Features

• Tools for managing business finances faster and more confidently
• Locate customer and vendor records instantly; create invoices; track sales tax
• Get key facts, forms, and resources, all in one place; easily manage payments
• Report Navigator with sample views and descriptions make selection a snap
• New Learning Center tutorials show how to work faster, smarter, and better

Features

• A productivity suite with a host of ground-breaking new features
• Easily share ideas across platforms and around the globe
• Confidently create stunning documents with impressive new tools
• Spend less time managing info and more time using it
• Includes Microsoft Virtual PC for Mac Version 7

Product Description

iWork '05 ... Read more

Features

• Integrated iLife media browser and photo masking
• Create, present, and publish work quickly and easily
• Cinema-quality slide presentations; streamlined, yet powerful word processing
• 40+ professionally designed templates with multiple page designs
• Freeform graphics canvas; easy-to-use text styles, charts, and tables

Reviews (16)

Don't Underestimate This Program.
A number of reviewers have commented upon how easy this program is and, I suppose, in one sense it is, especially if you stick to using the templates.However, as one who has had occasion to work with "Adobe Pagemaker," this program can do sophisticated page layout and, as such, there will be a learning curve for the inexperienced.

But, the User Manual is good and there are good books coming out, like one from Visual Start in July, that will help people learn.

It is wrong to think of this program as a word processor "in competition with" Word."MS Word" is a robust word processor; "Pages," as its name implies, is a page layout program.Having also worked with "MS Publisher," the real point of comparison and not "MS Word," "Pages" far exceeds "Publisher" in capabilities and yet for relatively simple layouts is as easy as "Publisher" to use.

I have not as yet put any real strain on the program, but at first blush, on my Powerbook G4 1.5, speed of operations is just fine.Yes, as a few reviewers have pointed out, some of the palettes could be more elegantly combined.One tends to get a clutter of open palettes.But, these are refinements that will be made in future editions, I am sure.

Bottom line: If you want to layout pages with a lot of the sophistication possible in the more expensive "Quark" and "PageMaker" programs; if you want to be able to export your documents to universal portable PDF file format and print out beautiful documents; if you want to pay, basically, only about $40 for these benefits ["Keynotes," the other half of iwork represents another $40], then buy "Pages."

And, if you are a novice with respect to not only page layout programs but also to very robust word programs like "Word," don't expect that everything will be simple.You will have to learn, but you will be rewarded relatively quickly.

I almost didn't buy it....
I thought, "I have MS Office for the Mac, why do I need iWork?" Was I wrong!

Okay fine I suppose I don't really NEED it. But it is a great program, and worth the price. The ability to export my work as a .pdf file is worth the price by itself. The Pages interface is much better, cleaner than Word. And the templates are suprisingly useful. I created a web page by costomizing a template and exporting it as HTML. I twas easy and quick and the result looked great. Most of the people I work with are PC users and because they were unfamiliar with pages the web Page looked fresh, not like a modified copy of someone elses work.

I use my Mac for research mostly and the ability to save documents as .pdf files is very valuable as they are searchable. With Tigers ability to search the text within a .pdf I can now save my work as a .pdf and later find everytime a particular work appears in the fines I've created. This has made cross-refrecing very easy and fast. I now use a program called Pyramid to create a "mind map" of my work and create links from the "map" to refrences in the .pdfs.

I don't use Keynote as much. I t more visially appealing than Powerpoint and pretty easy to use. The ability to use Quicktime movies in the presentation is helpful and the ability to export as a Powerpoint file is nice.

Great program if Microsoft can develop an imitation
Keynote and Pages, the two applications included in iWork, were flawless under the Panther operating system. The Keynote app has always suffered from its inability to share with PC users. Oh yeah, I know I can convert a Keynote file to Powerpoint, .swf, QuickTime, or PDF, but the problem is that, especially when converting to PowerPoint, Keynote loses all its buttery-rich goodness. It's a PowerPoint problem, I realize, but without a Keynote viewer, there's no way around it. Thus, Mac folks must rely on Microsoft for slide presentations if they don't want to lug around their Mac laptop.

