macros. Should I stick with Word 2010 or upgrade to 2013?

I'm interested in converting text with macros for Microsoft Word for Windows and PBB. I haven't tried out macros yet as I've had a lot of studies and haven't bought the ergonomic keyboard yet (www.trulyergonomic.com), but in the long run I will.

Currently I have Word 2010 Starter on my little more than 1 year old laptop with 1.65 GHz AMD Dual Core CPU. I'm contemplating whether I should upgrade to Word 2013 (a license for just Word would cost $100) and Windows 8 (I would have to buy a license-key for that also) to remove errors related to typing and make my computer slightly faster? (I have great patience but it has a HDD and I would put an SSD suitable for computers from 2011 and older in it when upgrading, and the first thing I'm doing is to upgrade the RAM from 1.6 GB available to 7.6 GB available.)

I'm using LibreOffice 4.1 on my other, older, laptop (also Windows 7 64-bit, but Core 2 Duo 1.3 GHz, SSD and maximum 4 GB RAM) and it's fine but I know I can't run macros in it.

So, are there equally good or better macros for this for Word for Windows 2013 as there is for the 2010 version?

Not considering macros, does Word 2013 on Windows 8 run faster than the 2010 version on Windows 7 on my hardware?

A bonus, not the reason for upgrading, would be to get better spell-check.

Does Word 2013 still have the error from Word 2.0 from more than two decades ago that it suddenly goes into overwrite mode when typing?

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MJ. Smith

The .pdf to .docx conversion in 2013 is much superior - enough that I made the change.

Unix

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/496070#Comment_496070

Thanks MJ., I had totally forgot about that!

Related to whether to upgrade or not, I just read this post: Google Chromebooks & Logos ... it's about how OS:s and other software (he must be referring to word processing software too) are oversized and cost a lot or are difficult to maintain.

But anyway, I need the desktop software on a real laptop with all the benefits such as being able to plug in an external ergonomic keyboard, good word processing, and I need to plug in the newly bought external monitor to the smaller older CPU (which has SSD) when at home so that it becomes just like a regular desktop computer together with the external keyboard. Yeah and of course getting the functionality in Logos I've "paid for".

I would be more productive with the upgrades and added hardware - so I could sort of compare it to getting paid. I have to pay to Microsoft and the keyboard company, but it pays in form of more notes taken and highlightings and searches made.

Sometimes users who want to sell their books email Excel files with what they have, and there is a thread for tracking prepubs or something with Excel files. First I thought that if I buy the Word 2013 license (and Windows 8 and the "adapted" SSD) that I would no longer be able to open Excel files. But now I realized that I can have just the equivalent of Excel in LibreOffice too, just for opening the Excel files!

I guess the only "problems" left, in the long run, would be that this newer computer doesn't have 4 cores so indexing is slow, that there's a new Intel CPU coming out to the market which I will not be using since I won't be buying a whole new computer, and that I don't have enough pixels. I have 1366*768 in both computers. I always recommend at least 1440*1024 for any use.

But changing to a newer, used computer with 1440*1024 pixels or more and Windows 8 and Office 2010 or 2013, would cost about as much as upgrading one of my existing computers in the way I've explained. So as keeping my computer would be more environmentally friendly, it might all in all still be the best alternative.

Or does someone have (an) incentive(s) to offer for changing the computer to another?

Unix

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/496162#Comment_496162

The question has not been answered yet: are there equivalent macros for Word 2013 considering I want to make Personal Books from .txt and/or .html? Or do the same macros that were developed for the 2010 version, still work with the 2013 version?

And is 2013 faster than 2010 (Starter)? Even if it's just marginally faster that would be an incentive.

abondservant

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/496162#Comment_496162

Thanks MJ., I had totally forgot about that!

Related to whether to upgrade or not, I just read this post: Google Chromebooks & Logos ... it's about how OS:s and other software (he must be referring to word processing software too) are oversized and cost a lot or are difficult to maintain.

But anyway, I need the desktop software on a real laptop with all the benefits such as being able to plug in an external ergonomic keyboard, good word processing, and I need to plug in the newly bought external monitor to the smaller older CPU (which has SSD) when at home so that it becomes just like a regular desktop computer together with the external keyboard. Yeah and of course getting the functionality in Logos I've "paid for".

