Winter 2007
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Winter 2007 |
Upgrades for Your Windows Computer — Should You or Shouldn’t You?Bottom line: |
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Windows VistaMicrosoft officially released Vista on January 30, 2007. This is the first upgrade to the operating system in over 5 years. The Microsoft marketing campaign is touting the “WOW!” factor, but the industry has reacted with a ho-hum. The CNET review said “there’s a definite ‘Is that all?’ feeling about Windows Vista” and that “it is not worth rushing out to purchase.” CIT Computing has been testing Windows Vista Enterprise (campus license version). While it seems stable on newer computers, our recommendation for new computer purchases is buy “Vista ready” but have the XP operating system installed. For computers already in the office, we recommend against upgrading any computers to Vista. Reasons for not purchasing or upgrading (as of 2/15/07)
Chart of common UNL applications currently being tested on Vista |
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Microsoft Office 2007Microsoft Office 2007 has a drastically different interface. The core applications of Excel, PowerPoint, and Word save files in a new format, which is NOT automatically compatible with previous versions. Access 2007 has the new user interface, but not much else has changed. If you use Microsoft Office 2000, XP, or 2003 should you upgrade to Office 2007? As the CNET review says: “This upgrade isn’t for everyone: If you’re patient, eager to try the latest tools, and willing to relearn most of what you already know about Office, then you may relish the challenge of Office 2007.” A power user of Word in our office found it very frustrating when using Word 2007. The Microsoft representative who gave a demo of Office 2007 on campus January 30 admitted that Microsoft had heard from many frustrated power users. Reasons to wait to upgrade
Gently work your way into 2007When you do install Microsoft Office 2007, you may want to install it as a separate, new application (not as an upgrade over a previous version). This will allow you to learn to use the new Ribbon interface, but when you are up against a deadline, you can still get something out quickly by using the more familiar interface of 2003 (or earlier version). You can also force Office 2007 to always save your new files in the old .doc, .ppt, or .xls file formats. In each program, click the Office Button, choose Options, click Save, and in the "Save files in this format" pull-down list, choose the old file format. Add the Compatibility Pack to Microsoft Office 2000, XP, or 2003CIT Computing does recommend that users of Microsoft Office 2000, XP, or 2003 download and install the Compatibility Pack so that you will be able to open documents from people who have upgraded. As stated in a Gartner research note, “Whether you adopt Office 2007 or not, your organization will be affected by the new document format it introduces, because you can’t control the format in which users outside your organization will send documents to users within your organization.” (Gartner: Deploy Office 2007 File Converters Now, InformationWeek, Feb 5, 2007 02:10 PM) NOTE: Please check with your departmental computer support person before installing either the application or the Compatibility Pack. Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats CNET Review: Microsoft Office 2007 RTM |
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Firefox 2Firefox 2 has received CNET’s Editor’s Choice award for best Internet browser. Now that the first update has been released (December 19, 2006, version 2.0.0.1) CIT Computing recommends that Firefox users upgrade to this version. Unless you are a diehard Internet Explorer (IE) user, we also recommend that IE users switch to Firefox as their main browser. Firefox is more secure that IE 6 or 7. Firefox is not integrated with Windows, has no support for VBScript and ActiveX (reasons for many IE security holes), it doesn’t use Microsoft’s Java VM, and any vulnerabilities found are quickly fixed. As the CNET review says: “Mozilla remains very responsive to fixing its vulnerabilities, pushing out updates within a few days of public notice. Microsoft, on the other hand, parses out its vulnerability fixes a little at a time. In the five years since its release, IE 6 has accrued a large deficit, and we see no sign that Microsoft is addressing new vulnerabilities found in IE 7 any faster.” The Lotus Notes iNotes Web version and ESS will work correctly in Firefox 2. Reasons to upgrade
NOTE: Please check with your departmental computer support person before installing Firefox 2. CNET Review: Firefox 2 |
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Corel WordPerfect Office X3WordPerfect Office X3 was released over a year ago and the first Service Pack was released in July 2006. Service Pack 2, which primarily addresses working in the Windows Vista environment, was released on January 11, 2007. If you are a current WordPerfect user should you upgrade to WordPerfect X3? Yes. As the CNET review says, “Corel has a winner in WordPerfect Office X3... Overall, [it] is a solid upgrade for longtime users, particularly those who manage a lot of PDFs.” The file format stays the same so files can be easily shared with other WordPerfect users and opened in Microsoft Word. The interface has stayed the same but has an updated look. Reasons to upgrade
NOTE: Please check with your departmental computer support person before upgrading. CNET Review: Corel WordPerfect Office X3 Standard Edition |
[ Return to CIT Information newsletter Index ] Posted February 19, 2007
CIT Information is published by Communications and Information Technology - Computing section, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Newsletter articles may be copied and distributed for nonprofit, educational purposes only and the source must be acknowledged. Direct all correspondence to the editor, Pamela K. Peters (E-mail: pkpeters@unlnotes.unl.edu; Phone: 402-472-5630; FAX: 402-472-5639). The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is an affirmative action - equal opportunity employer. |