Microsoft Excel for Mac is UNBELIEVABLY bad

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Microsoft Excel for Mac is UNBELIEVABLY bad

I would urge anyone who considers the compatibility of Excel to be a critical factor in their decision to switch from a PC to a Mac to either reconsider or continue using a separate PC for this purpose. (I can't speak to the virtual PC software for Mac since I haven't tried it, but that's probably an option too if you want to spend the money). I am a heavy user of Excel and have found it painful to work with it on the Mac. Time after time I have found that the absolute most useful features of Excel were not just relocated to unfamiliar locations, but deleted altogether. I haven't even bothered to catalogue all of the bugs that I have found yet because it would take a substantial amount of time just to list them all. Here is just a small sample of the shortcomings:

Many of the really useful keyboard shortcuts have been eliminated. Actually, it seems that there is a direct correlation between how useful a shortcut is and how likely it is to have been eliminated in this version of Excel. For example, to sum a column of numbers on a PC, you could type alt+=. On the Mac, you have to use the mouse to go to a button on the toolbar or else physically type something like =sum(a23:a31). Who doesn't want a keyboard shortcut for summing a column of numbers in Excel?!?!?

Excel for Mac allows you to reassign keyboard shortcuts -- but only on a very limited basis. For instance, you can't reassign any of the really useful ones, like editing the contents of a cell (F2 on the PC) or redo (F4 on the PC). I can't believe that these don't rank among the most important functions for the average user.

One completely non-sensical change that defies any possible rational explanation is the Print Entire Workbook function. If you have multiple tabs, it will print the tabs in descending order (tab 1,2,3,4) while the pages are printed in ascending order (page 4,3,2,1). So unless you have some equally strange system for arranging your tabs and pages, your print-out will be completely out of order.

I don't know if anyone actually prefers typing CMD+C and CMD+V for cut and paste as opposed to CTRL+C and CTRL+V with a PC. I find it extremely awkward, even after using a Mac for about the last 8 months.

If I am mistaken about any of these flaws, someone please let me know.

Posted on Aug 31, 2005 1:23 AM

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Answer 1

Aug 31, 2005 8:34 AM in response to iFelix

Thanks for the link, but I don't think Microsoft is in any hurry to bring the Mac version up to snuff with the PC version. Maybe I'm just a little overly cynical, but really some of the Mac version's features seem almost intentionally inconvenient.

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Answer 2

Aug 31, 2005 2:05 PM in response to Sean Mccloskey

It's important to realize that Office:Mac and Office:Win have entirely seperate development teams, code sets, and roadmaps.

I know this because Ms. Ho said so at the keynote in June 😉 It is also evident in the differences between the two versions.

The biggest gripe I have is that there's no translator to convert VBA:Win over to the Mac equivalent macro scripting. My userforms usually show up, but never work. I've written several self-contained small databases, albeit proprietary ones, that simply could not be ported to Mac because of the lack of a VBA equivalent that used the same keyword set.

The compatibility checker reveals another important difference: Syntax of complex formulae is quite different. Make sure you read up on the help files before trying to transport the documents. The worst part is that neither the mac nor windows versions will tell you which specific cells have formulae that will be different when the document is opened on it's other-os counterpart.

It's also important to realize that the entire evolution of Mac software was to limit the use of the keyboard as much as possible, without being overtly obstructive. Hence, the limited focus on keyboard shortcut capability.

If your printer accepts (and actually makes use of) the PostScript Collate instruction, it should be sorting your individual tabs as seperate stacks of paper at the printer output area. If not (because you have an ordinary inkjet or single-output-tray laser printer like most of the HP's out there) you may consider getting a more robust office printer to overcome this particular nuisance, as it's not just Excel:Mac that's guilty of this assumption.

Personally, I hate the CMD-C, CMD-V also. At least this transation is complete, with CMD-A being select all, CMD-X being cut, CMD-Z being undo and works in most apps, not just M$ ones.

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Answer 3

BookSix

Level 2

170 points

Sep 5, 2005 5:55 PM in response to Sean Mccloskey

Just thought I'd jump on here and see if anyone know's why the print function is so bad?

I shrunk my workspace down to 62% so it would fit on one print page, but when I go to the print page; quick preview, preview and the final outcome (a pdf) has stuff from one coumn, grouped into the lext column with that columns info and other things are no longer aligned right. It's rediculous, I've tried everything, it just won't print or preview what I created!

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Answer 4

Sep 8, 2005 3:41 AM in response to William Davis

VBA use is impossible since is based on the active x set that is based on native Windows code. Access is also based on native windows code and can't therefore be ported to mac.

If you want to develop forms that open in both windows and mac you can use the control toolbox that is VB independent (its a toolbar that you can display within excel, and was developed for early excel versions).

Note that VB code does work, the only thing that doesn't in a mac is interface design capabilities that VBA has.

Hope it helps. I believe there is some info on this in mactopia.com

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Answer 5

Sep 11, 2005 12:06 AM in response to Sean Mccloskey

Since I am not a "Power user" of Excel I won't attempt to weigh in on most of the objections but, I don't think that Excel for the Mac should use different cut & paste key combinations from mainstream Mac applications.