Also, installing Tiger will mess up the purchased Keynote templates you have saved. Even reinstalling them won't help.

My humble advice is to wait a couple of years until Apple fixes the bugs in Tiger, then MAYBE think about using a Mac. Until then, I'm switching back from a Mac to a PC.

Big time winner!
iWork comes with two programs, Pages (a word processor) and Keynote (Apple's version of PowerPoint).Both of these programs are very simple to use and very effective.Without a doubt, there are better programs available, but their cost several hundred dollars more and for the average user don't provided more bank for the buck.

When I first turned on Pages I thought "How cheesey!"But as I got to using it I found my first impression was totally wrong.It's simple appearance is very deceptive.This is a word processing program that can do everything that is needed for ordinary personal documents and beyond.You have to be willing to explore the program to discover its gems, but once you learn were things are you will find it a very fast and easy to use.The real value of the program is its desk top publishing.The 40 some templates let you create profession grade newsletters, journals, resumes, invitations, marketing brochures, and many other kinds of documents.This is worth the price of the software alone.It seamlessly works with your iPhoto, iTunes and iMovies.This is one powerful piece of software.With it you can produce commercial grade color brochures or newsletters at an entry level price.

Keynote makes wonderful multimedia presentations, and like Pages is seamlessly integrated with iPhoto, iTunes and iMovies.If you are using graphics or want to import photos into your presentation, Keynote is significantly easier, quicker, and simpler to use that PowerPoint.You can't miss with this program.You can even save you presentation as a PowerPoint, Quicktime, or PDF file or post it on the internet for all to see with the easy of a single click.

I have used both Microsoft Word and PowerPoint and keep them on my hard drive but rarely use them.As my skill with Pages and Keynote has grown I have found them to be more than sufficient in producing quality documents from personal letters, teaching handouts, to professional grade overhead presentations.
For the cost, iWorks cannot be beat!And you will not be disappointed.

iWork `05 System Requirements
- Macintosh computer with a 500 mhz or faster Power PC G3, G4 or G5 (G4 for PowerBook); G4 or G5 recommended
- 128 MB of physical RAM (512MB recommended)
- 8 MB of video memory (32MB recommended)
- Mac OS X v10.3.6 or later
- QuickTime 6.5 or later

Pages is a disappointment
I had high hopes for Pages, Apple's new Word Processing Application, but these hopes were shattered once I tried to design a newsletter with it.

I find the interface unintuitive, unlike most Apple software, and the templates are not easily customizable. What's more, the application continues to mysteriously "erase" work that I have done, even after I have saved it.

Apple, I know you can do better than this... ... Read more

Features

• Write like a professional with Word 2002
• Get up and go with Streets & Trips 2005
• Edit and organize your photos with Picture It! Premium 10
• Explore the world with Encarta Encyclopedia Standard 2005
• Get those finances in order with Money Standard 2005

Features

• 8 leading home PC tools in 1 complete package
• Quattro Pro 12 Home Edition versatile spreadsheets; word processing
• 50+ templates with WordPerfect OfficeReady - Personal Finance Essentials
• Compose and mix music CDs; Corel Photobook and Corel PhotoAlbum
• Encyclopedia Britannica Ready Reference 2005; Norton Internet Security 2005 suite

Features

• Essential productivity tools for the home PC
• Word processor; spreadsheet; database; email/Internet tools
• New dictionary tool with thesaurus; enhanced calendar
• Share and edit documents with Microsoft Word and Excel users
• View PowerPoint presentations; auto-save and document recovery

Amazon.com Product Description

Excel 2002 gives novice and intermediate users more confidence in working with spreadsheets. Excel 2002 makes more of the existing functionality easier to discover and provides more intelligence to help assure users that they are not making mistakes. For the advanced users, Excel focuses on making common tasks easier and more intuitive. Excel 2002 is designed to make it easy for anyone to share data with others, connect to important data on the Web or within an organization, and analyze that data to make better decisions.