I would be more productive with the upgrades and added hardware - so I could sort of compare it to getting paid. I have to pay to Microsoft and the keyboard company, but it pays in form of more notes taken and highlightings and searches made.

Sometimes users who want to sell their books email Excel files with what they have, and there is a thread for tracking prepubs or something with Excel files. First I thought that if I buy the Word 2013 license (and Windows 8 and the "adapted" SSD) that I would no longer be able to open Excel files. But now I realized that I can have just the equivalent of Excel in LibreOffice too, just for opening the Excel files!

I guess the only "problems" left, in the long run, would be that this newer computer doesn't have 4 cores so indexing is slow, that there's a new Intel CPU coming out to the market which I will not be using since I won't be buying a whole new computer, and that I don't have enough pixels. I have 1366*768 in both computers. I always recommend at least 1440*1024 for any use.

But changing to a newer, used computer with 1440*1024 pixels or more and Windows 8 and Office 2010 or 2013, would cost about as much as upgrading one of my existing computers in the way I've explained. So as keeping my computer would be more environmentally friendly, it might all in all still be the best alternative.

Or does someone have (an) incentive(s) to offer for changing the computer to another?

Coding for multiple cores is complicated time consuming and expensive as I understand it... I suspect (and correct me if I'm wrong Logos) that L4 nor L5 are optimized for multiple cores. That said, my 8 cores do MORE good for the applications running concurrently with Logos, than they do for Logos indexing.

Also consider purchasing AMD CPU's and Motherboards. While not the bleeding edge of technology, they are stable and quite fast. My AMD FX 8350 cpu (which was the top of the line from AMD when I bought it) and mid-grade motherboard cost less at the time than simply the Intel chip.

If you are looking to get a little bit extra life out of your current computers, remember that they can only be as fast as their slowest part. Maybe you need more memory, or faster hard drive (saw you put an ssd in one), or a newer cpu that will work with your existing motherboard.

However indexing is a relatively rare event for your library. So as long as its searching quickly and so forth, then stick with what you have... A computer is a tool, and as long as it does what you need, then you have the right tool.

If you are looking simply for a way to read excel files (and not make, or manipulate them) then there is a free application from Microsoft called excel player, or elsx player or something along those lines that will fill your needs.

I know from experience that its as easy to get carried away with computer upgrades as it is to get carried away with buying logos books.

Display pixel count doesn't matter as much as one might think. Especially for those of us with usage patterns centered around reading... Enough pixels that you can't see the pixels is all you need... Shortly after that point the returns diminish. One of my displays has only 1280 by 720 resolution. It works for almost everything I use it for. though when I'm working on a graphics project it is not suitable.

Lastly when you become a student, you will be eligible for additional discounts from MS on software, and some other vendors.

Long answers for short questions, but I digress.

One question for you is that when you get to your seminary/bible college/university how do you plan to write your papers if not in Word?

abondservant

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/496593#Comment_496593

The question has not been answered yet: are there equivalent macros for Word 2013 considering I want to make Personal Books from .txt and/or .html? Or do the same macros that were developed for the 2010 version, still work with the 2013 version?

And is 2013 faster than 2010 (Starter)? Even if it's just marginally faster that would be an incentive.

I'm curious about the macro's as well... I currently handle all that by hand (open, save as, close).

As far as 2013 vs 2010, each new version of the software is bigger than the last in terms of its footprint on the computer, and in terms of its demand for system resources.

They can say something is faster largely because computers are faster when the new software is released.

For example, lets say 2010 uses 28% (and I don't know exact numbers just making something up) of the available system resources on a 2 ghz dual core intel chip. Lets say 2013 uses 20% on the modern quad core computer. Technically they can argue that its 8% faster even though they are comparing apples and oranges.

2013 on the older machine might take 32% of the system resources, and 2010 might take 19% of the modern system... But if you look closely that is not generally how the "speed improvements" are reached.

My guiding principal for computer upgrades is: Can my computer meet the needs of me personally (or the needs of my business depending on which of my computers you're talking about). If so, does it do so in such a way that I do not need to work around my computer (IE those people who turn their computer on, and then go have a cup of coffee and come back because their PC takes so long to boot). If so then upgrade. If the answer to either question was no then don't upgrade.

