Not really sure this belongs on a poetry forum, but we all use wordprocessing software, don't we? Has anyone tried Word 2007 yet? It is unbelievably horrible. I was already using OpenOffice on my home computer, having decided not to pay for a copy of Word when I haven't liked it since XP came in, but as soon as I found that Save as... was either non-existent or at any rate nowhere near Save, I downloaded OpenOffice for my work computer too. The interface is the ugliest, most cluttered, most illogical thing I have ever seen on a computer. It is quite magnificently awful. I had a similar, though milder, reaction when Internet Explorer 7 came in, and have been a Firefox user ever since. Microsoft have really shot themselves in the foot this time - I actually think most people will have to switch because they simply won't be able to use it.

I am never quite sure which software I'm using, as my brain doesn't work that way, but I have the new Word, I believe, loaded onto my new(er) laptop - which uses Vista - and it sucks. Big time. It took me ages to work out how to save documents. That's pretty poor!

Assuming it's the same one as you're using, Matthew, it is overly-complex and very cluttered in its layout, as you say. I try not to use it, in fact, and word-process on my Mac instead which has the older version of Word. But it may just be us, because my daughter seems happy enough with it when writing her A level essays on the laptop.

The most irritating 'feature' for those who don't use it is the new default file format it saves in - .docx. These are starting to come through in workshop submissions from students (despite my pleas to the contrary), and require converting and re-saving for distribution.

There is a standalone converter, but it's extra faff.

Yes. Not realising this, I saved some poems onto a USB pen and took them off with me on a course a few months ago. Much to my annoyance, I couldn't manage to access them because the computers on the course only had the old Word and I don't have the technical know-how for conversion.

I now have to remember to save everything from that laptop in the old Word 'compatible' format so I can open files on other computers.

I'm another OpenOffice user. I've used it since I bought a PC without Word installed a few years ago. It's not as good as the Lotus programs I was used to (Ami Pro, Word Pro), but it's simpler and more user friendly than Word and easy to use for those who are used to Word - and it's free!

http://www.openoffice.org/

...and the Mac port (i.e. without requiring XWindows) for those who worship at the shrine of the Blessed Steve:

http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php

I've switched to open office, I'm about to delete MS Office, the file save stuff in open office is much better, alot more to play around with.

I've also switched to coffeecup html editor for my web sites, I'm trying to get away from MS as much as possible. I may even try linux as an operating system.

Jim

Thanks for the tip - I'll take a look at coffeecup.