Excel 2002 allows users to spend time analyzing their data rather than worrying about their software. For example, in the past, if an error were to occur, it was likely that the user would have had to spend a significant amount of time recreating their work. With the reliability features in Excel 2002, users can continue to work even in the unlikely event of an error. Furthermore, a variety of security enhancements have been included in Excel 2002 to help users feel more secure when working with their spreadsheets.

Use the new error-checking smart tag to alert users via a smart tag of a possible error in a cell. Excel 2002 users can select a command to resolve the error, ignore it, or access further error-checking options. Function Argument Tooltips displays information about function arguments as users build a new formula. The tooltips also provide a quick path to Help. Simply click any function or argument name within the tooltip. Easily track results of multiple cells with the Watch Window, even while working on a different sheet or workbook. This prevents users from having to switch back and forth or scroll between sheets to keep track of important data. Easily dictate, navigate, and provide other commands using a microphone while working on their spreadsheets. Furthermore, Excel also supports text-to-speech, which enables Excel to read back values as part of checking a spreadsheet's contents. (Note: Speech is currently available for U.S. English, simplified Chinese, and Japanese.) ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Excel w/VBA is very slow
Excxel is my all time favorite program; it can do wonders. But there is a major problem with the new version. While running a VBA macro program that I have used daily for over five years, it is SLOWER on a 2 GHz machine with XP that with a 300 MHz machine and WIN98. The reason is excess security that can not be turned off like in Excel97. At first it was ok, a little faster than the old machine and then I suppose a critcal upgeade with XP has now slowed the program to a crawl. Microsoft has both a security problem and a hangup about security. But running a virus scan on my old and proven macros everytime they run is not the answer. If you are not using any macros then the new Excel may be OK. A better choice would be to find an old version of the program.

Good, but not $$$ better than OpenOffice.org
Of course, Excel is a lovely product, though whether you need the upgrade is highly questionable. I found this pretty much just MS trying to create a need they can charge for. Especially since you can open and create Excel spreadsheets for free without actually buying Excel... or order StarOffice 6.0 here on Amazon.

Excel 2002 is fine, but like a $6000 umbrella stand for your dog, not a lot of people actually need it.

microsoft excel 2002
I found excel 2002 to have features that made it much easier than the earlier versions that we have at work. for a spread sheet i find it very versitile

Excel 2002 is Excellent
This is a great product. The only problem is that I am getting addicted to it. I find myself spending a bit too much time not only writing macros but shading and coloring the borders, the background, the foreground, and the text. And you can use this tool in more than just accounting. My primary use, for example, constists in summarizing data on American politics and doing very basic analysis on it. You do not need a fancy social science software to do that. Also I use it for keeping track of my students' scores and analyzing various neat grade distribution patterns. I did not own any previous versions of Excel, so I cannot speak to how this version compares to its predecessors. But it runs without a glitch, and I enjoy working with it

Thanks! Excel!
I think this is the best spreadsheet programme out there on the market. It's easy to use, it's a life saver when it comes to mathematical problems, I solved percentage, multiplication, additions etc... in this programme in a breeze. Just remember when you are writing a formular in a cell remember use this:
eg. =sum(b1+a5)it all works by entering the formula properly. There are no major changes in Excel 2002, you can do most of the everyday task in Excel 97 and 2000. But overall I think its a great application compared to Quattro Pro and Lotus 123. ... Read more

Features

• For Windows-based operating systems; 1-year warranty
• Scans up to 500 pages of text in 7 languages
• Able to read EAN 13, EAN 8, UPCA, UPCE, code 39, code 128, and Inter 2 of 5 barcodes
• Reads print sizes from 6 to 22 points in 5 type styles
• Infrared and USB data transfer

Reviews (9)

In terms of value, best productivity suite available
Like some of the other reviewers, I'm rather surprised at the number of negative reviews that Appleworks has received. While it is true that Appleworks is not as powerful as Microsoft Office, it is much less expensive and clearly represents a better value. The word processer part of it (the part that most people will use) is more intuitive and easier to use than Microsoft Word. True, Word is more powerful; but it costs $350 and requires a manual to use. I have never needed to use a manual to use Appleworks. You have complete control of your documents and you don't have to summon up the help application to figure out how to do common tasks like formatting paragraphs or adding links. Those who have mastered the complexities of MS Word and who require its special features may not like Appleworks. But for the rest of us, it more than meets our needs.

