Upgrading from Office 2003: Which version should I upgrade to? How to proceed? Thread poster: Luca Tutino
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Luca Tutino 
Italy
Member (2002)
English to Italian
+ ...
Dear Colleagues,
Until recently I continued working in Office 2003 SP3 without any problem and I got so much accustomed to it, created great macros, etc. But lately, docx files tend to get more often messy in compatibility mode, with missing spaces and sometimes other problems. Still, a few questions are making it quite difficult for me to jump in and upgrade.
In general:
- Is it really impossible to install the new version alongside 2003, so that I can switch ba... See more Dear Colleagues,
Until recently I continued working in Office 2003 SP3 without any problem and I got so much accustomed to it, created great macros, etc. But lately, docx files tend to get more often messy in compatibility mode, with missing spaces and sometimes other problems. Still, a few questions are making it quite difficult for me to jump in and upgrade.
In general:
- Is it really impossible to install the new version alongside 2003, so that I can switch back to it in case of old files compatibility troubles?
Standalone versions
- Should I go for the latest version or not?
- Is a version (e.g. Office 2007) better than another for the sake of opening 2003 files while retaining all the personalized features created with macros, formulas, and VBA scripts?
365
- I love the idea of being able to open the same files on my Win 10 desktop and my portable devices, but
will sync and online sharing features really work well as advertised?
- Will a complex 2003 xls file with VBA macros and formulas run perfectly well both on Android and Win 10?
- Should I expect additional fees on top of the recurrent subscription?
________
PS I know that similar questions were posted before, but proz.com ancient forum search feature make it to find them consistently and I can only find extremely old and probably outdated posts. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 13:50
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Luca Tutino wrote:
- Is it really impossible to install the new version alongside 2003, so that I can switch back to it in case of old files compatibility troubles?
I have both Word 2003 and Word 365 on my computer. It has always been possible to install both 2003 and a later version on a single computer, although some of the past versions required one to install them in a certain order. Also, make sure the 2003 installer disk or ISO is *always* available, just in case you need to run it.
Also, unfortunately with the most modern versions of Word, the later version is going to hijack your file associations. This means that you should create an icon for e.g. Word 2003 on e.g. your Desktop and open files in Word 2003 by dragging and dropping the files onto that shortcut. Or, you have to run Word 2003 and then use the File > Open (or drag and drop the file onto Word 2003's window bar) to force Windows to open the file in Word 2003. Simply double-clicking a DOC or DOCX or RTF file will cause it to open in Word 365, and there is nothing you can do about it. Even if you create a custom shortcut that points to Word 2003's word.exe, Windows will override your preference and open the file in Word 365 irregardless of the fact that you *told* Windows to associate DOC and DOCX with Word 2003.
(A similar thing always happens with Adobe programs... Windows always opens it in the latest version of the program, regardless of what you might think that you had told Windows to do. It's a conspiracy.)
Standalone versions
vs.
365
The advantage of using a standalone version is that Microsoft can't force you to stop using a beloved feature and switch to or start using a new feature that you may not like.
Modern comments is one such example: modern comments is great for minimalist collaborative editing by people who like eye candy, but it's a nightmare for translators and editors who want productivity and usability above all else. Users of 365 had no choice in the matter: they now have to use modern comments (unless they perform one of the various hacks that temporarily disable it).
I have no experience with synching and opening files on Android.
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:50
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Samuel Murray wrote:
The advantage of using a standalone version is that Microsoft can't force you to stop using a beloved feature and switch to or start using a new feature that you may not like.
I find it reassuring that Luca is still using an even older version of MSWord than I am. I still have Word 2008 on my Mac and it's one of the reasons why I refuse to move from MacOS 10 (because it won't work on anything later than El Capitan).
I also have two later versions: Office 2011 and Office 2018, both standalone because I refuse to go down the monthly subscription route with *any* software (because the monthly subscription thing is a scam to get money out of you on a regular basis).
As compared to Office 2008, Office 2011 and Office 2018 are more cumbersome to use, and have reduced functionality, most notably the find/replace function, which has become almost impossible to use without jumping through extra hoops, and above all the precious "Find/replace in all open documents" which I find indispensable and is only available in Word 2008.
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