Comments on: Massachusetts Dumps Microsoft Office http://www.owenkellett.info/2005/09/03/massachusetts-dumps-microsoft-office/ Technology news, baseball, track and field, and more! Wed, 01 Feb 2006 00:15:57 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Owen http://www.owenkellett.info/2005/09/03/massachusetts-dumps-microsoft-office/comment-page-1/#comment-61 Owen Sun, 04 Sep 2005 04:20:08 +0000 http://www.owenkellett.info/2005/09/03/massachusetts-dumps-microsoft-office/#comment-61 Yeah Word definitely doesn't have the built in option to save to PDF. The easiest way to do it is to install a PS capable printer, print out to a PS file and then convert the PS file to a PDF. (I think Adobe actually has some kind of print tool that will bypass the PS file for you). In any case it's not quite trivial. I actually don't think I've ever used WordPerfect but you've already mentioned it a couple times so I don't doubt it's quality. That's the whole point I guess. People should be able to use whatever application they please to create a document but sharing it should be done using an open, view-only format. And oh I actually had never heard of WordViewer. I will definitely have to check that out. Yeah Word definitely doesn’t have the built in option to save to PDF. The easiest way to do it is to install a PS capable printer, print out to a PS file and then convert the PS file to a PDF. (I think Adobe actually has some kind of print tool that will bypass the PS file for you). In any case it’s not quite trivial. I actually don’t think I’ve ever used WordPerfect but you’ve already mentioned it a couple times so I don’t doubt it’s quality.

That’s the whole point I guess. People should be able to use whatever application they please to create a document but sharing it should be done using an open, view-only format. And oh I actually had never heard of WordViewer. I will definitely have to check that out.

]]> By: Gone Away http://www.owenkellett.info/2005/09/03/massachusetts-dumps-microsoft-office/comment-page-1/#comment-60 Gone Away Sat, 03 Sep 2005 15:12:31 +0000 http://www.owenkellett.info/2005/09/03/massachusetts-dumps-microsoft-office/#comment-60 For years WordPerfect has had the ability to save direct to a PDF. I don't know if Word can do that even now. Excel is a puny application when compared with Quattro Pro. And if you want to just read a Word document, there is always WordViewer which is (incredibly) free. I applaud the State of Massachusetts' decision and just hope that OpenOffice has advanced to a higher level of usability and reliability than it demonstrated when the company I was working for a few years back switched to it. In desperation, I bought my entire department cheap copies of WordPerfect... For years WordPerfect has had the ability to save direct to a PDF. I don’t know if Word can do that even now. Excel is a puny application when compared with Quattro Pro. And if you want to just read a Word document, there is always WordViewer which is (incredibly) free. I applaud the State of Massachusetts’ decision and just hope that OpenOffice has advanced to a higher level of usability and reliability than it demonstrated when the company I was working for a few years back switched to it. In desperation, I bought my entire department cheap copies of WordPerfect…

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