Also, one thing more: I have never had any trouble with Appleworks' translators from cwk to word format. I'm not sure why so many people have reported having trouble with it. I translated an entire book from Appleworks to PC MS Word, preserving the formats and special lettering instructions without any trouble at all. In any case, this wouldn't be a problem if people would show more courtesy to non-MS users (Macs and Linux) and not insist on sending them doc formatted files. PDF and rtf are far better cross-platform alternatives.

What's not to like?
Ok, I'm am sure that there are features in Word or Excel that some of you might use and the key word is might, but for the other 98% of us. Apple Works is a complete program that is full featured and easy to use. It can save and all of latest Microsoft Office file formats and that is half the battle most of the time with some of the attachments that I receive. Other than that I've been using it for about two months now and it has done everything that I have asked it to do and done it with ease. I have no problems with crashing or quiting unexpectedly under OS X. I start it and it runs and runs and runs. It's a great value even if just to open and looks at an Excel spreadsheet or Word doucument.

Chris

Great Value Suite of Software
I have been using computer word processors extensively since 1986. In 2001, I switched from being primarily a PC user to being a Mac user. And Appleworks is one of the programs I use the most.

I cannot understand the reviews on this page which slam Appleworks (especially the OSX version) for not being compatible with MS Word. I covert files back and forth from PC to Mac with no problem whatsoever. The best printer I have access to is on a PC at work. I usually write documents at home, convert them to a MS Word document, and email them to myself at work. Then at work the next day I print them. No problem.

There seems to be one glitch if you save files as a rich text file. The translator doesn't know the following characters: " '

But if you save it as a MS Word for Windows 98, 2000, ME file, you don't have this problem.

Apple, keep up the good work. The average Joe or Jane should not have to pay hundreds upon hundreds of dollars to get a solid word processor.

Tom Paine
Benton, LA
ATPaine@Lycos.Com

AppleWorks is crap
I have hoped and prayed for a Microsoft alternative. Unfortunately it is a Microsoft world, if you want to communicate with that world on a Mac use Office for Mac, it is brilliant. As much as I tried to move towards Works, I purchased it first, I could not, the spread sheet program in Works alone leaves you on a deserted island.

Save your headaches if you share any files than jump up to Office for Mac, however much that disgusts me to admits, it is a superior product.

why upgarde
Editorial review claims Appleworks 6 will translate Word documents with Dataviz translator. Last phrase is the key. Appleworks 6 does no more translation than did Appleworks 5. If you want to manage in the PC world, either buy a PC or buy Dataviz Maclink Plus. Appleworks 6 offers nothing special for compatibility in spite of the misleading editorial review. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

excel 5.0 upgrade
Microsoft excel os better than the original becuase on the office pacage there are very few graphs to choose from,, but in the new upgraded version there are tons of new graphs to choose from wich can be very helpful for reports, projects, etc. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

AppleWorks 6.2 combines six core capabilities--word processing, page layout, painting, spreadsheet, database, and presentation--in one easy application. By seamlessly integrating these capabilities with Apple's QuickTime digital technologies, AppleWorks 6.2 makes it easy to incorporate text, spreadsheets, digital photos, images, sounds, and movies into a single document.

Sharing documents is a breeze with AppleWorks 6.2. New translators for Microsoft Word and Excel files let you open and modify these files from within AppleWorks. You can even save AppleWorks documents in these formats to share with friends and colleagues.