I'm looking at increasing my ram (work pc) from 22gb to 28gb of ddr3 because Paint Shop Pro can be a memory pig, and twice in the last couple of months it was unable to do something I needed it to because of that.

My personal computer is happy at 4gb lol.

Unix

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/496911#Comment_496911

I just got a valuable answer at: http://www.christianforums.com/t7751337-post63247467/#poststop ... it's about my computer.

Indexing speed has no importance for me, I just listed it in the hypothetical differences. Some had written that his Logos was indexing fast on an i7 utilizing all cores but on the other hand maybe he didn't know what he was talking about? I usually leave Internet Explorer open all the time with very many tabs, I suspect that takes some power:

Coding for multiple cores is complicated time consuming and expensive as I understand it... I suspect (and correct me if I'm wrong Logos) that L4 nor L5 are optimized for multiple cores. That said, my 8 cores do MORE good for the applications running concurrently with Logos, than they do for Logos indexing.

In fact, the newer computer I have is AMD based (HP). Or are You suggesting I should buy a new computer?:

Also consider purchasing AMD CPU's and Motherboards. While not the bleeding edge of technology, they are stable and quite fast. My AMD FX 8350 cpu (which was the top of the line from AMD when I bought it) and mid-grade motherboard cost less at the time than simply the Intel chip.

I do need more RAM in the newer computer and I'm on it. IF I do a software upgrade I will put an SSD in it since it's an effort to install anyway (I'm probably going to pay for Windows installation to save time).:

Maybe you need more memory, or faster hard drive (saw you put an ssd in one),

Can't change CPU, these computers I'm talking about are laptops:

or a newer cpu that will work with your existing motherboard.

I'm just looking for a one time solution which will make my systems last longer with reduced maintenance. I'm wondering if Windows 7 is out:

I know from experience that its as easy to get carried away with computer upgrades as it is to get carried away with buying logos books.

I have a Nook HD 7" for some of the reading. I feel that the amount of pixels does make difference to be able to have multiple panes or interlinears open (I prefer not to use interlinears, but IF):

Display pixel count doesn't matter as much as one might think. Especially for those of us with usage patterns centered around reading... Enough pixels that you can't see the pixels is all you need... Shortly after that point the returns diminish.

It would be stress to start doing something about the computer when becoming, I rather have everything set up in advance:

Lastly when you become a student, you will be eligible for additional discounts from MS on software, and some other vendors.

abondservant

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/496941#Comment_496941

I just got a valuable answer at: http://www.christianforums.com/t7751337-post63247467/#poststop ... it's about my computer.

Indexing speed has no importance for me, I just listed it in the hypothetical differences. Some had written that his Logos was indexing fast on an i7 utilizing all cores but on the other hand maybe he didn't know what he was talking about? I usually leave Internet Explorer open all the time with very many tabs, I suspect that takes some power:
Coding for multiple cores is complicated time consuming and expensive as I understand it... I suspect (and correct me if I'm wrong Logos) that L4 nor L5 are optimized for multiple cores. That said, my 8 cores do MORE good for the applications running concurrently with Logos, than they do for Logos indexing.

ALL cores will be used, just not efficiently... Some things are designed for multiple cores, and some not... As I remember Intel only has 4 cores, with 4 "hyper-threads" which were once a joke, but are improving in utility apparently. Any way - things like video transcoding, or other CPU intensive chores can benefit significantly from being designed for multiple cores. A faster CPU will improve your benchmarks regardless... But being designed for multi-cores can make a significant difference (IIRC 10-20minutes faster on a video transcode). Multiple-cores generally speaking (and some applications not-withstanding) increase the amount of things you can do concurrently better than they speed up individual processes because of this lack of multi-core optimization.

In fact, the newer computer I have is AMD based (HP). Or are You suggesting I should buy a new computer?:
Also consider purchasing AMD CPU's and Motherboards. While not the bleeding edge of technology, they are stable and quite fast. My AMD FX 8350 cpu (which was the top of the line from AMD when I bought it) and mid-grade motherboard cost less at the time than simply the Intel chip.

