Re: Office should have small buisness integration capacity

From: Rob Schneider (rmschne_at_removetheones_b1e1e1b.net.net)
Date: 09/24/04 

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2004 20:37:12 +0100

Well, you have to remember that all the Office apps have pedigree's as
separte applications which date back well before they were combined
under the banner Office. Even today, while the look and feel is similar
and COM/OLE allows a lot of interchange of data, Word is not Excel is
not PowerPoint is not Access is not FrontPage is not Publisher. They
are very complex applications that are just different to do different
things.

It's not "strange". It's the way it is and I don't see it ever changing
to the degree you appear to wish it to be.

For example, Publisher is pretty much a stand-alone and can't get stuff
out of there. I consider it a "freebie" that has just been packed into
Office. (I tried Publisher as I got it "free" with Office, but gave up
on it becuase my documents were held hostage in a inferiour program).

I use Office 2003, and what you want isn't there. If you were to use
one package, e.g. Word, as the "container" for all you stuff, e.g.
embedd your spreadsheets into a Word Doc, or an Access query in an Word
Doc, etc. then you can achieve what you want. But then maybe you don't
want Excel to be inside a Word. But then putting a Word doc inside a
Excel sort of doesn't make sense either. Hence the dilemna to put all
this together into one "global" template.

It just won't happen, in my IMHO. And if by chance it did happen, it
would be so lowest-common demonininator that the power of complex Office
apps is lost.

Maybe lower-powered app's will do what you want. Check out Works.

Mark wrote:
> Rob, thank you for your response. I do use only plain text in my emails and I
> really don't want to spend a lot of money on developing a bespoke app. Maybe
> my expectations are too great but it seems strange to me that each of the
> Office programs appear to have different template designs and lack the
> ability to choose a global template for all your programs. For example: What
> I would like to be able to do is to use the same design template (ie: Spirals
> plus my own logo) that I have in let's say FrontPage for my web and then be
> able to use that same design scheme for my Publisher Designs, my Word and Fax
> letterheads, and my database and spread*** GUIs without having to re-create
> it in every program (ie: Some kind of global template choice for all office
> programs). Maybe MS has added this since Office 2000 but I have been unable
> to find it in any of their literature or by checking out trial apps.
>
> "Rob Schneider" wrote:
>
>
>>The integration you seek is possible, though the "degree" is probably
>>the issue. I suspect you expectations are too great if you base
>>everything on Office. Sounds like you need a besoke application
>>developed which integrates to the extent you required communcation,
>>database, and financial. Of course, that will cost money (probably a
>>lot). Your choice.
>>
>>p.s. keep graphics/logos out of email. keep email as plain text, for
>>the benefit of your customer.
>>
>>Hope this is useful to you. Let us know.
>>
>>rms
>>
>>
>>
>>MAK wrote:
>>
>>>I am a small business owner and have felt frustrated with the direction of MS
>>>Office these past few years. I used to buy every new Office edition but
>>>stopped with Office 2000. What I really need is some more small business
>>>integration capacity...ie: the ability to design a business template (logo,
>>>colors, fonts, etc.) and have the ability to integrate this template into
>>>every program (letters, email, web site design, database interface, etc.). I
>>>would also love to have a better integration of between communication,
>>>database, and financial capacities.
>>