Quote from: taxed on April 04, 2014, 02:41:26 PM
You don't just save something in DOC format.  The byte ordering of the file would be a legit Word Document.

LibreOffice isn't a "substitute program"; it's a full blown office suite that I've been using for a while.  It can read and write DOC files just fine.  If you want to keep using Word, then you can purchase a Windows upgrade, and then purchase Word.  There is nothing you are doing in Word right now that you can't do in LibreOffice.

There are certain background steps in e-book production where .DOC done on "third party" warez adds coding that makes it tough at Amazon for formatting. Fewer such issues exist with Word. I'm not geek-enough to explain it. Something about adding grunge to metadata, and the other stuff that flies right by.

Windoze 7 used units with 4GB memory and 3Ghy CPU run about $225 with one-year warranties.  This should buy me a couple of years for on-line use, and the other units are still good for offline use. I'll get by...unhappily.

I can get by using Office 2003 or Word 2003 with Windoze 7, but probably only for a few years until 8.1 becomes the next iteration. Then the cycle runs all over again and a 7.0 unit becomes obsolete.

Quote from: quiller on April 04, 2014, 09:24:36 PM
There are certain background steps in e-book production where .DOC done on "third party" warez adds coding that makes it tough at Amazon for formatting. Fewer such issues exist with Word. I'm not geek-enough to explain it. Something about adding grunge to metadata, and the other stuff that flies right by.

Windoze 7 used units with 4GB memory and 3Ghy CPU run about $225 with one-year warranties.  This should buy me a couple of years for on-line use, and the other units are still good for offline use. I'll get by...unhappily.

I can get by using Office 2003 or Word 2003 with Windoze 7, but probably only for a few years until 8.1 becomes the next iteration. Then the cycle runs all over again and a 7.0 unit becomes obsolete.

http://zorchcentral.blogspot.com/2012/04/using-libreoffice-to-create-perfect.html

That's nice, but I've used Word since about 1998 and strongly prefer to continue.

Quote from: quiller on April 05, 2014, 02:22:43 AM
That's nice, but I've used Word since about 1998 and strongly prefer to continue.

Good luck with that!

Quote from: taxed on April 05, 2014, 04:13:21 PM
Good luck with that!

I think the lowest I've seen for Office 2013 thus far is about $139 for the Home version, but I have no use for Excel and other features, so I'm still seeking a cut-rate legit copy of Word itself. Turns out that Paintshop Pro X2 does work on Win-7 (but not Word 2003). Fun stuff, picking my way through the minefield.

Quote from: quiller on April 05, 2014, 08:59:14 PM
I think the lowest I've seen for Office 2013 thus far is about $139 for the Home version, but I have no use for Excel and other features, so I'm still seeking a cut-rate legit copy of Word itself. Turns out that Paintshop Pro X2 does work on Win-7 (but not Word 2003). Fun stuff, picking my way through the minefield.

Is this the sort of thing you had in mind?

Quote from: quiller on April 05, 2014, 08:59:14 PM
I think the lowest I've seen for Office 2013 thus far is about $139 for the Home version, but I have no use for Excel and other features, so I'm still seeking a cut-rate legit copy of Word itself. Turns out that Paintshop Pro X2 does work on Win-7 (but not Word 2003). Fun stuff, picking my way through the minefield.

A word processor isn't high end technology anymore.  There is nothing you can do in Word that you can't do in LO.  I've written my share of large and complex documents, presentations, financial docs, and the whole gammit, and I've never had an issue.  Rip the band-aid off.  You'll feel better.

Quote from: taxed on April 05, 2014, 10:24:22 PM
A word processor isn't high end technology anymore.  There is nothing you can do in Word that you can't do in LO.  I've written my share of large and complex documents, presentations, financial docs, and the whole gammit, and I've never had an issue.  Rip the band-aid off.  You'll feel better.

The issue lies in the grunge from proprietary W/P systems including WordPerfect and all the rest. For some reason, Word really does work best in presenting tightest control over coding. I agree that there is nothing I cannot do in, say, Abiword (a fast, lean casual program for non-formal items). That's off-line, or not for e-books. This is.