If you're running AppleWorks 6.2 on Mac OS X you'll notice additional benefits. Preemptive multitasking means that you can work on AppleWorks projects while iTunes rips your CD collection in the background, and your system will still stay responsive. The advanced Quartz graphics system in Mac OS X lets you save your print previews of any AppleWorks document as a PDF file. Anyone with Adobe Acrobat Reader on any platform can view and print these PDF files.

An expanding library of templates--stored on the Internet--can be downloaded via AppleWorks 6.2 without launching a browser or decompressing files. Many of the templates are designed by affiliated organizations, such as the AppleWorks Users Group, and new templates are added regularly. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Very good software, well, the best for me.
It is amazing software, really smart and pleasure to use. There are some things to improve to my taste, but overall it is definitely worth the money. In two hours of the actual using it appears by far more convenient that notorious MS Office. Extremely rich applications fulfilled by right tools. It is not overwhelmed with unneeded garbage but with smart and well organized things.
As one reviewer has mentioned it isn't Word. it is better. You don't have a filling that some one staying and breathing into your neck.
BTW, MS Word brought wrong habits and misleading conceptions, but if you know how to work , this one is much more productive tool.
All pieces well coordinated and inter working.
Very recommend. The interface a bit different and a few things to learn, but since you started to use it there is no way to back to MS Office. MS Office has more features in the same way as track has more horsepower, but will you drive it on vacation rather than coupe ?
One more thing to say, there is no any issues with MS Office compatibility. I converted many different documents and had no difficulties at all.

It's not Word.
Let me make one thing clear: AppleWorks is not Microsoft Word. It is not Microsoft Office. And it is not a substitute for Word or Office, just as a Honda Civic isn't a substitute for a Hummer. It is, however, much easier to use, much less intrusive, and much less expensive. If you need Microsoft Office's features, by all means buy a copy. If you need to exchange files with Office users, it's probably a good idea to buy Office. But If you need to get work done quickly and easily, grab a copy of AppleWorks. All the modules (Word processor, graphics, spreadsheet, and presentation) are seamlessly integrated. Screen clutter is minimal (though the toolbars could be smaller.) Basic (and I stress basic) compatibility with Word and Excel files is included. But its strongest point is its ability to stay out of your way: it doesn't try to reformat your work to suit it's own ends, or make grammatical decisions for you, and the on-line help is helpful, not intrusive.

Easy to use with many good features.
A great application. If you don't want to spend the extra money and get Office X then this is the application for you. It's very easy to use and has a lot of great features like templates and clip art plus, you can make your own templates and clip art. It has many features that Office X has except it doesn't have grammar check. That is the only draw back but half the time I never paid attention to it when using Office 2000 for windows so this isn't a big deal for me. I have converted many documents from Office 2000 to AppleWorks with no problems. I also use it for college and I have yet to feel the need to get Office X. Some other features it has are spell check, a word counter, and it can read back your documents to you!! Try it out. You won't be sorry! I use this application on an iBook running Mac OS X 10.2.4

Great upgrade from office mac
I am a computer programmer and have been using MS Office since office 97 was released. I bought an Ibook 2 weeks ago in order to get away from the Wintel platform (and Linux too). The appleworks program is great it lets me create documents that MS Office can read and will also open MS documents. AppleWorks (as far as I can tell) has all the power of MS Office and is way easier to use. I have only been using it for a couple of weeks and can already create better documents faster using appleworks. I have not used the presentation part of AppleWorks yet but I assume its as good as the rest but, for presentations I reccommend keynote.

Well worth your money!
...Appleworks Office does everything I want an office program to do and it's stable and reliable. (I'm running system 9.2 on a G4). Another reviewer claims it isn't compatable with other programs, but fails to give any useful specifics, such as what programs and how it isn't compatable with them. I ignored that review and bought this software, and I'm glad I did. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Excel 2002 gives novice and intermediate users more confidence in working with spreadsheets. Excel 2002 makes more of the existing functionality easier to discover and provides more intelligence to help assure users that they are not making mistakes. For the advanced users, Excel focuses on making common tasks easier and more intuitive. Excel 2002 is designed to make it easy for anyone to share data with others, connect to important data on the Web or within an organization, and analyze that data to make better decisions.

