Adjusting to Office 2010 and remembering Steve Jobs

I wanted to update my computer system before the old one failed me, so in order to be proactive I bought a Windows 7 notebook about six weeks ago.  That meant I needed to purchase a 2010 version of Office because, well Microsoft managed to get me addicted to Outlook back when I was still working a few years ago.  It has taken a few weeks of my time and my employing an expert to help me migrate my old 'contact' 'calendar' 'tasks' from the 2003 Office to 2010.  Even with expert help it didn't go seamlessly.  I still have to look up some people or events on the old system, and cut and paste into the new system.  When businesses around the world decide to upgrade their Office software to 2010, I predict a huge productivity loss.  How is it that Microsoft made the new Software so hard to work with existing data from its earlier versions?  Remember the real point of Office automation was to reduce having to reenter data, and yet that's what I find myself having to do all too often.

 

At the time I was struggling with adapting to a new computer, my financial account system decided to change banks, so I had to change all my online payments, direct deposits, credit card payments, too.  Throw in a garage door collapse, power chair breakdown, flooding dishwasher/kitchen floor tiling, satellite dish breakdown (and that's not even all of it) and you can see why my personal productivity has suffered a huge set back.  There were so many topics I felt like writing about yet I didn't have time or opportunity.  Now, I have to instill a new habit to get back to it. 

 

While all this minor change was happening Steve Jobs died.  I've had many thoughts about how profoundly he changed our world.  Maybe if the Mac had beaten out Microsoft at Office automation/business computing things would have gone smoother during this upgrade?  We were lucky to have Steve Jobs around for as long as we did and he will be missed.