A shell of it's cousins, or it's former self....
Written: Jul 27 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fantasic Home Productivity Suite
Cons: Not even remotely geared to businesses, but you can "business" if you really want to.
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| kfj001's Full Review: Microsoft Works |
Microsoft Works is, well, it's a personal productivity suite, but it's not quite what you think it is...
History
Microsoft marketed the Microsoft Works software, as an Office productivity suite, originaly featuring:
A word processor & spell checker!
Spreadsheet
Database creator!
Communications Suite!
ALL IN ONE APPLICATION!
Today's Works...
Microsoft works is, almost what is was then (1985), a productivity suite. Today, works still features All the above, (with the exclusion of a Communications suite).
Today, Works 2000 is marketed as a home and personal productivity suite. For many reasons. For common, everyday tasks, such as letter writing, or personal finance, there are Works Wizards to help you, every single step of the way (just that you have to enter your own information EVENTUALY.)
Wizards can do everything from a basic, formal letter, to tracking your mounting home inventory. Works is a fantasic, peice of software.
Now, the downsides.
If you have ANY business work you need to do, complete business letters, mass mailing(database & word processor stuff,) page layouts (advertising), your not going to be satisfied with works.
Works has become extremely home oriented in itself. Works wizards are tuned very closely with home users needs, and as for it's flexibility, it's geting rather inflexable.
Yes, works CAN do things you need to do in business, such as word processing, but FORGET about business finance tracking (with Works spreadsheet). It's WAY to limited, and not quite as versitale, or efficent as Microsoft Excel.
And Works is not something that you are going to want to "tune yourself". Sure, you can create nice templates for your business letters, do some finance tracking, and even do some business mailings (with your database ability). But Works streignth's come almost entirely from it's collection of Wizards, which is VERY extensive.
So, sadly, business users will be better off, looking into Office Suite's, like Sun's StarOffice, or Microsoft Office 2000 (or 97, it does
virtualy the same things, for signifantly less.)
Goin' Home...
But, life isn't ALL business! We all come home eventualy. And we need software at home too. Works spreadsheets can track some finantial information, keep tabs on your expenses, and even evaluate the benifits of loans, and personal credit. Works can create smashing cards, and letters to friends, family, and if needed, business assoicates.
With works, you can make personal homepages, a feature, which (although present in Office) is mostly geared toward home users, who just want they're space on the web.
So, Works 2000 makes an excelent addition to your home software liberary. And, if your using works 4.x, you may even want to concider upgrading, just for all the new Wizards!
But agin, business customers are better off concidering Office, or an Office compatible product, works is just missing many featured, offered by Office, which can just get your business done, better & faster.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
kfj001
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Member: Kyle
Location: Buffalo, NY, USA
Reviews written: 135
Trusted by: 30 members
About Me:
"Testing", "Destroying", it's all just one big, gray line to me.
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