I currently use Office 2004 and, with Rosetta and the Open XML Converter, it does everything I need relative to exchanging Word and Excel files with folks who use Windows. And, these exchanges are important.

With a move to Mavericks, all of the above goes away so I will need to advance in terms of the Office for Mac version. I have read various reviews on Office 2008 and Office 2011 and am unable to decide which is the best move.

1. Does anyone have experience with these products and what would you advise? 2008 or 2011?

2. If 2011 is the answer, am I better off to go through the step of upgrading to 2008 first, and then upgrading to 2011? I don't mind the extra work if it means eliminating a headache.

At this point I have downloaded from CNET a 2008 Upgrade .dmg but it is not installed.

Just curious....for anyone.....I was fully expecting to pay CNET for the download but there was no charge. Would that be because Office for Mac 2008 is no longer supported by Microsoft?

I've never known MS Office to be upgradeable; did you d/l an upgrade or an update? (Can't help with your conundrum...still running Office X with Office 2008 on hold because of extended launch-time issues.)

I haven't opened the .dmg file. It is a 219.9 MB file named "1236UpdateEN.dmg"...and the light just went on. I assume my question about progressing through 2008 is now moot.

I just came from the Microsoft site where I hoped to ask about progressing from 2004 to 2011 but couldn't figure out how to get the question through to support. So, I'll ask it here:

Has anyone done the upgrade from Office 2004 to Office 2011 and, if so, how did it go?

You may still want information about Office 2008 and 2011, but you should also be aware of the fact that there appears to be a (long overdue) new version of Office for Mac in the works. It's not yet clear if that version will be available for purchase, or only on subscription basis as part of Office 365.

Like Artie I cannot provide specific info about Office 2008 or 2011 from a user's point of view, except that both are independent: there's no need to install 2008 before 2011. That's a good thing, given that you'd have to pay for each one as Artie already implied. AFAIK there are no legitimately free Office upgrades available, only (within version) updates.
Finally, FWIW, Office 2011 restored Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) that was removed from Office 2008. If you need VBA, 2008 is out.

I wouldn't opt for Office 365 as the cost is far more than I'd want to pay for my basic needs. I only need functionality in Excel and Word, particularly in the handling of incoming .xlsx and .docx files. My requirements are basic but critical.


That is good...and a lot easier. My plan would be to install and use 2011 with 10.6.8 until I was sure all the wrinkles were worked out, then upgrade the OS.


Not an issue for me.

Do you mean extended launch-time issues with 2011, or is 2008 on hold?

If all you need is to be able to 'read' incoming files in one version or another of Word or Excel, why would you not opt for just the Word reader or Excel reader offered free by Microsoft? (Or has MS discontinued the readers?)

By 'basic' I didn't mean read-only. I make changes to the documents and return them to the originators. I also create original documents in Word or Excel and send them to people who use those programs in Windows.

From the needs you are describing, NeoOffice, which is available via App Store for I believe under $10, can open and edit almost all Microsoft Office documents whether in the older .doc or .docx formats or the equivalent Excel and Powerpoint formats. Pages does a credible job reading both .doc and .docx files but it is not as powerful as NeoOffice. If you haven't tried it it is worth a look.

I experienced unacceptably long launch times with Office 2008, so I reverted to Office X.

I've got no experience with Office 2011.

Office 2011 is a much more stable and faster release than 2008. 2008 (barely) was enough to port to Intel. 2011 was a solid release and I run it daily at home and at work. If you are going to upgrade, skip 2008 and get 2011.

That said, the iWork suite is not nearly as capable for advanced functions such as pivot tables, but unless you require those features, iWork or Google Docs may be perfectly fine for your needs.

Yes, thanks Joe. I was aware of programs like NeoOffice but I prefer the idea of using the same software in a process where documents go back and forth, particularly when time is often of the essence. If there is an issue with either Word or Excel I usually know right away how to resolve it.

I realize that there will be new stuff to learn with updated versions of Excel and Word but at least I'm building on something with which I'm pretty familiar, rather than something new from the ground up. I figure I'll have my hands full enough with the changes to the OS.


I've had iWork since it first came out, thinking then that it'd be good to have an Apple product that could replace the others. To be honest, I've pulled Pages and Numbers out periodically in the growing-fainter hope they might actually get there (I keep them up to date) but I have never cared for them.

Thanks. That's good to know.

I too am quite pleased with Office 2011 and indeed find it superior to the 2008 version. That all said, I am now spending more time with Pages, Numbers, and Keynote (because that's what's on my iPhone).

In the FWIW department:

1. Take the time to do a custom install. There are likely to be languages, and such that you do not want or need. Should you subsequently discover that you want some missing feature, a reinstall is easily done.

2. After the install, check Font Book to ensure there is no font corruption, duplicates, etc.

I'm sometimes compelled to use Numbers when out of town using my iPad, and I have to say - it makes me crazy. (Crazier?)


Two great tips...thanks very much.

Ryck,

Like you I don't need the WHOLE Office suite, but do quite a bit of back and forth with Word and Excel to users of that other OS which shall remain nameless....

About 2 years ago I purchased the Home and Student family pack for a very reasonable cost and haven't had any issues surface....this allows three licensed installs legitimately.

I can't speak to the "over the near distant horizon" forecast of Macintosh pending releases.

That's a pretty good thought, as that pack also includes PowerPoint. Once in a long while I'll get a presentation to comment on, and they're always in PowerPoint. KeyNote does open them but it's not as good. Thanks very much.