Comment Re: Pairing? (Score 1) 236
This old-time Mac user who was forced to do tech support for Microsoft Word 6.0 for Mac (blech!) in college doesn't know whether to laugh or cry over your innocence. Don't worry, kid, you'll have your own set of trauma to deal with as you grow older. More recently, though, you may remember that Microsoft conveniently forgot to implement VBA in Office 2008 for Mac, rendering it nearly useless for enterprise applications. So much for "on-parity."
I wondered of someone would remember Word 6.0...
That was actually MS' only attempt to actually "Port" MS Word from Windows to Mac. And yes, it sucked. Badly. That is why, At all other times before or since, all the Office Apps are actually a completely separate codebase from the Windows versions. This is why there are minor differences, such as the lack of forcing ONLY the "Ribbon" UI (which is a Good Thing, IMO), and the VBA debacle you speak of.
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Speaking of VBA, do you know that what became "Visual BASIC" actually started out FIRST as "Microsoft BASIC for Macintosh". Then one day, rather than make the changes necessary to make it work under System 7, MS abruptly killed it off.
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Then about a year later, "Visual BASIC" for Windows appeared, looking almost EXACTLY like their Mac BASIC. Bit sadly, they never brought it back to the Mac. And because of this, Mac Office has had a sordid history when it comes to VBA support., you are correct.
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However, for the 99.5% of MS office users who never touch VBA, it matters not a whit. And for those who do need Macro capability, the Mac Business Unit has tried to provide same, even going so far as licensing and embedding a version of third-party "Real BASIC" at one point.
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And BTW, I am 58 years old.