Working in a Backwards Mode
MS Office 2001 For Macs for Dummies is just what I needed to get going on my older iMac with lots of older software to go with it. I could not find any books other than those for OSX or 2003 in the bookstores. 2001 book covers all that I need to know for smooth running, particularly Excel, which I taught myself but still desperately needed all the little tips and tricks.
Thanks, Amazon, for having it in stock.
Judy Friend
disappointing
Admittedly, I used Office 98 and bought this book primarily because it is the only one now available. I had a number of questions, including what did the new shapes the cursor assumed mean, and do. Almost none of my questions were answered. There were not nearly enough visual images or screenshots to make explanations clear, and the level was so basic that I'm not sure who would get that much out of the book, rather than Office's own help system. It's a shame, because the help in this version of Office seems useless, far worse than the previous version. Maybe some of the upcoming books will be better.
Making a big program digestible
Microsoft outdid itself making this program really work right on a Mac, and ultimately in most respects, better than on its own Windows operating system. But while compared to recent Mac versions, this software gem is far superior in intuitiveness, ease of use, powerful features and logical organization, it's still one massive suite of programs to digest, let alone master. Tom Negrino has done it again, getting the all-but-overwhelming to make sense, letting you put down the book feeling like you really knew it already (except you didn't). It's that comfortable and well written.
My first exposure to the "Dummies" series was back in the early '70s, when near bottom after a business crash, I was faced with either working on my own car (inconceivable) or taking busses in Los Angeles (a fate worse than death). Auto Repair for Dummies saved my butt. A boy from Beverly Hills High could actually gap his spark plugs and adjust the timing on the first try!
Since that great, empowering experience, I've bought a raft of Dummy books over the years, some good, some better. A few I've found too "cute", and some overly simplistic.
Tom Negrino's style, however, is just right - light but informative, friendly but not forcing humorous metaphors, and best of all, I got that empowered feeling again from a Dummy's book, just like my very first exposure to the series. He writes with simplicity while succeeding in not talking down to the reader, even an advanced computer user.
As a Mac professional (I troubleshoot and support Mac systems in the LA area) I've not only recommended Office 2001 to all my clients, but also this book. Its comprehensible to the neophyte, while filled with plenty of substance for even advanced users.
While there's plenty of on-screen help to go with Office, I'm one of zillions who've never been very comfortable with a digital manual. Give me paper, a well-laid out organization, and a killer index, and I'm a happy guy. That's what I got when I bought this book.
A good overview of Office 2001 for Mac
I found this book to be a better-than-average example of the Dummies genre. The author gives a good amount of information about Word, Excel, Powerpoint and the new Entourage. There's even information on how to synchronize your Palm handheld to Entourage, which helped me a lot when I did a recent trip. You'll be able to find most of what you need in this book, as it works quite well as a reference to those "How do I do that?" questions. This isn't the all-inclusive guide to Office 2001, but then this is a Dummies book, not one of the much thicker (and much more expensive) Bible series. Especially considering that Office 2001 doesn't come with ANY printed manual, this book should serve you well.