I suppose part of this is my version of waving my golf club out on the porch as those newfangled horseless carriages rattle by, outside. Or I blame hooliganism on all that decadent rock and roll like that communist Pat Boone. Part is also sticker shock. But then again, I got a hell of a ride out of XP and Office 2003. Maybe it's time I did spring for new shoes for my dinosaurs™.

Quote from: quiller on April 06, 2014, 06:26:41 AM
The issue lies in the grunge from proprietary W/P systems including WordPerfect and all the rest. For some reason, Word really does work best in presenting tightest control over coding. I agree that there is nothing I cannot do in, say, Abiword (a fast, lean casual program for non-formal items). That's off-line, or not for e-books. This is.

You're wrong.  LO gives you four options for custom scripting: LO Basic, JavaScript, BeanShell, and Python.  There is nothing special in MSO's application, simply because they choose to keep it proprietary.  If it's proprietary you want, then use Mac's Pages, which completely destroys MSO, and LO.  Also, the e-Book formatting is completely independent of MS, and nothing special or secret that requires anything proprietary.  There are enough e-Book authors publishing to Amazon that use LibreOffice.

I'm not promoting LO.  I end up yelling and cursing the developers just as much as I did MS products.  I've been using Google Docs more often anyway, and I notice everyone else has been as well.  But for stuff that I really want to keep local or use charts and all that, LO is more than adequate, and I'll never have to worry about these migration and portability problems.  Storing document files isn't rocket science, and there is nothing special MS does, except make you think you need it.

Quote
I suppose part of this is my version of waving my golf club out on the porch as those newfangled horseless carriages rattle by, outside. Or I blame hooliganism on all that decadent rock and roll like that communist Pat Boone. Part is also sticker shock. But then again, I got a hell of a ride out of XP and Office 2003. Maybe it's time I did spring for new shoes for my dinosaurs™.

I understand, and I'm the same way.

I just saw this:
http://ask.slashdot.org/story/14/04/06/2112255/slashdot-asks-will-you-need-the-windows-xp-black-market

Okay, so today's my third day of the new Win-7 box that does connect to the Net, and the old XP box is now strictly for work and image-mangling. I'm enduring, barely.

As expected, I hate the Win-7 start menu for its redesign. This ridiculous emphasis on "libraries" is just one more reason I want Billy Gates's head for my door-knocker.

Quote from: quiller on April 14, 2014, 10:24:35 AM
Okay, so today's my third day of the new Win-7 box that does connect to the Net, and the old XP box is now strictly for work and image-mangling. I'm enduring, barely.

As expected, I hate the Win-7 start menu for its redesign. This ridiculous emphasis on "libraries" is just one more reason I want Billy Gates's head for my door-knocker.

I agree, XP was the last workable format, 7 sucks, but 8 will drive you to the point of breaking something.
God, I wish they'd bring back 98.

Quote from: Solar on April 14, 2014, 11:20:21 AM
I agree, XP was the last workable format, 7 sucks, but 8 will drive you to the point of breaking something.
God, I wish they'd bring back 98.

Count me in on that also.  I have 98 on my old PC that is a stand alone now that I do not use on the net and it is working yet.   

Be advised there is a geek-centric solution to eliminating the mandatory Microshaft pop-up telling you XP is dead. This insidious pop-up MUST be told the first time it shows up that you do not want to see it again, and even then XP reacts strangely and you may have to do deep-diving into REGEDIT to get the thing out. No popular "click this and you're done" script is yet available.

Mostly the geeks are worried (rightfully so) about this....

http://mashable.com/2014/04/09/heartbleed-bug-websites-affected/

Quote from: walkstall on April 14, 2014, 04:36:12 PM
Count me in on that also.  I have 98 on my old PC that is a stand alone now that I do not use on the net and it is working yet.   

I started with Win-95 but jumped past 98 to 98SE. With XP, over the last ten years or so, I've seen the Blue Screen of Death only a handful of times, and all were my own fault. Now I'm thinking I need to "ghost image" the XP drive itself, for a pure copy onto a physically new hard drive, and slap that new drive with the old programs into a Windows7 box as some sort of second hard drive. Dunno if that can be easily done with the older PC architecture but it's a thought. Maybe Acronis can get it done.