Why we should mourn the passing of Word 5.1a?

Transcription

1 Vale Word 5.1a (November 4, April 8, 2004) and Word 5 (December 2, April 8, 2004) - unpublished paper (2007) submitted to Australian MacWorld magazine ABSTRACT The author comments on the decision by Microsoft to remove the option in its current word processing program to save the file in the older version 5 format and compares the older user friendly version with later and the current Microsoft word processing programs. KEYWORDS: Microsoft Word Windows Macintosh word processing version 5 file formatting version 98 version 2001 version X version 2004 version 2008 version 6 Having only recently updated to Word 2004 (from version X) I have just learned of the passing of a true and faithful companion. It was disappointing to see that Microsoft has now removed the option to Save as Word 5 (or 5.1). Thus we farewell a stolid workmate and dear friend. We do not mourn the simultaneous passing of Word for the Macintosh. Do not kid yourself. The Save as 4-6/95 (RTF) option in Word 2004 is no more than the already provided Save as RTF. It is a deception to gull us into thinking that we may still save word files in version 5 or 6 formats. Given the changes to the Mac OS from 1992 from the 68k System 7 through to the PowerPC OS 9 (Classic) through to the PPC Unix-based OS X (Cocoa) and now the Intelbased OS X this abandonment of the old faithful word processing program was, I guess, inevitable. It still marks a sad day. With the exception of Apple s no frills SimpleText word processing program I would suggest that Microsoft Word 5 (and 5.1a) is perhaps one of the most ubiquitous computer application program on this planet. Despite not being written in native PowerPC code this version of Word survived the introduction of the PPC chip and continued with compatibility up to Mac OS 9 and even through OS X (using the Classic emulator program). The writing was on the wall with the phasing out of the dual boot Macs in 2002 running Classic within OS X was never more than a transition allowing users to continue using older programs as a stop gap while awaiting the developers to upgrade their programs. The idea of a present day user

2 launching the Classic mode merely to be able to use a 10+ year-old word processor is ridiculous. Even if so desired, apparently the Intel chip Macs will not even permit classic emulation [why not I ask? If Rosetta allows an Intel-powered Mac to emulate a PPC Mac then cannot a user crank up Rosetta and then launch the PPC program "Classic" within which to run the old classic programs? After all, Classic is nothing more than a PPC OS X program]. With nostalgia we recall that installing Word 5 only required seven 800k floppies and the program could run on a System 6 machine of 1 Meg total memory. On the other hand, Word 2001, the last Classic version, requires 10 M of hard drive space and 7 M of memory (additional to the OS memory requirement). Why we should mourn the passing of Word 5.1a? Under-funded colleagues in developing countries. I can well recall Windows colleagues approaching me with a floppy containing a Word 97 or other variant of Word for Windows file and requesting me to convert them into a format suitable for international colleagues whose budgets compelled them to remain with their early 1990s computing facilities. With PC Exchange it was simple enough to read their Windows-formatted floppy and use Word 98 to open their Windows files in the Mac and then save in the MacWord 5 format and return them on the floppy thus permitting them to provide their international colleagues with a file readable by them. Sure they could have saved their files in the RTF format for forwarding but why do so? Around 1998 Microsoft released their freebie Word Converter thus permitting the older Word versions 5 and 6 to open later Mac and Windows Word files (up to and including Windows Word 2003 and Mac Word The converter was to be found in the Value Pak of the Office 98 CD and also could be downloaded from the Microsoft website. The news that Microsoft had apparently discontinued support for versions 6 and earlier caused me to investigate the Microsoft website. A search for Word converter takes us briefly to which is the home page for the converter and provides much useful information on it. At least it would if we had time to read it before we are diverted to another page apologizing for the unavailability of the page. Not to worry, if we go to the Mac Office download page we can find, among those downloads available for Office 98, an item designated Microsoft Word converter. Upon downloading this item we find it to be none other than the old Word Converter Installer we are seeking under a new name: 2

3 Another advantage is the smaller size Word 5 files. Apparently, the later file formats are larger to cater for the fancy (albeit unwanted) features of the later versions. All we want is a simple word processor and we have no need for one that changes a flat tyre, minds the kids, brews the coffee, and compiles our horoscopes! Saving the best for last however is the stability of Word 5 under the later classic operating systems (Mac OS 8 through 9.2.2). Raise your hands those who have had Word 5 crash on them under Mac OS 8 or later! How about Word 98 or 2001? It is interesting to note that the introduction of the PPC chip saw the release of Word version which was universally condemned and ridiculed it is instructive to peruse back copies of the US Macworld magazine and observe that Microsoft continued to market version 5 alongside the newer version 6 and at pretty much the same price. What's not to like about Word 5.1a? Well there's the one size fits all view at my age with my eyesight I like to crank up Word 98 or 2001 or 2004 to the 250% zoom on an old monochrome two-page monitor. Word 5 does not have this zoom-view feature. Of course, this is only the other side of the size coin. The later versions of Word (with the zoom view) do not lend themselves to the small screens of the earlier PowerBooks and the one-piece compact Macs. Similarly there is no "Powerbook" toolbar available in Word 5 to compensate for the restricted keyboards of the Powerbooks and the first ADB and USB keyboards (without the extended layout). Otherwise, Word 5 was ideal for the earlier PowerBooks and the onepiece compact Macs with their 9-inch 512 x 342 screens. If the newly-released Microsoft Office (for Windows) 2007 is any guide to the next Office for Mac (see the Jim Dalrymple report on Office 2008 for Mac in the Buzz column of the February 2007 Australian Macworld) then there will be a move to a new Office Open XML (Extensible Markup Language) file format with the file extension suffix.docx replacing the Office X-XP proprietary file format with the familiar.doc extension. Users of the newer versions will be able to save in the older.doc format to allow for users of the older versions to be able to open 2007/2008 files. [Office 2007 and 2008 are backwards compatible in that they can open the older version files.] Similarly, Microsoft is expected to release file converters allowing Office 2004 to open and save documents in the XML format. [What we really want is for Microsoft to release a file converter allowing Word 5 to open XML-formatted documents!] 3

4 What does this mean for Word 5 (for Mac) users? Unless and until they upgrade they will be required to install the Word converter on their version of Word 5 AND depend upon their 2007/2008 user colleagues to consciously save in the file format (instead of the default XML file format). Otherwise they ll be stuck with the RTF save as option. Concerned readers curious about the XML format should request an Office 2003 (Windows) colleague to forward a file saved in that format rather than the default.doc format [or an Office 2007 (Windows) colleague to forward a file saved in the 2007 default format]. - proudly bashed out by Mal Park on a 3400 Powerbook running Mac OS 8.6 and Microsoft Word for Macintosh, version 5.1a. 4

5 Minerva Access is the Institutional Repository of The University of Melbourne Author/s: Park, M. M. Title: Vale Word 5.1a (November 4, April 8, 2004) and Word 5 (December 2, April 8, 2004) Date: 2007 Citation: Park, M. M. (2007). Vale Word 5.1a (November 4, April 8, 2004) and Word 5 (December 2, April 8, 2004) Publication Status: Unpublished Persistent Link: File Description: Vale WORD 5.1a Terms and Conditions: Terms and Conditions: Copyright in works deposited in Minerva Access is retained by the copyright owner. The work may not be altered without permission from the copyright owner. Readers may only download, print and save electronic copies of whole works for their own personal non-commercial use. Any use that exceeds these limits requires permission from the copyright owner. Attribution is essential when quoting or paraphrasing from these works.