Earlier quoted context omitted.
This feature now built into Word, and has been for some time. see my other comment in this thread.
Sure, it's probably better to use that if you don't mind that. I am big on plain-text files and Git and sometimes I have to bend reality a little bit in order to keep working my way when others won't. This is one of those cases.
Ask HN: “Git” for Microsoft Office?
61–70 of 149 posts
Re: Ask HN: “Git” for Microsoft Office?
#62Earlier quoted context omitted.
This looks very interesting but I doubt large enterprises will allow it considering the online nature and the inability to secure confidential work on internally hosted systems.
That's my reaction too - most people here are somewhat jealous of their "ownership rights" over this or that document, since this often define their actual roles. It looks like Fluid is trying to "share everything" and that's too much. I'd be happier with something that simply allows me to have a github-like workflow where I can propose and justify changes to this or that block of document, and an owner can sanction…
This is called 'Tracked Changes' and 'Comments' in Word. Under the Review ribbon.
Here's the How-To: https://support.office.com/en-gb/article/track-changes-in-wo...
Re: Ask HN: “Git” for Microsoft Office?
#63Re: Ask HN: “Git” for Microsoft Office?
#64Nongeeks haven't been living with this. They (mostly lawyers) use document management version control systems like iManage ( https://imanage.com/product/document-email-management/ ) and professional comparison software like Workshare Compare https://www.litera.com/products/legal/workshare-compare/ (orders of magnitude better than tracked changes in Word though Word has gotten better over the years).
Re: Ask HN: “Git” for Microsoft Office?
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sure, it's probably better to use that if you don't mind that. I am big on plain-text files and Git and sometimes I have to bend reality a little bit in order to keep working my way when others won't. This is one of those cases.
I wasn't dissing yours - Sorry if it came across that way!
Re: Ask HN: “Git” for Microsoft Office?
#66Earlier quoted context omitted.
Docx & co are XML based, but they are _zipped_, therefore binary. Which make a version control pretty much impossible.
I never try, but I thought you just need to rename the .docx/.xlsx/.pptx to .zip, unpack them then do the version control on that files?
Re: Ask HN: “Git” for Microsoft Office?
#67If you would need an exact version, you can build this version out of its components of that version.
Re: Ask HN: “Git” for Microsoft Office?
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's my reaction too - most people here are somewhat jealous of their "ownership rights" over this or that document, since this often define their actual roles. It looks like Fluid is trying to "share everything" and that's too much. I'd be happier with something that simply allows me to have a github-like workflow where I can propose and justify changes to this or that block of document, and an owner can sanction…
> can propose and justify changes to this or that block of document, and an owner can sanction and merge This is called 'Tracked Changes' and 'Comments' in Word. Under the Review ribbon. Here's the How-To: https://support.office.com/en-gb/article/track-changes-in-wo...
Absolutely not comparable to a github experience, as far as I can see.
Re: Ask HN: “Git” for Microsoft Office?
#69Takeover more power and then move people to markdown with a sleight of hand. I cannot cope with MS Office anymore. I was in finance 5 years, plenty of Excel work, when I open Excel today I am quickly reminded how painful it is and go back to Python.
I agree with you mostly, but Excel is still often a good choice for reporting. And with a package like xlwings, you can do it all from Python.
Re: Ask HN: “Git” for Microsoft Office?
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
My wife is a laywer and she and her colleagues (and the other lawyers they are working with) pretty much base their workflow for revising documents on track changes. I've never heard her complain about it.
Maybe she is used to it? I have used track changes and it is good and all ... but it may not be exactly the same as being able to know where and when a change was done, by whom, and with the reasoning sometimes added with it that comes from VCSs like SVN and GIT.
Meanwhile, people who have no such expectations cope perfectly well.