I personally don't find using CMD+C, etc. instead of CNTRL+C, etc. to be such a nuisance, especially since that is the combination used in all other Mac applications.

I guess it depends on whether you are primarily a PC user or a Mac user.

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Answer 6

Sep 24, 2005 4:49 AM in response to Sean Mccloskey

I don't consider myself a power user of Excel, but I have been using it regularly in its various forms since its inception around 20 years ago. Each new edition comes with new features, some good, some annoying, and usually at the expense of something you've gotten used to. I have a Windows PC at work, and a Mac at home.

The Mac version in Office 2004 is also different, and takes some getting used to, especially if you rely heavily on keyboard short-cuts. But the Alt+= for instance, really is no quicker than double cllicking the ? icon, and using Alt[arrow key] for moving up and down tabs instead of Ctl[pg up/dn] is also "half a dozen and six".

I customize my tool bars for the features I like to use, and my Mac toolbar has some different buttons to my PC toolbar.

You can reset the page printing order simply enough through File-Print (or Cmd-P) if your printer supports the feature - most modern laser and inkjet printers do.

The point I'm making though is that it helps to adapt to Excel a little as well as adapting it to suite your needs. This is after all, the secret of Excel's success in the first place. Go with the flow - see what it can do you for you rather than trying to replicate what you had before. You'll find that in short order, you'll be comfortable with it, and may even begin to like it. Macs in general are different, and promote a slightly different way of working. A more civilised way I think.

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Answer 7

prodesma

Level 1

114 points

Sep 25, 2005 9:24 AM in response to Rick Prather

Book Six, it looks like you may have found one of my pet peeves with Excel. The default print setting often is "print selected area". So, let's say you were editing a cell and went to print, it would only print THAT one cell; or maybe in your case the column you had been working on? Not sure if this is what happened.

My other problem is once is a great while a formula just "goes whack" on me. Like the cell will no longer accept a formula (say =sum(a1:a20) for example). It just won't do it. I wonder if this has to do with my G4 processor and this article...

http://www.apple.com/science/profiles/vatech2/index2.html

It mentions ECC and it being a reason Virginia's Mac G5 supercomputer was upgraded to xServes.

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Answer 8

Jessmjc5

Level 1

75 points

Oct 25, 2005 2:16 PM in response to Sean Mccloskey

Just a note of caution to any potential Excel users on the mac. Its not that bad...

I use mac Excel 2004 on the mac and can be classed as a Excel power user. I daily do multiple technical calculations in the nuclear industry and transfer these files to various European customers all who use the Windows version of Excel.

My colleagues and I have no sharing issues with mac created Excel sheets.

I have been nothing but impressed with the mac excel platform.

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Answer 9

mduser63

Level 2

480 points

Nov 5, 2005 10:57 PM in response to Jessmjc5

I've also never had any problems with Excel 2004 on the Mac. Works great for me, and I regular exchange reasonably complex worksheets with Windows Excel users. As for the complaint about cmd-C, cmd-V, etc, Excel should be consistent with other Mac applications. Besides that reason, I find pressing command for keyboard shortcuts much more comfortable than using ctrl, and I'm also much more used to it being a Mac user.

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Answer 10

Nov 6, 2005 3:27 PM in response to Sean Mccloskey

I think the issue you identify--keyboard shortcuts--is not a defect of Excel per se, but of Macintosh in general. Remember, this is the company which refused to have function keys or even arrow keys for a long while. (There is a story that Steve Jobs would only autograph some guy's keyboard if he took off the function keys.) Things are a lot better now then they were in the old days with my original mac and for the most part I am happy. There are actually many keyboard shortcuts in current os x and most applications, including the important staples c, a, x, v. There is the ability to program your own keyboard shortcuts as well. Plus, the ability to do some tasks directly from unix, for the keyboard fanatics.

My ideal os would be mouse-keyboard neutral, so that whatever was easier at that moment could be done. I find on windows I use mostly keyboard shortcuts; but on Mac I'm finding the mouse (at least the two button mighty mouse) more usable.

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Answer 11

Izzo

Level 1

0 points

Dec 10, 2005 7:04 PM in response to Sean Mccloskey

Okay, well it was somewhat of a relief to read what you wrote there, Sean. I thought I was going crazy. The shortcuts are killing me. I brashly switched from PC and bought an iMac G5 AND iBook and everything works decent, but the lack of Excel shortcuts is KILLING me. It takes easily at least 30% longer to get things done. I actually came looking for the discussion room to see if anyone knew how to get shortcuts in there other than by customizing the keyboard, because I couldn't find the "repeat" function to program it to F4 like my PC. Does anyone know if there is any other way to get around this? I guess I'll go figure out what that reference to Virtual PC software is. It's just beyond me that they would ignore the revenue opportunities by simply changing this feature. Everyone I know in Corporate America states this kind of thing as the primary reason not to switch to a Mac. I'm pretty regretful that I didn't heed the word...

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Answer 12

iFelix

Level 8

35,167 points

Aug 31, 2005 5:26 AM in response to Sean Mccloskey

http://www.microsoft.com/mac/contactus.aspx

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Answer 13

Oct 25, 2005 4:44 AM in response to Sean Mccloskey

Have you had problems with the auto filter function - ie sometimes it filters, sometimes it only partially filters?

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