Hi y’all,
I work with a bunch of intelligent technophobes who have been forced to use computers – specifically Macs – and Microsoft Word for certain tasks. Many of these tasks involve forms that must be filled out in detail. With my technophobic-but-realistic supervisor’s approval, I created templates for several of these forms, and distributed them with detailed instructions for their use (“Install this template by dragging its icon from this message to your Templates folder. You can find that folder by double-clicking on your hard drivve icon…” etc.)
Come to find out that several of us have not been following instructions, but rather using the template file as a document that they keep rewriting. They have then been naming these template files with .doc extensions, pursuant to a memo that told them to name files with extensions so that the few PC users among us could access all files. Now our server is full of template files named things like xyz.doc, that can’t be simply Saved As documents. :smack:
My aging computer knowledge led me to think we had one of those old macro viruses folks used to get in the late 90s, that turned all your docs into templates, messed with your preferences and added stupid phrases to your files or even locked you out of them – but no, it’s just obtuse collegues misusing Word files.
My supervisor now wants me to explain to these folks, tomorrow morning, why they shouldn’t do this.
My reasoning so far is:
- Do it like I bloody well told you the first time! WTF! :rolleyes:
- 'Cause otherwise, you 're obscuring possible real virus activity
- and defeating the whole purpose of having templates in the first place.
Can anyone think of any other good reasons why they should stop this silliness? Is it really hurting anything, or just annoying me?
I’ll go post over in GQ my questions as to whether those kinds of macro viruses still infect Macs in the wild.