Couple of days back, I was introduced to the much hated "Office 2007 Expired" window. It seems that time flies when you use Microsoft trial software. I should of paid more attention to the many warning pop-ups.

Most of the important files that I have are saved using the .docx format and so I was looking at major trouble.

Microsoft Word 2007 uses .docx as the default file extension. Essentially they are nothing but a bunch of zipped XML documents. You can even go as far as to rename the extension to .zip which would allow you to easily extract the content.

If you have earlier versions of Microsoft office, you can view, edit, save, and print .docx files with this free Microsoft Office compatibility Pack.

Now, if you are on a mac and wish to perform the same tasks mentioned above, then simply download the Microsoft Office Open XML File Format Converter for Mac.

Lets just say you are like me and do not have a full version of any Microsoft Office software. Here are some of the many online conversion sites available.

Zamzar is an excellent service which performs the essential duty of converting any file you have under the .docx extension to .doc format [there are several other formats to choose from] . Be aware that you need to provide an email address to receive the converted file. After receiving the file through email, you can always use Google Docs to open the file and edit it.

Just like ZamZar, docx2doc.com offers the same service but at a more straight forward manner. Meaning it is created just for this task and so you don’t have to worry about any third party software or any other confusing file format options.

Ultimately, you can download the Docx-converter Dashboard Widget which allows you to convert files right from your Desktop. Best of all, any updates or feature additions to the web site will automatically be reflected in the widget!

Lets say, you come across a interesting quote or information that may be  beneficial to a friend of yours. In order to send it via email, you have to open up your favorite email client, copy the given text, and then you have to paste the text. All this can take some time if your computer isn’t exactly what you may call a Power PC.

Sometimes it can be a pain just to open up your email client and paste text that you have selected. This all depends on your mood ofcourse.

Snip IT is a simple add-on for Microsoft Internet Explorer that can assist you in this situation. While making the whole process simple, it can also save you a good amount of time.

Using the add-on is a breeze. While Internet Explorer is open, just simply highlight text that you want to send by email. Then upon right click, You will be given choices at the bottom of the menu to send the highlighted text by means of various email services. You can click any of the clients provided in the menu, which will open up a new window enabling you to send it to anyone of your choice.

The add-on currently supports Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, Gmail and default installed MailTo client in Internet Explorer as e-mail client options. Yahoo Mail Beta is not currently supported.

[Download Add-On]      

[Thanks, Neowin]

Transfering text based documents can be a difficult task to say the least,  especially with the addition of rival companies favoring their own type of formating, instead of one truly universal format.

Microsoft has been working towards helping users achieve the task of transfering text documents between various office programs. Specifically, Microsoft seems to focus on the ODF format established by Open Office application that is becoming a rival to it’s own standard. 

Infact, they have released a translation program that converts Word documents into more open formats to ease the diffulty and fustration involved in this process.

Users can already save word documents in several different formats, but this process does not seem to preserve all of the layout and styling. This new program is supposed to allow Word users to save, open, and edit text documents that have been previously saved in the ODF format, which is favored by the ever popular Open Office application.

Microsoft Word users can already download the translation program at the sourceforge site but official release at the microsoft download section will follow in the coming days. Add-ons for PowerPoint and Excel will also be ready by the end of 2007.

[Download Add-on]    [More about Add-on]

Dont be fooled, there is no actual service called PayPerWiki, but thats what  is causing a storm in the blogosphere. When a company like Microsoft makes even the slightest move, they should know the whole world will come to know about it sooner or later.

The most recent controversy deals with Microsoft’s decision to a pay a fellow Australian blogger by the name of Rick Jelliffe to edit Wikipedia pages containing information regarding the company. The Wikipedia pages were detailed postings stating the various technologies developed by Microsoft relating to open office standards.

You can be assured that anytime a company of Microsoft’s size and influence is mentioned, it will hit slashdot or other social media type sites. Just as you very well guessed, it did top slashdot and to further fuel the discussion,Matt Mahugh at Microsoft admitted to doing so in a comment.

Microsoft claims that they were not comfortable making direct changes to an article about their technology. According to Microsoft spokesperson, he states that the Wikipedia articles were written by authors of a competiting brand known as IBM which has adopted a different office standard, many of the details mentioned in the wikipedia articles were incorrect.

Wikipedia is designed in a way that anyone from anywhere can make changes to articles found in the site and so accuracy is somewhat comprimised. But, why would a company like microsoft care about Wikipedia, when they have such large public representation compaigns to deal with their image. Tech enthusiasts might be the only people, who would even care to read details regarding such technologies and they are aware of wikipedia’s flaws and advantages.

Microsoft Anytime Upgrade is a new system implemented by microsoft in order to  allow customers seeking more features to easily upgrade to another version of windows vista.

Previously, Microsoft didn’t have such methods in place to influence users to go out and buy a legal copy of their operating system. With this new system a person who has purchased a copy of Microsoft’s newest operating system which is  Windows Vista can easily upgrade a more feature filled version like the premium edition.

The key advantage being the cost of upgrade. A user who has purchased the most basic edition of windows vista can upgrade to Home premium with only a fraction of the cost. Full price for a legal copy of Home premium is about $159 but with this new system in place, you can get a activation key to upgrade for only $79.

Another system in place to promote legal usage of Windows Vista is Windows Family Discount. This allows a costumer who has purchased a copy of Windows Vista Ultimate to get licenses for Home premium at a very low price. Basically the costumer would be allowed licenses to Home premium that can be installed on up to two PCs for only $49 rather than having to pay the full price $159 for each one of your systems.

Microsoft’s decision to introduce these discounts will definitely appeal to more costumers looking to buy a legal copy instead of a pirated one. If a user was forced to buy new licenses at the full price for each system at their given house, the use of pirated copies would become much more appealing.

They should have come with such ideas in the past as it would have decreased the amount of pirated copies floating around the internet. Note that I chose to use my words carefully by stating decrease but not end piracy. There will always be people who choose to use pirated copies rather than a legitimate one.

Speaking at the worlds largest technology conference, Bill Gates proudly announced his plans to step down from his throne as the Head of Microsoft. He also confirmed that next year would see his last speech at CES as he steps down as head of the company he started 30 years ago.

Microsoft has played an important role in our lives with their introduction of Windows at an age when graphics could not even compare to today’s calculater. The brains behind the works, Bill Gates has been the face that is seen throughtout the world of computing. Bill will still participate in company affairs but as the non-executive Chairman of the company he founded in 1975.

In addition to being one of the most influential tech entrepreneurs, he’s widely regarded as a humanitarian. His contributions in third world countries has certainly won him praise among his fans and the general public. Well, who could stay away from charities when your bank account is worth more than 50 billion dollars. After Stepping down,he hopes to focus on his interests such as fighting poverty,helping the diseased and the foundation he and his wife started.

There is no question to be asked when it comes to his credibility and skill at thinking ahead of his competitors. Perhaps thats the reason for his success leading him to become the worlds richest man. Hopefully,Bill will remain involved in his company’s affairs and watch his creations flourish.

[Via: BBC]