Not to get too technical, but the download file can be at times referred to as an "installation file". This file may or may not contain an installer exe. At one time the most common installer was wise.exe. The companion un-installer was called unwise.exe. Go figure. If the download/installation file does not have its own dedicated installer it is published to use the on-board O/S installer. I personally find this to be the most common avenue today. DA

Here is a link about OpenOffice. I don't have good enough excel experience to be an advocate for the OO program. I love the concept of this project; professionals and users creating software for free (you can contribute toward costs), improving it as needed, and distributing for free to everyone - just for the public good, no profits involved. I hadn't heard of it until this last fall, but it's been around for over a decade. It is an org. and not a .com! http://about.openoffice.org/index.html Here is a list of features on their most recent release. Natal, I don't think I have "Pages". I haven't ever seen it and just searched finder for it and nothing shows up. Where would it be? Here is a link that might be useful: openoffice

Let's see if I can explain in the limited time I have; if I don't finish, I'll come back later or tomorrow. Have hubby's last chemo & radiation today. In my office I have a dual boot Windows machine - running XP (pro I think) and Vista. I also have the Mac. I have not tried to put Windows of any flavor on the Mac; it was on my list of things to do. I was going to buy the program verses what's on the Mac. My pain management Dr did it; he had some issues with drivers. Not sure if he did XP or Vista. The Mac worked fine at 1st. I was able to Network; I was able to access the Windows machine both sides. When on the Windows PC; I was able to access the Mac from both. I'm not sure what changed and when but eventually I wasn't able to access either puter - I made user accounts on Windows (both sides) and now am able to access Windows (both sides) from the Mac. The problem is accessing the Mac from Windows. Granted, it very well may be me; because I haven't been as "heavy" into building & using the computer since we moved. The most I do is work with pictures; for that I use Windows because the Mac photo program confuses me. I like Windows much better all the way around because of ease of use; software works & I can do things without reading a manual. With the Mac, I feel so stupid some days. I haven't installed anything except firefox.. forgot how. lol It's so simple too from what I remember but I have to get the dummy book to do it again. lol One thing that will not work on the Mac is my Microsoft Works. All of my medical databases are made with works. I looked for a Mac plug in (reader) but they don't have one. I also don't want to have to replace my full Office suite.

How much water do you actually haul around? Are you a canner or do you boil a lot of pasta? Those are my two biggest generators of pots of hot water. I also put custard casserole into a pan of water in oven and I put a pressure cooker under a stream of cold water to cool it down. None of these would be any easier with a little sink nearby because the sink wouldn't give me control and safety. Nice to have water and drain close at hand when canning but you can't control the hot water if you're pouring it into a small target (at the very least I'd have to let it cool down before pouring it into sink, or I'd ladle it in. Similarly, if you make pasta frequently, will you simply be avoiding the walk to another sink to strain it into a colander which has to be immediately carried to another area anyway? You will still need to lift the hot pan of liquid and again, you will be aiming into a small area with an armful of hot liquid to control in splash. Erickanh's small sink is interesting--best of this kind of thing that I've seen, in part because the faucet cranks back against the wall so it's out of the way. Would love to know how this installation is faring in real life. Is there a temptation to put dirty items into sink and to make it act as a second cleanup sink? Would you rather have area adjacent to range be plunk space? I know how I cook and I'd miss the plunk space.