Excel 2002 allows users to spend time analyzing their data rather than worrying about their software. For example, in the past, if an error were to occur, it was likely that the user would have had to spend a significant amount of time recreating their work. With the reliability features in Excel 2002, users can continue to work even in the unlikely event of an error. Furthermore, a variety of security enhancements have been included in Excel 2002 to help users feel more secure when working with their spreadsheets.

Use the new error-checking smart tag to alert users via a smart tag of a possible error in a cell. Excel 2002 users can select a command to resolve the error, ignore it, or access further error-checking options. Function Argument Tooltips displays information about function arguments as users build a new formula. The tooltips also provide a quick path to Help. Simply click any function or argument name within the tooltip. Easily track results of multiple cells with the Watch Window, even while working on a different sheet or workbook. This prevents users from having to switch back and forth or scroll between sheets to keep track of important data. Easily dictate, navigate, and provide other commands using a microphone while working on their spreadsheets. Furthermore, Excel also supports text-to-speech, which enables Excel to read back values as part of checking a spreadsheet's contents. (Note: Speech is currently available for U.S. English, simplified Chinese, and Japanese.) ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Expensive, but has several useful new features.
Excel 2002 has several enhancements over version 2000.

The autosum feature now also allows you to auto average, minimum, and maximum functions.

Another handy feature is you can now copy up to 24 different items to the clipboard. Unfortunatly Excel still doesn't allow you to add or delete row, columns, and cells without loosing the items on your clipboard. It would be useful to add or delete to make space to adjust the your clipboard materials. Lotus 123 has had this feature for years.

The smart tags are both a help and a pain. They are useful if you want to change your formatting. If you don't need them, however, they are like an ugly blot on your worksheet (They don't appear on the printed copy, only on your terminal).

The pivot table setup has a new and friendlier interface. The formula evaluation is tremendously improved. If you make an error in your formula, it is easier to trace it out.

Overall I think 2002 has more improvements than 2000 had over 97.

Excel does have competition: StarOffice, OpenOffice.org
No one's arguing about whether Excel is good. It's a fine product. But given the cost, just of an upgrade to keep in line with whatever new features were created to justify the upgrade revenue, it's a joke. Unless you're a turbo macro user, or if you truly love Excel so much you don't mind it being a money pit, just go use the Excel-compatible spreadsheet in StarOffice or OpenOffice.org. The first reviewer is wrong--Microsoft does have competition, and it's from low-priced and *free* products.

Not only a spreadsheet
Excel is certainly an excellent spreadsheet tool. However, it can also serve as an tool for text-only tasks. The ability to chart information, in text or numeric form, makes this a useful tool for presenting the written word as well. Although much of my work is in text, whever I need a table of pure text, I use Excel rather than a text-processing application. Excel-based spreadsheets, text tables, and charts can be used in presentations with impressive results. Excel is one reason why, in my opinion, Microsoft has no competition in this area. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Documents To Go 4.0 is an office companion optimized for the Palm OS. Create, view, and edit word processing and spreadsheet files anywhere, anytime. Crucial proposals, forecasts, and price lists are just a tap away. Any files that are edited or created on your handheld can be quickly synchronized with your desktop computer. Changes made to files on your desktop will be synchronized with those on your handheld. There's no need to specially format the files--they'll be instantly converted and optimized for use on your handheld.

Documents To Go works with any device running the Palm OS, including models by Palm, Sony, Handspring, and others. File formats supported include Word, Excel, WordPerfect, and Quattro Pro. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Instant computer geek!
First, you should know I am a card carrying Luddite, if not the Great Ned's reincarnated self. But this program is easy to install and use, even for me. Next, this has turned my PDA into the single greatest invention since the sanitar---err, sliced bread! I carry Excel spreadsheets that I routinely update on both my desktop, and my PDA (Palm500.) They automatically update their alter whenever I hotsink. I carry books I've downloaded in Word or PDF format, and I have used it to download photos onto my PDA. And all without one glitch in 1 year!

