An open letter to Microsoft
Dear Microsoft,
I’m a writer and a Mac user.
Throughout the years, I’ve tried dozens of word processing applications trying to find that one special one that I’m comfortable with, one that feels like it’s an extension of myself. I’ve found it; it’s not a Microsoft product.
My publisher is now demanding that all work to be created and submitted with your Word program. I downloaded and tried the 30-day trial of Office 2011. Upon installation, it damn near scrambled my Mac, resetting applications, deleting preferences, turning my Mac into something not from Apple. I didn’t like it a bit.
I created one (and only one) new file in Word and before I typed a single letter, error windows popped up on my screen. Multiple windows. It took minutes for Word to create the file (on a new, state-of-the-art Mac) and all I had typed into it was “Hello, world.” It couldn’t save the file without running some sort of check to verify the new data wasn’t corrupted in any way. I couldn’t believe how bloated and complex this app is.
The next day, I had to format my Mac and reinstall OS X from the DVD just to fix what your suite had decided to scramble.
However, my publisher still insists.
Of course, I told my publisher to stick it where the sun don’t shine, but again, they insist.
So here we are; stalemate.
We are not without hope, though; I have a solution. By making Office available though Apple’s App Store, we all win. There, the apps sold through it are sandboxed in case one of your apps decides to go haywire. At least my data will be safe. I personally do not install software that doesn’t come from the App Store for this very reason.
If you make Office available through the App Store, I’ll buy it. Until then, no, I’ll hold out. Get with the 21st century, Microsoft. Times do change. The reason Apple’s a more valuable company than yours is because as time advances, so do they. Now it’s your turn.
