[pixelmac]

Hello,
It is beyond me why Apple won't make these wonderfull applications, more Hebrew friendly.
You know, those languages from right to left /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
So many Hebrew users around the world, not to mention Arabic and others.
If small applications such as SwiftPublisher, OmniGraffle and many others can support Hebrew, why won't Apple make the effort, and update those packages ?
Best
Dan

[Wyeast]

I downloaded the free iWork trial and installed it to see how well it coverts Word docs. The answer is, fairly well, but not perfectly. Regular text paragraphs are very, very close in layout and pagination, with the difference being in subtle line spacing and font metrics. Probably as close as can be expected without copying the exact layout engine of Word.
Tables, however, do not fare so well, because Pages has a different way of specifying padding in tables, which means that the text layout in a table may be very different than how Word does it.
So for casual users who may need to be able to open, edit, and save a Word document without Word, this is all very good news. But if you have to integrate into a Word workflow and be able to format and print documents to be page-accurate with the Word version, Pages won't do this yet. (I hope it will in the future, since I would love to leave Word behind, too).

[Thataboy]

Quote:

---

Following is the feedback I sent to Apple about iWork '08. Perhaps I will get past being annoyed about this stuff and eventually see how the software works, garbage and all.
---------------------------------------------------------------
OK, I'm trying out the new iWork '08. Let me tell you about a few things that really STINK right off the bat.
I AM SICK AND TIRED OF SOFTWARE PUBLISHERS ASSUMING ALL USERS ARE MORONS.
1) iWork polluted my system with dozens of fonts I AM NOT INTERESTED IN. Why can't you have an option in the installation routine which allows the user to decline to install these fonts. I am not happy about having to remove all this garbage -- particularly just for the trouble of trying out a new app.
2) Likewise, iWork polluted my system with a whole bunch of foreign language .lproj files I have no interest in. Again, why not something in the install routine to decline non-English .lproj's. I can't believe something like this is beyond the capabilities of your programming staff.
3) I cannot find where the template files reside. I can't find them in the Library folder, nor can I even find them inside the application's package contents. Why do you ASSUME that all users want these templates. We should have an easy and transparent way to delete them.
Frankly I find your philosophy of throwing the kitchen sink into all of your apps, and not giving the user the option to decline to install components he or she contemplates no use for to be idiotic, insulting, and offensive.

---

Holy crap, calm the hell down. Idiotic, insulting and offensive? Maybe you should reserve such vitriol for slightly more important things than a few stray language packs.
ANYWAY, here is a tip: if you can't find what you're looking for in Library, then chances are you need to look inside the Application package itself. i.e., right click on the application, and Show Package Contents. For Pages/Contents/Resources -- in there, you'll find the hated lproj folders, as well as a "Templates" directory. Delete away!
That said, a Template/Theme Manager for iWork is NOT a bad idea. Maybe a freeware/shareware one exists. If not, why don't you write one? If you don't want to, or can't, then next time, send a NICE AND HELPFUL feedback e-mail regarding it to Apple. e.g., "While I love the new iWork 08 suite overall, I find that there are several templates and themes that I don't need. I'd like to save up my hard drive space for my iTunes Music Store purchases, so please consider incorporating a Theme/Template Manager into the iWork programs. Perhaps even include a "Get More" button a la Dashboard. Thanks!"

[Steve_S]

Quote:

---

Between track changes support and the inclusion of Numbers, I have no motivation to buy Office.

---

Agreed. I'm sure iWork is missing some of the bells and whistles I'm familiar with, but in most cases, I suspect I can do without them at home. When you consider that you can always fall back on something like NeoOffice for compatibility, etc., there is almost no reason to continue buying Office on the Mac for most people.

[Steve_S]

Quote:

---

Anyway, it's goodbye AppleWorks, hello NeoOffice, for me.

---

If the interface and performance weren't so bad, I'd agree. I think iWork and NeoOffice serve different purposes, at least for me. When creating something, I'd do it in iWork. If I need to rely on Office compatibility (better than Office 2008 will support), I would use NeoOffice. Both will find a home on my machines.

[Steve_S]

Quote:

---

OK, I'm trying out the new iWork '08. Let me tell you about a few things that really STINK right off the bat.
I AM SICK AND TIRED OF SOFTWARE PUBLISHERS ASSUMING ALL USERS ARE MORONS.

---

Settle down Francis. For starters, the items you mentioned are non issues. In fact they are features. There is a reason that applications include fonts, etc. When you create a document, you might want to share that document. Wouldn't it be nice if the person you're sharing with also has the font installed?
Also, really, how much space do you think you're going to save by removing valuable templates? Disks are big now and only getting bigger. 500GB drives are now common and 1TB drives are available. Given that, it seems a little ridiculous to complain about a couple MB worth of data.

[Brammy]

Quote:

---

Agreed. I'm sure iWork is missing some of the bells and whistles I'm familiar with, but in most cases, I suspect I can do without them at home. When you consider that you can always fall back on something like NeoOffice for compatibility, etc., there is almost no reason to continue buying Office on the Mac for most people.

---

I've noticed a few minor things with Word compatibility. The manual style I use for work, the title info on the front page was higher than it should be and the manual template I'm using for a tech writing class uses Even/Odd Page formatting and that didn't come across correctly--all the page numbers were on the right-hand side of the page, and not on the outside edges.
Those are minor, though. Since I make my living as a tech writer, I'll need the full versions of Word. I am thinking of getting iWork for those times when I just need to write something without dealing with Word.

[folklore]

Quote:

---

When you consider that you can always fall back on something like NeoOffice for compatibility, etc., there is almost no reason to continue buying Office on the Mac for most people.

---

Almost no reason. Perhaps no reason for most home users.
Most home users tend to use Word as if it were a typewriter. Heck, most business users do too. For those people, Pages can help them create much prettier documents. For those of use that use more of the advanced features of Word, though, nothing will provide 100% compatibility with PC's Word. Not even Mac Word, by the way - there are some documents that just don't paginate properly in Word 2004 but work just fine in Word 97-2003 for PC.

[bkemper]

"an interactive print view that lest you scale and arrange documents to print as you like."
I think you meant "lets you scale", not "lest you scale".

[doglesby]

Yet this one didn't bother you?

Quote:

---

an interactive print view that lest you scale

---

[doglesby]

Quote:

---

...it doesnt support Excel Macros.

---

Neither will Office '08.

[tiffer]

After playing with Numbers a bit, I'm amazed at how similar it is to Excel. What's the over/under for how long it will take for M$ to sue? A "look and feel" lawsuit would be wonderfully ironic - maybe Apple can pay them off for $140 million or so.....

[lantzn]

Quote:

---

Which means I freak out over Bad English. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

---

So which songs of theirs do you freak out over the most? /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Steve_S]

"What's the over/under for how long it will take for M$ to sue? A "look and feel" lawsuit would be wonderfully ironic - maybe Apple can pay them off for $140 million or so....."
Huh? What part of Excel is Apple copying that Microsoft has a patent on and likewise you feel there is no "prior art" for? For that matter, what has Microsoft ever done that was both original and of significant value?