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Keeping Visual Basic macros in Office for Mac OS X: Microsoft says macros will survive translation
As previously reported, Microsoft will drop support for Visual Basic macros in Office 2008 for Mac OS X. We subsequently reported that this state of affairs means that Office 2004 with the addition of an official converter for Open XML documents (due in beta form for Mac OS X this Spring) may remain the most cross-platform compatible version of Office in existence.
We have now confirmed with Microsoft representatives that macros will indeed survive the translation process offered by the converter. In other words, users will be able to run an Office 2007 for Windows documents with Visual Basic macros through the Mac OS X translator then open the documents in Office 2004 for Mac OS X and retain the macros.
As such, albeit far from ideal, running Office 2004 (either under Rosetta on Intel-based Macs or natively on PowerPC-based Macs) in tandem with the forthcoming translators will be the only option for users who absolutely need to retain compatibility with Visual Basic macros.
Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.
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[color:#009999] joemikeb [/color]: MacFixit Forums Moderator
NeoOffice's site is reporting that VBA support will be for Excel only.
What would the business sense of this be for Microsoft?? Are they trying to muscle over users to their Windows platform (even if via Parallels), and ultimately phasing out Office for Mac altogether?
Does anyone know just how compatible NeoOffice is with Xcel documents & their Macros? Do you run into issues, or is it fairly seemless?
Thanks all, and thanks to MacFixIt.com, one of my most cherished sites!! =)
It is my guess that most people who use Office on the Mac do not use macros. Macros are a power user function which serve, by definition, a minority of users. Why Microsoft would want to disadvantage these people is a mystery, but Office 2008 without macros will be perfectly viable for most everyone else. The choice to abandon Macros on the Mac is, apparently, a hard-headed financial decision, typical of the Microsoft zeitgeist which invariably places quantity over quality. It does not signify lack of support for the Mac, merely lack of quality support for the Mac.
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Don't anthropomorphize computers.
They hate that.
Macros may be a power-user function in Office, but in WordPerfectMac 3.x and even in ClarisWorks/AppleWorks, both of which _record_ macros nicely (until AppleWorks macros went away with OSX), I have been using macros from the outset, and now find them essential. Among heavy Office users there are probably many who likewise depend on macros for their work flow? Let's hope NeoOffice can step into the breach.
Yes,
NeoOffice a port of OpenOffice is not only FREE, but I have used it for almost two years in a Microsoft Office environment. It is compatible with MS Office 2000, 2003.
I have not yet tested its ability to port VBA macros back and forth, but as an alternative to Office it is a great product!
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