When I was explaining this to someone, he mentioned that it will only take some time before Google Docs catches up. While there may be some truth to this, there is only so much you can do with a web-based application. At least for the foreseeable future.
Google is an innovative company that has managed to do one or two things right. They remind me of the Microsoft of a decade ago. Microsoft has never been good at getting the right product out the door the first time. However, they continue to refine it until it is a great product. Look at Windows. There were versions 1.0 and 2.0, but nobody really adopted it until version 3.0. Even then, it was quickly followed by 3.1 which fixed a lot of problems. So it would not surprise me that even though I am not a big fan of Google Docs right now, that may change.
The primary difference between Microsoft Office and and Google Docs is that you need to install the Microsoft product on your computer while you use Google Docs on the web. If you are always connected to the Internet, then it isn't much of an issue to run your word processing or spreadsheet software on the web. However, what happens when you are not connected to the Internet? Perhaps you have hiked to a secluded spot in the forest to work on your version of "The Great American Novel." Google Docs isn't going to work for you.
The advantage of running software on the web is that it is much easier to share documents. You don't have to worry about attaching a spreadsheet to an e-mail so a friend or colleague can go over your numbers. Furthermore, if you update your document, it is updated immediately for everyone you have shared it with.
As for functionality, there is no comparison. Microsoft Office and OpenOffice.org are much more feature rich than Google Docs. When I was explaining this to someone, he mentioned that it will only take some time before Google Docs catches up. While there may be some truth to this, there is only so much you can do with a web-based application. At least for the foreseeable future.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Saving Money
If someone came to me today and said they were looking for a way to save their company money, my response would be to ditch Microsoft Office and move to OpenOffice.org. Unfortunately there would be no immediate savings because most companies have already made that purchase. However if someone was starting a company or new group, they could save a lot of start-up costs by going with OpenOffice.org instead of Microsoft Office.
A good question to ask is: "How much money will it save my company?" That is an excellent question that needs a bit of a background.
OpenOffice.org is free. Microsoft Office comes in four different flavors, each with a different price. Unfortunately a commercial company cannot use the "Home and Student" edition which only costs $149.99. The next lowest cost version comes in at $399.95 and is the "Standard" edition. This version also comes with Outlook which is Microsoft's e-mail client. If your company has standardized on Outlook for your e-mail, then there is a whole other area where you can save money but outside the scope of this discussion. The "Small Office" and "Professional" versions are $50 and $100 more, respectively. They both include Publisher and the Professional version includes the Access database.
The latest version of OpenOffice.org actually compares to the Microsoft Office Professional version in that it contains most of the features included in Publisher and Access. The only missing piece is Outlook, but that functionality can be replaced with Thunderbird which is a free e-mail client from the people that brought you the Firefox web browser. However my experience is that most employees really only use the features found in the Standard edition of office and so we will use $399.95 as the standard cost savings.
Once you have purchased Microsoft Office, you can use it forever. However, some people feel it necessary to upgrade to the latest version. When Microsoft switched from the ubiquitous .DOC file format to the .DOCX, they provided a conversion utility so you didn't have to upgrade. A lot of people still did and that cost them $239.95. That still seems like a lot of money especially during these trying economic times.
One feature I use extensively in OpenOffice.org is the ability to create PDF files. This is not something that comes with the Standard version of Office but is part of Publisher. The nice thing about PDF documents is that nobody can modify them once you send them out. Also since the Acrobat reader from Adobe is free on all platforms, almost all computers can read PDF files. There is no need to worry about recipients having the "correct" version of software to read your document.
So let's assume you work for a company with 100 employees and almost everyone already has a purchased copy of Microsoft Office. The next time a new version of Office is released by Microsoft, you will save your company roughly $24,000 by switching to OpenOffice.org.
Let's assume you have decided to branch out on your own and start a company. You may only have 5 employees but will save yourself $2,000 in start-up costs. That is a significant amount of money if you are bootstrapping the company yourself.
Now let's assume that you work for a company that has 100 employees but only have purchased a single copy of Microsoft Office. All it takes is one honest employee to find out that you are stealing software. You will then be forced to buy $40,000 worth of licenses plus another $60,000 in punitive damages. OpenOffice.org should look pretty cheap for anyone in this scenario.
A good question to ask is: "How much money will it save my company?" That is an excellent question that needs a bit of a background.
OpenOffice.org is free. Microsoft Office comes in four different flavors, each with a different price. Unfortunately a commercial company cannot use the "Home and Student" edition which only costs $149.99. The next lowest cost version comes in at $399.95 and is the "Standard" edition. This version also comes with Outlook which is Microsoft's e-mail client. If your company has standardized on Outlook for your e-mail, then there is a whole other area where you can save money but outside the scope of this discussion. The "Small Office" and "Professional" versions are $50 and $100 more, respectively. They both include Publisher and the Professional version includes the Access database.
The latest version of OpenOffice.org actually compares to the Microsoft Office Professional version in that it contains most of the features included in Publisher and Access. The only missing piece is Outlook, but that functionality can be replaced with Thunderbird which is a free e-mail client from the people that brought you the Firefox web browser. However my experience is that most employees really only use the features found in the Standard edition of office and so we will use $399.95 as the standard cost savings.
Once you have purchased Microsoft Office, you can use it forever. However, some people feel it necessary to upgrade to the latest version. When Microsoft switched from the ubiquitous .DOC file format to the .DOCX, they provided a conversion utility so you didn't have to upgrade. A lot of people still did and that cost them $239.95. That still seems like a lot of money especially during these trying economic times.
One feature I use extensively in OpenOffice.org is the ability to create PDF files. This is not something that comes with the Standard version of Office but is part of Publisher. The nice thing about PDF documents is that nobody can modify them once you send them out. Also since the Acrobat reader from Adobe is free on all platforms, almost all computers can read PDF files. There is no need to worry about recipients having the "correct" version of software to read your document.
So let's assume you work for a company with 100 employees and almost everyone already has a purchased copy of Microsoft Office. The next time a new version of Office is released by Microsoft, you will save your company roughly $24,000 by switching to OpenOffice.org.
Let's assume you have decided to branch out on your own and start a company. You may only have 5 employees but will save yourself $2,000 in start-up costs. That is a significant amount of money if you are bootstrapping the company yourself.
Now let's assume that you work for a company that has 100 employees but only have purchased a single copy of Microsoft Office. All it takes is one honest employee to find out that you are stealing software. You will then be forced to buy $40,000 worth of licenses plus another $60,000 in punitive damages. OpenOffice.org should look pretty cheap for anyone in this scenario.
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