Nope not really suggesting a new computer.

I do need more RAM in the newer computer and I'm on it. IF I do a software upgrade I will put an SSD in it since it's an effort to install anyway (I'm probably going to pay for Windows installation to save time).:
Maybe you need more memory, or faster hard drive (saw you put an ssd in one),

Can't change CPU, these computers I'm talking about are laptops:
or a newer cpu that will work with your existing motherboard.

New CPU's can be added to laptops with relative ease. If you are willing to take your laptop apart, if you can pay attention to detail, and if you won't void your warranty. SSD's are fantastic! But there again, you need to be carefull you don't void your warranty. Also look for one rated for a LONG life. Mine was rated for 5 million hours of consecutive use. Which should be longer than I have the rest of the computer (I hope).

I'm just looking for a one time solution which will make my systems last longer with reduced maintenance. I'm wondering if Windows 7 is out:
I know from experience that its as easy to get carried away with computer upgrades as it is to get carried away with buying logos books.

I have a Nook HD 7" for some of the reading. I feel that the amount of pixels does make difference to be able to have multiple panes or interlinears open (I prefer not to use interlinears, but IF):
Display pixel count doesn't matter as much as one might think. Especially for those of us with usage patterns centered around reading... Enough pixels that you can't see the pixels is all you need... Shortly after that point the returns diminish.

It would be stress to start doing something about the computer when becoming, I rather have everything set up in advance:
Lastly when you become a student, you will be eligible for additional discounts from MS on software, and some other vendors.

I hear you. You have to determine your priorities - sometimes the discount is worth the stress, sometimes not having the stress is worth the extra money.

Windows 8 cost me 39$ and installed as an upgrade over the internet in under an hour. Office 2013 (the big all inclusive package) cost me 10$ through my school.

Also I would stick with Windows 7 over windows 8 at this point. There is a pretty big learning curve and MANY people are complaining about it. I really didn't find it that difficult, and if you are technically inclined you might not either. If you aren't then stick with 7 or wait until windows blue (8.1) is released this year. Its a free service pack that fixes a lot of the gripes people have about 8.

Unix

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/496913#Comment_496913

I'm mainly bothered why menus don't show up fast. Such as right-clicking in Internet Explorer to copy, and opening the library with the library button in Logos. Neither of those functions are fast enough on my old laptop and it's difficult to determine whether it's a CPU based problem as the specs of my computers differ.

I don't use the Windows Start menu so much anymore, and I know it can be configured to zero delay which should make it a bit faster anyway (although I don't think that setting is available for the Windows 8 3rd-party utilities that put a Start-menu back.).

I don't know whether an SSD would make Word 2013 start much faster than how Word 2010 Starter starts on an HDD? I guess there won't be many who know.

I would like tabs to close faster and I suspect that's BOTH related to CPU and disk or maybe RAM speed:

does it do so in such a way that I do not need to work around my computer (IE those people who turn their computer on, and then go have a cup of coffee and come back because their PC takes so long to boot). If so then upgrade. If the answer to either question was no then don't upgrade.

abondservant

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/496948#Comment_496948

What are your specs Unix?

That would drive me bananas.

Unix

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/496949#Comment_496949

Read this post and You'll see: http://www.christianforums.com/t7751337-2/#post63247141:

What are your specs?

abondservant

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/496950#Comment_496950

Not going off site... sorry!

abondservant

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/496954#Comment_496954

Also you can download trials of the new office... I seem to remember you don't have internet at your home... Perhaps download the trial onto a flash drive and take it home and then install it on your pc... If its faster - well you know the rest.

Unix

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/496954#Comment_496954

Yeah there's a bit of those annoying ads there if You are not a paying member which most are not.

