RE: What the holy heck is wrong with Word

["Nuckols, Kenneth M" <Kenneth -dot- Nuckols -at- mybrighthouse -dot- com>]

Brian said...

> 
> I get it, Bonnie. I wonder why Word removed this functionality?
Perhaps
> because the Normal styles are always available regardless, but it
seems a
> step back. But then again, we're talking Microsoft.
> 
> All the best,
> Brian
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bonnie Granat" <bgranat -at- granatedit -dot- com>
> > Bottom line: Whatever styles are available for your use in
Normal.dot
> are
> > available for your use regardless of what template you have attached
to
> a
> > document.
> >
> > But they evidently don't allow you to transfer those styles in the
way
> you
> > are attempting.
> >

Pure conjecture here, but I wonder if this function was not changed in
response to so many user complaints about moving documents from one
computer to another using Word.  If you remember in older versions of
Word, the normal.dot template would invariably get filled up with
whatever whim paragraph and character styles you needed for one
particular project and it was like extracting teeth from an angry
crocodile with a chip puller to get them back out again when you didn't
want them there any more.  This would play havoc with any Word document
you imported that had been created on another computer because your
normal.dot might a) substitute a style you had with the same name for a
style in the imported document, b) ignore styles in the imported
document altogether and just throw in some random assortment of styles
from your normal.dot, or c) happily assimilate all the styles from the
imported document into your normal.dot, changing styles you had
previously set and making you pull your hair out when you opened
documents you had previously created.

So I don't think it's proper to say Word is "removing functionality"
here--that implies a backward step in the wrong direction.  I think Word
is trying to become more like InDesign and other legitimate page layout
apps that allow you, the user, to control how your documents look
instead of wanting to wrest that control away from you and put you at
the whim of some nefarious template lurking in the sinister hearts of
those wretched ghastly boat anchors we fondly call computers.

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