Pretty good but could be better
I work with spreadsheets all the time so immediately after I got my Palm I started looking for some sort of spreadsheet program. This program works pretty good you can see Excel spreadsheets on your hand held and Word documents and edit them and copy them to your PC and vice versa. Some annoying problems, though. The program doesn't synchronize with files on the computer it mearly copies one over the other. If it detects that the file on the computer and the file on the hand held have both been modified it gives an error. Also, there are too few formulas provided. I have a spreadsheet to calculate subnet masks that will not work with this. Only the most basic formulas are provided. I called Dataviz tech support and there are no formula upgrade packs either. Lastly, the price of this is pretty spendy. I keep kicking myself when I found I could have just bought a new handheld with this software included for what I spent on this software alone!

It's so easy!!
Most of the documents I receive via email are in Microsoft Word or Excel format. I work out of my car and having these documents available on my Palm has turned my car into a paperless office. It's so easy and convenient. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Microsoft Office XP Professional Special Edition Upgrade includes the 2002 versions of Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access, Publisher, andFrontPage.

New context-sensitive smart tags pop up with options you need--right whenyou need them. No digging through menus. Tasks that once required multiplesteps are just one click away with the new task pane. New and improved tools in Access allow you to build and manage lists and databases, or analyzeinformation from databases such as Microsoft SQL Server.

The new version of Outlook in Office XP Professional condenses all your personal and professional e-mail into one central location, even your Web-based e-mail accounts like Hotmail. With AutoRecover, your work is saved at regular intervals while you work. PowerPoint includes animation effects and custom slide transitions. An editable print preview assures that your printed slides anddocuments come out right the first time.

Microsoft Publisher 2002 provides professional page layout and text toolsto help you create compelling marketing materials for your business.FrontPage 2002 lets you create exactly the Web site you want withgraphics-rich, hyperlinked, sound-enabled Web pages. New tools andfeatures like automatic Web content, PowerPoint-like drawing capabilities,a streamlined user interface, and optional HTML and XML reformatting makethis a complete Web site creation and management tool. ... Read more

Reviews (109)

Great product!
Microsoft Office XP is a large improvement over Office 2000. Not only is the [slightly] new interface more refined, but the smarttags and more features are great. The difference between Office 2000 and XP is very similar to that of Office 97 and 2000; there are suttle changes that you do not notice until you actually need them. And when you need them, they are great to have! If you are upgrading to Office XP, then you should definately get the Special Edition (I have no idea why it is called that; it should just be called premium). I use Publisher and FrontPage almost everyday, as well as the normal Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access (basically, I utilize every part of Office XP). I highly prefer this product over Corel WordPerfect Office 2002, or any other competitors. I am aware, there has been some concern over the Product Activiation Wizard; frankly, I do not have a problem with it. As long as it does not disclose personal information (which it does not), I don't think it's a big deal. I think that it is a good way for Microsoft to keep people from installing multiple copies of their software. Don't get me wrong; I do not like Product Activation at all, but I think that people are overreacting about the privacy concerns of it. Another thing people might be concerned about is compatibility. As far as I know, the only products whose files cannot be opened in previous versions of the same product is Publisher; a new format for saving the file was introduced in Office XP and therefore it is not compatiable with Publisher 2000 or earlier. Other than that, I definately think that Office XP is the best office suite I have used!

