Cannot open a PP file on my Mac but PCs can open

[stoker]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I get the message that the presentation is protected by a password or DRM yet everyone else (who are on PCs) can open the file without problem. Considering I have always told people the Mac can do everything that a PC can do, and oftentimes better or easier, this is embarrassing. Can I do anything about this?

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I get the message that the presentation is protected by a password or DRM yet

everyone else (who are on PCs) can open the file without problem. Considering I
have always told people the Mac can do everything that a PC can do, and oftentimes
better or easier, this is embarrassing. Can I do anything about this?

No need for a crisis of faith. No Mac-sima Culpa here. No guilt. The Mac *could*
do this if only the people who wrote the software implemented the feature.

And the PC could save directly from PPT to movies. If only ...

But as far as opening the file, you may have to ask for a version that's not
protected. Or a PDF that's protected so you can at least read the presentation, if
not edit it.

 

[karloz]

this a bug in a powerpoint of mac
when you try to open a read-only protected document of powerpoint
the powerpoint 2008 of mac can't show the dialog if you like to open as read-only and get erroneus alert about DRM
my friend receive and send many of this tipe of pps all day and send to other (included me)
its really in windows can open this document and play BUT IN MAC NOT
(i think microsoft office mac team piss on mac users.... im think different? ...or im think wrong?)

 

[CyberTaz]

No, it isn't a bug PowerPoint for Mac has never supported any form of
protection. Neither did PowerPoint on the PC until several versions back when
the Windows development team decided to add it. Consequently, if a PC user
protects a PPt file it can't be opened by a Mac version of the program.

IMHO, protection in PPt is utterly power-pointless.

If the file is supposed to be opened for editing by anyone there is no
reason to protect it in the first place. If the file isn't supposed to be
edited the program provides other options for saving a version of the file
which produce a viewable version only. If it needs to be transported or
stored securely there are far better methods than file-level password
protection which can be hacked by a 5th grade student. "Read Only" is a
ridiculous waste of screen space - it allows the file to be opened in an
editing mode but doesn't permit any editing.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
MVP Office:Mac

 

[karloz]

ok
im think to very stupid to protect a pps to read only and send to everyone

but considering this point

many pps doc moving from mail to mail anytime all day
we not make protected pps we receive from many sources pps (in most cases from resend from many users and cant identify who its the developer from this pps to ask to resend unprotected pps
if you use office 2003/2007 from windows you can open and play
but if you use office 2004/2008 from mac you CAN'T open and play
99% of this cases nobody its interesting in edit this pps or ppt docs
all only interesting in look the information on it
in any case is an error of design of team of microsoft office mac
im mac user, im use microsoft office for mac
and for my and for many others mac user the fact is "microsoft powerpoint for mac can't open all microsoft powerpoint documents -its no 100% compatible "

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi Karloz -

I'm afraid I'm not making my point very well. Let me restate it a bit more
succinctly: If the file isn't intended to be edited by the recipient it
shouldn't be sent as a .ppt/.pptx in the first place - protected or not.

The originators should be sending .pps/.ppsx, web page, PDF, or some other
format that is appropriate for the type of distribution intended. I don't
mean to be argumentative, but a software developer can't be held accountable
for users failing to learn how to effectively employ the features of the
software.

Password protection really isn't a matter of "compatibility", nor is there
anything anywhere that claims "100% compatibility". In fact, *none* of the
Office apps on the PC are identical in all respects to the Mac counterparts.

The bottom line is that the more universal the intended audience - for any
purposed communication - the more mainstream the message must be
constructed. Perhaps in a "perfect world" it would be different, but things
being as they are we can either moan about what "should be" or we can take
advantage of *what is* ‹ or I guess we can do both!

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[adsen]

Hi,
Why is it that despite all these eloquent arguments the bottomline is that
when I pay for Office on my PC and on my Mac, I am not able to open files
created in one OS in the other. Someone needs to improve the software so we
dont need to spend time listening to all these theories about why this is the
most natural thing to happen. Hope you guys start thinking practically and
make sure the end user does not need to go through your memos on why office
software does not work the way it should! Thanks.
Adr

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi Adr;

You seem to have the impression that you're communicating directly with
Microsoft here. I can assure you that you are *not*. This is a peer-to-peer
support group. The responders here are other users offering assistance on a
voluntary basis & we have no control over anything done by the developers.

If you're having specific issues we're happy to assist you as well if we
can, but we need to be apprised of the details in a separate NEW message
rather than a reply to another... This one in particular is totally
unrelated involving password protected files. It doesn't matter if you're on
the exact same system where you yourself created the file, if you don't know
the password you can't open the file. "Compatibility" isn't the issue.

Just in case it escaped your attention, however, the Macintosh & the PC run
on 2 completely different & uniquely designed operating systems. It's
literally impossible for identical software to run on both unless it's so
weak that it doesn't take advantage of what's possible in its respective
realm. The only way to attain the level of "compatibility" you seek would be
for Apple & MS to merge into a single OS & the fact that such will not
happen is as much an Apple decision as anyone's.

I'm afraid that whether we like it or not there will continue to be
differences when working cross-platform - regardless of what platforms are
involved - and those who do so need to take those differences into account
when they compose their work.

Good Luck |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Hi Adr;

You seem to have the impression that you're communicating directly with
Microsoft here. I can assure you that you are *not*. This is a peer-to-peer
support group. The responders here are other users offering assistance on a
voluntary basis & we have no control over anything done by the developers.

If you're having specific issues we're happy to assist you as well if we
can, but we need to be apprised of the details in a separate NEW message
rather than a reply to another... This one in particular is totally
unrelated involving password protected files. It doesn't matter if you're on
the exact same system where you yourself created the file, if you don't know
the password you can't open the file. "Compatibility" isn't the issue.

Just in case it escaped your attention, however, the Macintosh & the PC run
on 2 completely different & uniquely designed operating systems. It's
literally impossible for identical software to run on both unless it's so
weak that it doesn't take advantage of what's possible in its respective
realm. The only way to attain the level of "compatibility" you seek would be
for Apple & MS to merge into a single OS & the fact that such will not
happen is as much an Apple decision as anyone's.

I'm afraid that whether we like it or not there will continue to be
differences when working cross-platform - regardless of what platforms are
involved - and those who do so need to take those differences into account
when they compose their work.

Good Luck |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

Well said!

-Jim

 

[mexicasa]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I get the message that the presentation is protected by a password or DRMyet everyone else (who are on PCs) can open the file without problem. Considering I have always told people the Mac can do everything that a PC can do, and oftentimes better or easier, this is embarrassing. Can I do anythingabout this?

Nothing you can do to fix this issue with Office for Mac. However, you canopen it with Keynote and you should be fine.