Compatability

[Merlyn]

I have a desktop computer with Windows 98 and Office 2000
on it. I am considering buying a laptop with Windows XE
and Office 2003 installed.
Will programs that I produce on one computer be compatable
on the other? I am pretty sure that the newer programs
will be able to handle the older programs but will the
desktop be able to use the programs produced on the more
up to date programs?

 

[Victor Delgadillo]

Some programs will create compatible files to the previous version, but,
again, some will not.
Microsoft Office's Word, for instance, will be able to read from Word 97,
Word 2000, Word 2002 and Word 2003 documents, provided that these documents
do not contain elements or functions unique to the particular version.
Access is more touchy to the version situation and will not read downward,
except if the file has been saved with "previous version format". If there
are simple databases, this will not matter much, but if we are talking
sophisticated structures in one version, they will give problems in another.