I'll copy-paste below:

Let see if I can remember by heart:
A bit more than a year old.
W7 Home
Premium 64-bit OEM pre-installed. Have one trojan, found instructions on the internet how to remove it, just haven't had time to do that yet, it seems not to do much harm as this computer has been functioning better and better. Have cleaned with Malwarebytes.com. Microsoft Security Essentials very rarely finds any virus (once under my ownership). One previous owner (girl). I would like to run with no antivirus.
"Prestandaklassificering" 3.9 (unsure what that's in English but it says in the System Preferences window).
Turning Windows Air or whatever it's called graphics and such off makes it much faster.
CPU: AMD
E-450 APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics <- had to look that up. 1.65 GHz. Dual Core.
1.6 GB DDR3 RAM available (two memory slots). Unsure of the speed but I think it's half the speed (800 MHz or something) of modern RAM.
Office 2010 Starter pre-installed, Word opens slow. The ad doesn't bother me but takes up some monitor space.
HDD (doesn't matter really what size: 0.3 TB.)
Fan on all the time, sound doesn't bother me anymore.
Good keyboard. Just that there's some software related problem: the text prompt suddenly jumps somewhere while typing. No numerical keypad.
1366*768 pixels. 15.6".
Built-in magnesium frame.
Good trackpad.
Battery always charges to 100%, which is a disadvantage compared to Samsung laptops that can be set to charge to 80% which gives a year more or something. Battery is in decent shape: 3½ hours life with HDD working quite a bit but monitor a bit dimmed.

I'll be buying an external keyboard, mainly for the older laptop. www.trulyergonomic.com

"Esdras" reply:
Processor isn't so good. AMD E-450 is usually used for very cheap notebooks.
I wouldn't buy this processor.

You really should try to get rid of the Trojan! They usually do harm your computer, if not now, then later.
Try to use Avast!. I think it is the best freeware Antivir available.
And maybe also try to install Spybot. As Trojans often put malware and adware on your computer.
Windows without an Antivir will never work, I tell you. Also make sure to switch on Windows Firewall. A Free Antivir programme and the Windows Firewall and regularly update Windows, and you'll be fine.

I know that you are a fan of IE10, but I as a computer-engineer, would also recommend you not to use it, but use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox instead. IE10 has some severe security issues. (Still, I believe.)

The Graphics card is quite good. I also have it in my notebook. (And also a Nvidia Geforce).

The thing with the text prompt jumping is not a software, but a hardware problem. The Trackpad is too sensitive and when you type and touch the trackpad by chance, the text prompt will jump. I had that on my old notebook as well. I then simply switched off the trackpad and used a notebook mouse and everything was fine.

Hope
that helps,
Esdra

If you don't want to buy Office 2010, I can recommend you LibreOffice and deinstall the starter pack of Microsoft Office 2010. Your computer will go much faster.
Also, deinstall all other preinstalled shareware programmes (like games) from your notebook. I always do that first, when I buy a new notebook. The performance of the device will get much better.

Also, back to your processor, I'm unsure if Windows 8 would do well on a notebook with a dualcore processor. Probably not.

My reply to that:
But I think it probably will!: [In reply to: I'm unsure if Windows 8 would do well on a notebook with a dualcore processor. Probably not.]

Well, it has multiple language spell check which seems pretty good!: [In reply to: I know that you are a fan of IE10]

That's great because the Bible Study software I use the most (Logos desktop app) is graphics card intense!:

How do I switch it off and can it be switched on easily as I sometimes need to carry it with me?:

Well, I'll be using some Word macros at some point, to convert .txt or .html for the Bible Study software so that I'll be able to read it as books!:

abondservant

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/496959#Comment_496959

APU's are not horrible (the APU has the graphics controller built into the CPU it self) and are the way mobile technology seems to be heading...

I don't know how they stack up against a traditional CPU.

1.6gb is a weird number... Wondering how you arrived at that amount of ram? 4-6gb is the sweet spot generally speaking.

Unix

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/496963#Comment_496963

There's one 2 GB in it currently since it was new. The graphics card uses 0.4 GB off of it. I'm upgrading to two 4 GB, then the graphics card will still use the 0.4 GB and I will have 7.6 GB RAM available:

1.6gb is a weird number... Wondering how you arrived at that amount of ram?

I run out of virtual memory on my older laptop that has the maximum 4 GB RAM (I have set the virtual memory to 16 MB on the SSD). Is that an indication of running out of RAM? It's creating a lot of temporary files on the external 250 GB 7200 rpm HDD:

4-6gb is the sweet spot generally speaking.

EDIT: just run this on my newer laptop, successful removal of 8 problems: