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Pooh-Bah
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Hi Dale:
Your son is trying to convince me to go MAC and then I get your email regarding the unnecessary keystrokes and I go into nervous twitches about making the BIG change from BILL.
….
Hi Glenn:
It was, as you know, at the behest of my excellent No. 1 Son in a fit of disgust when the hackers finally discovered a way to turn off my Norton before proceeding with their intrigues, I belatedly switched from Bill to Mac; and I think unless the former does something drastic about the virus and worm he is, albeit gradually, on his way out…
….while true to my offspring’s claim that Mac is faster and superior in almost all aspects….
…trouble is, I’ve encountered two and only two kinds of technical people in the world, engineers and writers, and never shall the twains collide. Almost all writers are mechanically incompetent and ignorant of the simplest principles of mechanics and physics as you may note from the ridiculous bloopers of the typical AP reporter…
…while of course almost all engineers are functionally illiterate and so it would rarely occur to a software writer that someone might wish to edit his Mail. Outlook’s nearly-satisfactory editing provisions from Word is a fortuitous historical circumstance probably arising from collusions involving the occasional maverick who dabbles in both fields but who is largely incompetent in both, like me. Mac’s people are pure engineers so Mail is virtually devoid of editing facility
(Interesting to note that as an erstwhile tech writer I had encountered a number of such ambivalent people, a small number to be sure, but in each case I sensed him either peculiar in some way or vaguely dissatisfied with his lot in life; at least three of them [one being me] ultimately opting out of the writing slot entirely, in favor of pure engineering)
Thus after my desperate pleas, son Lee [a highly-remunerated and remarkably competent IT from Aerospace] in an agonizing effort has provided for a me a means to switch files back and forth between Mail and [Mac’s version of] Word
I must first close any file I think needs editing, use his new facility moving it to Word; make any changes necessary, then return it to Mail, any afterthoughts requiring a repeat of the entire process. The system is very slow and still plagued by several annoying glitches though beats it the pants off the former requirement entailing repeated Edit, Select-all, Copy, Cut-and-Paste, Cut-and-Paste, Edit, Select All…. etc etc indefinitely ad ifinitum. Apparently many like this tedious routine because it makes them feel competent and important
Yet there must be millions of folk like myself who used Outlook editing provisions from Word, feeling so sorely deprived and who eventually will make themselves heard. Until then, however, unless everything you compose using Mail turns out perfect in every respect the very first time, yes do think twice about switching to Mac
dalehileman
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I edit mail in Mail all the time. and you certainly don't need to close one program to use another.
formerly known as etaoin...
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Pooh-Bah
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I edit mail in Mail all the time. and you certainly don't need to close one program to use another. Then you surely must have found a means, for example, to transfer personal toolbar editing macros from Word and to more easily access Thesaurus, in which case I'd be most happy hearing from you, being dalehileman@me.com Actually I try not to inadvertently close any I am using but I do find it more difficult (even tedious) in Mac switching back and forth between windows, especially if they're in different programs
dalehileman
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well, in that case, I don't use Word for much of anything, and I don't use any macros. I also rarely if ever consult the Thesaurus, at least not the digital kind. there are a bunch of key commands available in any mac program, however, just look in the various Menu item dropdowns. as for switching program windows, nothing could be easier: hold the Apple key (next to the Space Bar) and press the Tab key; it will toggle between whatever applications you have open. I would also suggest you look for a Mac-User Group in your area. http://www.at-la.com/cities/apple_valley/computers.htm#usergrhttp://home.earthlink.net/~douglasnesmith/smug/
Last edited by etaoin; 01/06/09 06:29 PM. Reason: fixed an url.
formerly known as etaoin...
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as always, dale, your post meanders too much for me to tell exactly what it is you're trying to accomplish. but here is one thought, regarding use of an online/inline Thesaurus.
If you are using one of the mainstream browsers (IE7, firefox) you can add (for instance) Thesaurus.com to the browser's Search Box. The usual practice is to have Google.com set as the default search engine for this search box, but you can add as many additional engines as you like and use them just as you use the default. If this idea interests you, I can provide details. (it would be helpful, of course, to know which browser you actually use.)
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Pooh-Bah
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well, in that case, I don't use Word for much of anything, and I don't use any macros. *****Although it is by no means a reflection on the profession, as I said, many of us, especially "engineers," don't write much and thus don't appreciate the saving of keystrokes. With DOS I had provided myself 105 macros, over a period of some 17 years saving me perhaps ten million unnecessary and tedious keystrokes *****With Word/Outlook editing was somewhat easier but I nonetheless dragged a dozen or two of the helpful little fellows up into the editing toolbar. Even Delete, Backspace, Spacebar, and a few other one-strokers which then allowed me to lean back. doing much with the mouse I also rarely if ever consult the Thesaurus, at least not the digital kind. *******I use it up to 100 times a day. In Outlook of course I placed it in the toolbar through Word so that I could access it in one click. In Entourage it required two clicks. In Mail it's not available by any conventient means and so it's one I miss most sorely [excuse the alliteration; it's that very sort of thing upon which the writer depends for editing to correct] there are a bunch of key commands available in any mac program, however, just look in the various Menu item dropdowns. *******Oh have. In Mail for instance, Thesaurus is the one missing from Tools ***** I suppose I could eventually learn the key commands for all Bill's macros, as well as all Mac's (I believe there are hundreds) as well as those of the F keys (Believe there are only 40 or 50) but I had hoped Mac would have made it easier not more difficult; tho at the verge of senility I just don't have that much time left as for switching program windows, nothing could be easier: hold the Apple key (next to the Space Bar) and press the Tab key; it will toggle between whatever applications you have open. *****I tried it and got about five huge color icons which I'm not quite sure how to use but I'm guessing the process requires additional keystrokes. Then somehow they begin flashing in a sort of scrolling fashion. When I let go of tab in preparation for selecting one [on the fly?], they all disappeared. If you could elaborate how windows might be cycled with one keystroke using a macro in the toolbar I'd be indebted ****Incidentally back in the good old days my red spelling wigglies were forever disappearing, whereupon I composed a macro requiring 18 keystrokes to restore them. Of course I placed the macro in the toolbar but if you don't mind the additional pecking why be my guest, I'd be glad to pass it along. However, it doesn't work in every version of Windows and maybe not at all in Mac I would also suggest you look for a Mac-User Group in your area. http://www.at-la.com/cities/apple_valley/computers.htm#usergrhttp://home.earthlink.net/~douglasnesmith/smug/ Than you most kindly eta for those links though alas in my 79th year I'd hoped learning Mac wouldn't be so dreadfully time consuming
dalehileman
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Pooh-Bah
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as always, dale, your post meanders too much for me to tell exactly what it is you're trying to accomplish.
****Alas, as always. In short, can you provide a means to transfer personal macros from Word's toolbar to Mail's
but here is one thought, regarding use of an online/inline Thesaurus.
If you are using one of the mainstream browsers (IE7, firefox) you can add (for instance) Thesaurus.com to the browser's Search Box. The usual practice is to have Google.com set as the default search engine for this search box, but you can add as many additional engines as you like and use them just as you use the default. If this idea interests you, I can provide details. (it would be helpful, of course, to know which browser you actually use.) ****tsu thank you for that suggestion but I'm not even quite sure what a browser is. For years my digital friends have been pushing programs like Firefox but I'm afraid of complex interactions (there are an estimated 100,000 in Windows alone) and finding that sort of thing difficult I entertain great hopes it can all be done without outside help And yes I use an online Thesaurus though it often punches a pretty good hole in the day because it accessing requires so many keystrokes that in doing so I often also inadvertently shut down the document I had been editing Eventually however Bill will make editing available in Mail just as Bill did with Outlook
dalehileman
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as for switching program windows, nothing could be easier: hold the Apple key (next to the Space Bar) and press the Tab key; it will toggle between whatever applications you have open.
*****I tried it and got about five huge color icons which I'm not quite sure how to use but I'm guessing the process requires additional keystrokes. Then somehow they begin flashing in a sort of scrolling fashion. When I let go of tab in preparation for selecting one [on the fly?], they all disappeared. If you could elaborate how windows might be cycled with one keystroke using a macro in the toolbar I'd be indebted
Thank you most kindly eta for those links though alas in my 79th year I'd hoped learning Mac wouldn't be so dreadfully time consuming
sorry, I wasn't clear about the Apple-Tab thing. once you hold the Apple key down and click Tab, you can let up the Tab key(while still holding the Apple key), then each subsequent click of the Tab key will move you to the next icon, which represents the various programs you have open. and that's as close as I get to macros. 
formerly known as etaoin...
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>I'm not even quite sure what a browser is.
gosh, dale, a browser is what you're using to read these posts.
and the broswer's search box is that little area up in the window's pane's top right-hand corner with the magnifying glass for a clickable icon. (again, assuming you're using a mainstream browser.) by using this box you don't have to mess with the the main address/url area of the browser to do searches. but I'm getting ahead of you again.
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Pooh-Bah
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[quote=dalehileman] ....hold the Apple key down and click Tab, you can let up the Tab key (while still holding the Apple key), then each subsequent click of the Tab key will move you to the next icon, which represents the various programs you have open. and that's as close as I get to macros. tsu thank you for your diligent attempt to straighten me out but I guess I'm hopeless, I had expected that following this routine would cycle me through the various programs but apparently all it does is tell me which ones are open, which I already knew, and anyhow when I have forgotten I simply activate my dock, requiring no keystrokes at all
dalehileman
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