MS Word Program

Hi,
Just got a new laptop - primarily for wordprocessing, editing, scanning, etc. Stupidly, I didn't bother to doublecheck what WP software is preinstalled prior to purchasing the Laptop (Toshiba) - only to find that WORD isn't available - though there's MS Works WordProcessor; couldn't spot any difference between MS Works WP and MS WORD. What worries me - is that document files are saved on WP as .wps, while the doc files on my old laptop were saved on WORD as .doc files. I plan to transfer the data files, including .doc files to the new laptop. Would the .doc files become incompatible/inoperable if edited/saved under MS Works WP??

I'm aware that if I want WORD Program, I'd have to buy & install MS Office which has other programs which I dont want, such as Access, Database, Excel. Is there anyway of downloading WORD from the Internet?

Thanks,
Allendog

MS Works and MS Word are totally different applications. There may be some file compatibility (e.g. the ability to import Works docs into Word) but Works is basically a word processor for basic/amateur rather than professional use. Why not try OpenOffice which is free before shelling out for MS Word or MS Office? If you do want Word then short of using an illegal pirated copy you will have to pay for it. Try Micromail in Cork if you do want to buy it. I've always found them pretty good.

Hi allendog

I haven't used MS Works for a while but as far as I can remember you can save in at least Word 6 format or RTF which all wordprocessors can read. Go to File/Save As and click down arrow on the box with .wps to see a list of other options. You might lose some formatting with these though-in particular the RTF option. I'm not sure about saving in Word XP format.

If you want a more sophisticated free replacement for Word you could try http://www.openoffice.org. Unfortunately you'll need to download the full suite, but you don't need to install everything. There might still be minor compatibility issues if you documents are very complex though, especially if you use Word macros as OpenOffice has its own macro system.

Edit: Whoops didn't see ClubMan's post

Since I got my laptop a while back I've been deliberately trying, as a bit of an experiment, to use free/open source software (albeit on Windows) as far as possible (e.g. guided by the likes of [broken link removed]) and I have used OpenOffice for basic word processing and other "office" style tasks (no power user stuff - just the odd basic letter, document, spreadsheet etc.) and have found it grand even when transferring documents back and forth between MS Word/Office and OpenOffice. There definitely are issues with file and user interface compatibility but unless you are a power Word/Office user you may not encounter them at all or that often.

Excellent list Clubman! Its nice to be able to stick it to The Man every once in a while...daithi

I don't really go in for the "sticking it to the man" (Bill Gates I presume) lark to be honest. Microsoft make some excellent OS, application development, utilities and application software. They also make some crap. Like any software vendor they release stuff with bugs. Their systems and applications tend to be attacked more by crackers and the problems highlighted more in the media. I wouldn't mind having bought some of their shares a few years back! However I do like to try out alternatives, especially those those that are free and/or open source, because sometimes you can find applications that do the job better than the incumbent market leader. I do find that they charge what seems like an awful lot for some of their products especially when there are cheaper or free alternatives that do as good a job in many cases. I also find their constantly changing arcane (enterprise) licensing models impossible to understand and found them so frustrating that, years ago, I decided to make a special effort to look for free or cheaper alternatives where possible rather than go through the pain of trying to figure out the licensing requirements. By the way you might also enjoy this page of links to mostly free software which does have an obvious grudge against Microsoft! The "clean PC" thread also contains some general links to cheap, free and/or open source software.

ClubMan said:

I wouldn't mind having bought some of their shares a few years back!

Click to expand...

[broken link removed]

(Wrong forum, I know... )

Do you work for a company that may have Microsoft Office Software Assurance.? If so you should be able to get a copy from them for home use? Could try.