Office
Well, actually I like Excel and hate Word. The other programs included I have little or no use for.
I use Excel all the time for engineering calculations, including writing VBA macros to automate things that I can't do easily in the cells. It's very useful, like having a calculator that remembers everything you've done, writes it down, but allows you to change inputs and recalculate everything automatically. Unfortunately, there is a bug in the help files, so I can't get Visual Basic help anymore. The IT guys at work fixed the regular help but never could get the macro help to work again. Very annoying.
Word is terrible compared to WordPerfect. What I used to be able to do with a couple of keystrokes, now takes minutes of navigation thru menus and dialog boxes. Outline formatting, numbered lists, etc. are especially frustrating in Word because nothing is obvious. You shouldn't have to get a college degree in word processing in order to learn to write a specification and get the formatting correct. One annoyance is that paragraph formatting is hidden in a selectable little space at the end of the paragraph, so if you try to delete the last few words by hitting shift-end and delete, you will delete numbering, formatting, etc. of that paragraph. Also, the thesaurus that came with WordPerfect was much better.
In general, Microsoft Office tries to be everything for every possible user, automates many tasks to do things that it thinks I want to do even though I don't, and makes it hard to figure out how to undo them.
I am using WordPerfect wherever possible and trying StarOffice.

Real problems with this one..
Installed the upgrade over Office 2000 on a well equipped XP Professional system. Liked it well enough but after an online update, File->Open began taking 20-30 sec per level to navigate to the file. Unfortunately, installing this package seems to put the 'better' file menus in and everything came to a crashing halt. Worse news is that it wouldn't uninstall nor reinstall/fix (something got corrupted). A Msoft A+ beat on it a long time then finally reinstalled XP (unfortunately an all too common occurance, for lots of reasons) and all was well until I installed Office XP again. The problem recurred but this time, a system restore cleaned it up. Still using Office 2000. Now using Office XP as a gold coaster. I've heard of this happening on other systems.. something in the networking maybe.. We're using a Linux server w/Samba drive. Works great with everything else..

If you want to write...
Microsoft Word on XP is the industry standard and next to Quark Express one of the most important tools of the trade.

Nothing comes close to Microsoft Word. MSWORD is as important as the invention of the pen and most importantly is compatible with nearly everything. Open up any written document. Save to any written document type. The import feature is almost flawless.

Thank goodness I get a university discount
When I saw the cost of this, my jaw dropped. I didn't think it would cost so much for Word, PowerPoint, FrontPage and Excel.

I went to the university bookstore at my school to see if I could get any kind of discount on it. Thank goodness Indiana University has a contract with Microsoft!

About the program now that I've complained about the cost enough...

WORD
This is the program I use the most because for being a word processing program, it is very versatile. I can write term papers and what not with it, but I can also credit news letters complete with graphics. I have also used it to create invoices with neat graphics.

FRONTPAGE
I know HTML (one of the languages webpage makers write webpages in), so I pretty much only use this program when I'm trying out something new, like frams. I have also used it to figure out HTML codes for colors, frames, and tables. I had a college instructor who used it to do her entire webpage and it looked pretty good.

EXCEL
I used Excel to keep track of the money I was spending on gas for 6 months, how many miles I was traveling, where I was traveling, and the cost of gas. I know it sounds like of nerdy, but it really helped me save some money on gas, knowing exactly where to stop when I was on a trip. I also has how many miles I was putting on my car in that 6 months (10,000+ miles), which explained the wear and tear.

POWERPOINT
I am just beginning to learn this. I didn't realize what a valuable program PowerPoint was until people in some of my college classes gave presentations with it. Man, my poster board presentation was nothing compared to theirs. It is actually a pretty easy program to learn, but the 'little extras' like the animation and extra graphics can take a bit of time.

OUTLOOK
I use this program to check my school e-mail because I have AOL at home. I like not having to go to the university's website, navigating my way to the mail page, signing it, and going through at least one more link, just to get to my e-mail. This program goes straight to my mailbox with no links, no navigating.

ACCESS
When I tried to use access to create a database of my CDs, I had a lot of problems. It is probably the only program in this software suite that I think is a total waste of disc space. I have had to use it before, but for me, I can just use Excel to make lists, it is much easier to use.

I am really glad that I have Microsoft Office. It has made school a lot easier. I can e-mail documents to my school account, download them, and know they will work with the school software. That saves me from having to reformat the assignment whenever I want to work on it at school. ... Read more