they just bumped the MB Air to a faster processor and better graphics unit in October, so don’t expect another update in January. If you want one of those, now’s the time.

I think I’m going to wait and see what happens in January (and hope that they rev the laptop and upgrade the processor) and then I’ll probably buy one either way.

My laptop works great. It’s just big.

I think I’m going to wait and see what happens in January (and hope that they rev the laptop and upgrade the processor) and then I’ll probably buy one either way.

My laptop works great. It’s just big.

There’s a simple file download available via Microsoft to fix that issue. Well. Fix that issue in that it allows previous versions of Office to read .docx. So I was able to view .docx via Office XP.

Of course, you can always change the Word settings to save in Word 1997-2003 format, which is .doc, anyway.

This might not be relevant, but in case it is …

I saw an article some time ago about a fellow who got surprised by the trial version of Office 2007. It only saved documents in the new docx format and when the trial expired, he had no way to access the files he had created. Someone eventually helped him convert his files to the old doc format to rescue him.

Just so you don’t get similarly surprised.

Helper

I’m in the progress of trying it out for novel writing. I tend to use one file per chapter anyway, so the size limits aren’t hugely problematic for me. In regards to formatting, I’ve not needed anything particularly complex so far. You can dump in a CSS stylesheet (Edit/Edit CSS) to make it look vaguely manuscript-like.

I just have this:

P {
font-family: Courier New;
text-indent: 4em;
line-spacing: 200%;
}

which does a fair job, as far as I’m concerned.

My only real complaint is that starting a new document from a template I’ve got stored is hardy than it should be. I should just be able to make a copy of it, rename it, and edit it. But the only way I seem to be able to do it is open the template, File/Save as copy, find the copy (which will be in the ‘Items not in folders’ folder, not the folder I’m working in), rename it, and then move it to the right folder. Still, it works.

Hey, so you write articles for Uncle John’s? I’ve got several of those! You really are everywhere, aren’t you? Like having a little Scalzi with me every time I go…

I use a (free) software called PrevRSI which has worked well for me. There’s also another (free) software called Workrave which I’ve used in the past and it’s pretty good too. (Disclaimer: I’m not involved with either project.)

http://www.aboutonehandtyping.com/