Should I use Office 2011 for Mac?

Office 2010 won me back as a power user after Office 2003 stunk, Office 2007 was good but not great, and both OpenOffice and Google Apps had become quite compelling. Office 2010 was just so powerful and feature-rich that it was hard to ignore. Today’s launch of Office 2011 for the Mac brings most of this richness to an incredible growth platform, but somehow feels anticlimactic.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy not to have to launch a virtual machine every time I want the latest and greatest Office features on my Mac. Office 2011 is a great product like its Windows big brother. I’ve been using a press copy for a couple of weeks now and have been cranking out the PowerPoints, spreadsheets, and documents. I know that Outlook and Messenger are important to some people and have been both well-reviewed and are welcome additions. I’m a Gmail guy and tend to avoid mail clients like the plague, so these are non-issues for me, but bringing Outlook to the Mac platform was obviously a great business choice for Microsoft and one more pathway through which Macs will work their way into the enterprise.

And yet…

Even with the return of macro support and a revised interface that makes Office 2011 consistent with Office 2010, while still feeling more Mac than Windows…

Even with welcome updates that highlight just how much of an afterthought Office 2008 was…

Even with great templates and enhanced number-crunching abilities…

I just can’t get excited about Office 2011.

I know that Office remains the tool of choice for documentation, presentations, desktop data management, and communication for many businesses. I get that and I know that it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon in the corporate world. All the more power to the Mac for now being able to be seamlessly compatible with Office for Windows, both in file types and generally in user interface. And I don’t even completely disagree with a Gartner analyst who raved about the software:

“This is the best Office ever, not just on the Mac,” said Gartenberg. “It brings the Mac version to parity with the Windows version, but it still feels like Mac software, not a Windows port. Mac Office doesn’t feel like you walked into your house in the dark and someone rearranged all the furniture.”

The exclusion of OneNote, one of Office 2010’s best bits of software, as well as Microsoft’s failure to put Access on the Mac makes the “best Office version ever” assertion a bit dubious, although the interface and usability are quite good.The real question, though, aside from Mac users desperate to use their computers in corporate settings where Office remains the norm, is how many average Mac users will care that Office 2011 is just so incredibly dandy?

Mac users, after all, have a solid alternative on the cheap from Apple in their iWork software for most productivity and I’m actually finding myself more likely to produce everything from publication-ready documents to presentations in Adobe’s CS5 (and now Acrobat X) given the really powerful tools with the Creative Suite that Office simply can’t match. If what I need to do in terms of documentation or presentation can’t be handled in Google Apps, then I’m going to go whole hog and produce something really rich. Add in Adobe’s new ROME beta and there are more than enough alternatives for us stereotypical Mac creative types to just not be too fussed over Office 2011.

Aside from Adobe or Google, so much of what we (whether “we” means artsy Mac people or the world at large doesn’t really matter here) do ends up in a content management system, blog, or online somewhere makes Office 2011, no matter how good it is, just a little bit less spectacular than one might expect.

Because Office 2008 was such a weak product, and because Macs have traditionally been the tools of choice for designers and (more recently) developers, Mac users have grown accustomed to using “Not Office,” whatever that might be. Office 2011 is a boon for enterprise and business users, but won’t be the runaway hit that Office 2010 was. There just isn’t the need for it. We use Macs for a reason after all, and that reason usually isn’t to type Word documents, no matter improved the interface.

Something Different

I know that most of my blogs are about techie stuff and programming techniques.  However, tonight I am inclined to write about something completely different.  This really isn’t going to follow any particular writing discipline and this post will pretty much just be me getting some things off my chest for my own benefit.  

First, yes I admit it.  I am a recovering angry youth.  I wear too much black I have an inner adolescent that still wants to flip someone the bird when they make me mad or tell me what to do.  I often feel like I can’t live without music.  Although most people will not call what I listen to music.  Its mostly dark gothic rock with some occasional jazz, classical, opera, and blues mixed in.  I suppose in a nutshell I am somewhat of a goth freak.  Oh well thats me and those of you who do not like it please stop reading this blog NOW!

Ok.  There have been a lot of things going on in my life lately, some good, some bad, and some just dangerous!  At any rate, life for me is usually just one big suck fest after the other with brief periods of happiness mixed in.  

One thing am I struggling with is that people just always seem to use me.  They either want me to do something for them, fix something for them, create something for them, or (and my biggest issue) think for them!  Needless to say I hate doing that for the most part.  There are a few people that I don’t mind helping because they deserve it and I just like them.  

I often wonder if I am depressed or just crazy.  I constantly listen to depressing music.   Yes I listen to HIM all the time.  I like the dark and hate the sunlight, I often feel overwhelmed with everything that goes on, and I have a HUGE problem trusting people. HELP!!!! So I have come up with a few thoughts about this.  

There are a few basic existential realities we all confront: mortality, aloneness and meaninglessness. Most people are aware of these things. A friend dies suddenly, a coworker commits suicide or some planes fly into tall buildings-these events shake most of us up and remind us of the basic realities. We deal, we grieve, we hold our kids tighter, remind ourselves that life is short and therefore to be enjoyed, and then we move on. Persistently not being able to put the existential realities aside to live and enjoy life, engage those around us or take care of ourselves just might be a sign of depression.

We all get sad sometimes, struggle to fall asleep, lose our appetite or have a hard time focusing. Does this mean we are depressed? Not necessarily. So how do you know the difference? The answer, as with most psychological diagnoses comes down to one word: functioning. How are you sleeping and eating? Are you isolating yourself from others? Have you stopped enjoying the things you used to enjoy? Difficulty focusing and concentrating? Irritable? Tired? Lack of motivation? Do you feel hopeless? Feel excessively guilty or worthless? Experiencing some of these things may be a sign of depression. 

Depression can range from mild to severe. People sometimes minimize how they are feeling by saying, “anyone would feel this way in this situation” or “it isn’t like I want to kill myself”. You don’t have to be suicidal to be depressed but is a symptom of depression. Thinking a lot about death or wanting or even planning how you might die is serious and needs immediate attention. Call a friend, a crisis center, your doctor, call 911 or even show up at an ER.

Doing those things are easier said than done for those of us that are depressed.  Seeking help (for me at least) is like an admission of failure.  Like I am admitting that I can’t deal with “it”.  Whatever “it” is.  At any rate, I hope this post lets someone know that you’re not alone and other people feel the same way you do so don’t give up. 

I have some friends that I could talk to although at times I feel like I am unnecessarily bothering them.  I have one friend that knows me better than anyone but our relationship has been strained recently and I don’t know how to fix it.  I hope this person knows that they are very important to me and that I feel guilty because I feel the way I do (depressed).  

It is hard to communicate feelings to another person, at least it is for me.  This person however, has been very understanding and that is something you won’t find in many people.  However, and I regret to say this, I feel that our friendship might be coming to an end and for this I am very sorry.  I hope I am wrong and I suppose that only time will tell.  I hope that I can find out soon.  I am not sure I can live without this person.

Goodnight and I wish everyone  a great day tomorrow.