Hi Jay:
Well, I would hesitate to put words in Bob's mouth, but we were both
talking
to the software architect (the most senior developer, responsible for
deciding how the software gets built) at Microsoft responsible for Word.
The answer was so complex that I did not fully understand it all either
:-)
However, the simplified version is that "Spaces" creates multiple layers
on
the desktop. If your application user interface has only one layer, this
is
a no-brainer, you will never notice the change.
The Word user interface has multiple layers and they are each independent.
If any of these layers can end up on any of their layers, great
entertainment is possible. But it is very difficult to code for, unless
you
make an architectural change that says "They have multiple layers and we
have multiple layers. The foundation of our Application needs a matrix
that
tracks their layers against ours so we can manage which of their layers
our
layers are displayed on." That's a simplification: Office consists of
multiple modules, some of which can appear simultaneously in multiple
applications. So you get a four-dimensional matrix (five if you include
timing...). My brain signs off well before then :-)
The architectural decisions for software as complex as Word are made
between
two and four years before the product goes on sale. Once the architecture
is fixed, changing it requires so much work you would not attempt it in
less
than two years (in other words, you would wait to produce a new version).
Microsoft found out about Spaces at roughly the same time as the rest of
the
world. They were within months of ****pping when the first build
containing
spaces was seeded. Too late! Next version :-)
So: The next version of Microsoft Office will be built expecting Spaces
and
designed to work with it. This one is not, and cannot be.
Obviously, I can't speak for Microsoft. But my expectation, based on
speaking to the people working on the project now, is that Office 14 for
Mac
will fully and properly sup****t Spaces. Office 2008 does not, can not,
and
never will.
Massive caveat: As Bob noted: "Unless Apple springs another surprise
before Office 14 ****ps."
Apple needs to learn the same lesson Microsoft struggled so badly with 20
years ago: large-scale software development takes TIME. Whatever your
operating system does NOW is what will work properly in products ****pped
in
two years time by other vendors. And if you keep making your independent
vendors look like idiots, they will soon decide there are other platforms
they could be spending their money on.
Since Microsoft managed to learn the lessons of "stable code base", its
platform has been much much more attractive to other software
manufacturers.
Cheers
On 14/07/08 7:49 AM, in article 59b538c2.7@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Jay
Mack " <> wrote:
> Regarding Word 2008's failure to play nice with Leopard's Spaces
feature,
> CyberTaz writes:
>
> "as I understand it the issue is far too complex to be addressed in
> an update"
>
> and in another post comments:
>
> "In fact, I make no pretense of knowing why the incompatibility exists
because
> - frankly - I have no idea and I'm perfectly wiling to admit it"
>
> The former suggests an understanding of the situation at some level,
albeit
> potentially rumor or idle MS employee chatter. The latter backs away
from such
> a suggestion.
>
> There seems to be a certain tone coming from two different MVP posters.
"the
> less you know about software..." "... Apple doesn't change horse in
mid-stream
> again..."
>
> Certain facts must be accepted as demonstrably true:
>
> 1) Spaces is useful for a number of Leopard users.
> 2) Word 2008 doesn't work well with Spaces.
> 3) The overwhelming majority of other software does work, including both
> simple and very complex applications.
> 4) Disappointment arises amongst users who find themselves using
software that
> belongs to a tiny minority of non-compatible apps
>
> For myself, I'm writing a book (which presents it's own challenges to
Word
> that updates seem to be tackling) and Spaces is a great help to
organizing
> various screens/apps/information as I review .pdfs, generate
illustrations,
> and email subjects.
>
> I look forward to MS taking care of the Spaces incompatibility and will
> contact them to express my desire for the fix.
--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/
Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.
John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:john@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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