The Ying And Yang Of Word Processing: Pros And Cons Of Microsoft Word

Word processing is probably one of the most used aspects of information technology. People of most ages from the young grade school student to the elder grandmother could have encountered the need for word processing at least once in a while. There is not a doubt as to how word processing has improved the lives of today’s people as it made the work of typing definitely faster and convenient.

The most popular word processor both in the past and in the present is Microsoft Word. It remains to be the top choice among the different word processors available. Even Mac users have joined the bandwagon with the relatively new releases of Microsoft Word for Apple Computers. With its user friendly design and wide array of features, Microsoft Word is an indispensable tool for most computer users.

However, like all great things, Microsoft Word has its own set of idiosyncrasies. Like all things, there good and bad sides. To know more about something, it is important to learn about both their advantages and disadvantages. Likewise, it is important to know the pros and cons of Microsoft Word. Here are ten examples of the pros and cons of Microsoft Word.

Microsoft Word is undoubtedly a great tool. Here are ten pros of Microsoft Word:

- Typing is faster than ever
- It is easy to correct mistakes by just hitting the backspace or delete button
- Spelling and grammatical mistakes are pointed out instantly
- Bullets and numbers are done automatically
- Aligning text, whether at the center, right or left margins, or justified takes just one click
- Images and figures can be attached and laid out easily
- Copying documents is fast and easy
- One can use the thesaurus feature when one’s words run out
- There are templates for just about any type of document
- There is always an option to ask for help

While Microsoft is indeed wonderful, it is not devoid of any quirks. Here are ten cons of Microsoft Word.

- Typing is impossible when there is a black out or laptops run out of batteries
- People tend to become careless because they know they can easily correct mistakes
- The spelling and grammar checker cannot spot all mistakes and people can become dependent on them
- Bullets and numbering sometimes have a mind of their own
- The auto-format tool can be annoyingly inflexible at times
- Images and figures can be quite stubborn and hard to position well
- Plagiarism is easy to do because it is very easy to just copy and paste
- The thesaurus has very limited vocabulary
- People use the same templates over and over; documents just become clones of each other
- The help option sometimes provides vague answers

These are but a few things about Microsoft Word. The list of the pros and cons of Microsoft Word could go on and on. Well, it is impossible to gain good things without having some bad stuff. What matters is a good balance of the good and the bad, or the Yin and the Yang as the Chinese would say.

What is important is for one to discern what works and what does not in relation to one’s needs and purposes. Whether the pros and cons of Microsoft Word matter is up to the user’s decision.

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