I can’t open the file

We are in various stages of setting up new computers and loading software. There is one question I have been hearing over and over, so it’s one that I feel would be worth going over with everyone.

If you create a document using a certain program (AppleWorks, Word, Excel, etc.), in order to open that document on another computer, the other computer must have that program. If you create a letter in AppleWorks and e-mail it as an attachment to someone else, they would have to have AppleWorks on their computer also. (There actually are other ways, but that’s a little too much for this particular post.)

Here are the things you really need to know:

1. All of our computers need to have AppleWorks. It’s an easy program for kids to use, and so many of the documents we have created as a faculty and used were created in AppleWorks.

2. All of our computers need to have Microsoft Office. We have a license that allows the program to be loaded on computers throughout the building. Microsoft Office is the standard productivity package. When other people send attachments, it’s almost always in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint (which are all part of Office). Also, the “common documents” (such as the Faculty Handbook) have to be in Word in order to be posted.

Next week, I will go into more detail on this—exactly how to get Microsoft Office on your computer if it’s not there, what version you need (Office 2000, Office 2003, etc.) and the implications for home use as well.