What do you like/dislike about MS Word - Summary

[Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com>]

Here's a summary of the responses I've received on theTechwr-l and 
WORD-PC lists.

No real surprises, except that automatic features are liked and disliked 
equally. I suppose that the way to keep everyone happy is to have the 
features available, but to make them easier to turn off.

Otherwise, what people dislike most:
1. Autonumbering easily corrupted
2. Master document feature corrupt
3, Instability

What people like most:
1. Customization
2. Macro writing/recording

In general, there seems to be more general agreement about what is wrong 
with MS Word than what is right about it.

Anyway,thanks to everyone who responded. When the review I'm doing that 
compares MS Word and OpenOffice is published, I'll post so that people 
will know where to find it. It will much stronger for all the input I've 
received.

- Bruce Byfield


Dislikes

1. Autoformatting features 1111
2. No way to remove default styles 1
3. Instability, especially of larger files 1111111
4. Pop-up help (Clippy) 1
5. Autonumbering easily corrupted 1111111111
6. Lack of Reveal Codes 111
7. Master documents corrupt 1111111
8. Lack of global styles for graphics (such as constant wrap setting) 1
9. Lack of ability to use regular expressions in Find/Replace 1
10. No ability to lock styles to prevent additions 1
11. Number List Styles (list formats ought to be attributes of styles, 
not "some weird parallel structure") 11
12. Template structure 1
13. Styles cumulative, not exclusive 1
14. No way to globally apply changes to all formats 1
15. Pre-existing styles not immediately visible 1
16. Header/footer tool difficult to use 11
17 Section breaks that are automatically added 1
18. Track changes structure hard to use 1
19. Easier to override styles and formatting than to structure documents 1
20 Automatic features not controllable in individual document 1
21. No way to check what changes automatic features have done 1
22. Graphics anchored to text cut off at bottom of page 1
23 Changing graphics from one column to next repostions them 1
24. Text boxes weak equivalent of multiple text flows 1
25. Overly complex user interface 1
26. Questionable translation of menu items in non-English languages 1
27. Illogical menu structures 11
28. Breaks hard to work with and fix 11


Likes
1. Ability to record/write macros 111
2. Autotext 11
3. Multiple Undo 1
4. Customization 1111
5. Amount of free clip art 1
6. Assignable keyboard shortcuts 1
7. Copying styles between docs with organizer 1
8. Revision tracking 1
9. Stability 1
10. Powerful Find/Replace 1
11. Outlining 11
12. Borders and shading 1
13. Hierarchal styles 1
14. Template management tools 1
15. Label and envelope tools 111
16. Backwards compatibility 1
17. Metadata tools 1
18. Autocorrect 1
19. Object model 11
20. Can be mostly navigated without mouse 11

--
Bruce Byfield 604.421.7177 bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com

"They pout, they pose, they curl their lips,
They miss too many meals
With their implants and injections
Only God knows what is real."
-Garnet Rogers, "Where'd You Get That Little Dress?"



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