Eric, please, what you can say about this:

http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/feedback/mac_Excel_2008_performance.html#storytop

Is this true?



?

I have been unable to complete the registration process for my newly purchased and installed copy of Office 2008. The registration web site will not accept the user ID that Office generated from my serial number. I tried to register twice, once with the number from the copy I installed on my Tiger partition and once with the copy on my Leopard partition. I used two different serial numbers - the education version of Office includes three. Add this to the permissions and the executables problems, mix in the fact that the Terminal code offered to fix the permissions problem is fat with HTML formatting - extra spaces and carriage returns - that mean the code won't work, and you get a picture of Mac BU employees getting paid well above their level of competence. I actually like what I've seen so far of Office 2008, but the launch has been badly bungled.

PS: I'll be surprised if this comment makes in past the censor.

Erik,

Thanks for posting this information. I might also add that the permissions on font files for example should not be set executable. Consistent with other fonts I would recommend a 664 permissions setting on all files in /Library/Fonts/Microsoft. I have not looked through all the other folders yet but there are probably more that should not have the execute bit.

Two Questions
1) Why is the Virtual pc for Mac 7.0.1 update no longer available when all the other VPC updates - including 6.1 & 6.1.1 are still available?

2) If you can do Virtual PC for Windows, and at least 3 other companies can virtualize Windows on a Mac, why can't Microsoft, - with 2 versions of VPC already as a starting point, and (I would assume) a better working knowledge of Windows source code than anyone on the planet, come up with a viable virtualization platform for the Mac? It has to be easier to port the Windows version of VPC to OS X on Intel than it was to make it run on PowerPC - as evidenced by how many other companies were able to do it -FROM SCRATCH!- as soon as the processor switch was announced.

When can we expect the update for office 08?

"The Mactopia Community thrives on the spirit of openness and civility. Criticism and feedback are welcome from people who behave nicely and add value."

I'd rather not post my opinion about the Microsoft approach to security and product safety - it might collide with Mactopia policy, especially the part about civility.

When can we expect a fix?

Does this fix hold if a user repairs permissions as well?

Don't make permissions choices for the user. Bad Microsoft! No biscuit!

Now that the problem has been identified, will future CD/DVD distributions have an updated installer?

Thanks for providing an update on this issue. It's really appreciated!

Erik,

It would be much simpler to use the UNIX commands if you moved them into a script file. The problem is that you can copy and paste the commands to the command window...

Is Micorosft required by law to screw up security in every product?

It sounds like the problem of ownership might be related to I the one I have been having.

I have had a problems with (i) icons disappearing, and (ii) some programs (e. g. Software Update and Firefox) have become inoperable from the Administrative account though they can be operated by other (newly created) accounts.

What do you think?

By the way, perhaps more could be done to get the word out on the issue of ownership. The issue of ownership never came up despite my spending a great deal of time at the Genius Bar and on the 'phone with Mac tech support in the last week reviewing the problem with losing program operability.

annie already asked the same question: when can we expect the next major update for mac office 2008? I really hope in the next 2 weeks - so the faster, the better...

Over the last few years ive been putting up with a very annoying bug which i consider a security hole in Entourage 2004. I was anticipating that the issue would be fixed in Entourage 2008 and was greatly disappointed to learn that this problem has not been fixed in Entourage 2008.

The details of this bizzare issue are as follows:

Issue: upon receiving a particular type of mail, Entourage will no longer be able to connect to the mail server (Exchange). Once such a mail comes in to my inbox and remains there, I will receive the following error (translation from the Japanese):

"Currently, cannot receive mail.
The server returned an Error. (login failed. there was an error in your username and/or password) There is a possiblity that your username, password or security settings are not correct. Please reenter your password."

My Environment is as follows:

Entourage 2004 Japanese (I have checked with people who access the same Exchange mail server using MAPI using an English environment but none of them have ever experienced this problem.

OS: confirmed on 10.3, 10.4 and 10.5

Server: MS Exchange

Connection Protocol: MAPI. This problem does not happen when connecting via POP or IMAP. Only when connecting via MAPI.

Even when connected with MAPI, If I go to Tools then to account and reenter my password, I can receive new mails. But as long as this problematic mail still exists in my inbox or any of my active folders on the server, I will soon get the error again and be disconnected.

Once the trouble-causing mail message is deleted, the client will be able to reconnect to the server and not receive an error. Furthermore, if the trouble-causing mail message is moved to a local/archive folder, the client will be able to reconnect to the server and not receive an error.

At least 5 of my co-workers have experienced this issue. All of them except myself have stopped using Entourage and use their windows machine only for mail or they have switched to IMAP/POP.

For some reason a trouble-causing mail seems to land in my inbox every so-often- like once every few weeks- and its so annoying- I was hoping the issue would have been fixed in 2008 so this is truly a disappointment.

If there is some appropriate forum to register such issues id appreciate if you advise me where I should post this. Thanks, ron

I have read a Copr/ Enterprise edition would be released on Feb 1st, but have not seen any news about it.
1) When might we expect this?
2) Will this alleviate any of the issues at hand? ( 502 error, footer/headers, slowness, etc)

I had a problem where online clipart did not work for me - and studying the problem I think it relates to this fix that I had applied.
I suggest that the clipart directory needs to retain RW permissions where as this fix leaves it retaining R only.

When can we expect a fix through Auto Update?

I have a user who recently had the Office 2008 package added and now says his FreeHand is having issues. He was not clear as to what the issues were.

Dear Friends,

I am a PC user that had just got into the MAC World and I miss very much the graphical software VISIO included in the OFFICE2003 suite of Microsoft.
Does anyone have any idea if MS has any plan to produce a kind of VISIO for Mac ?
=)

if we buy upgrade licenses to our 2004 installs....can we use a VL media kit to install it on all of our machines? Or do we have to install each individual copy on each machine and use its unique sn? As an IT person, the VL media kit makes this SOOOOO much easier. As long as we have the licenses for the software, does it really matter??

packhater@yahoo.com

Every time I open my Mac, (I'm the admin), I see a critical update for Microsoft AutoUpdate 2.1.1. It seems to install, but then at the end, runs itself and reports...again, that 2.1.1 is a critically needed pieces of software for install. How do I get off of this merry-go-round?