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The decision to drop VBA support has dented the value of Office 2008 in cross-platform environments, where the scripting language is used to automate tasks across Macs and PCs. However support will only be restored in the next version of Office.

In a statement Microsoft's Mac Business Unit (Mac BU) said that it, "recognises that VBA-language support is important to a select group of customers who rely on sharing macros across platforms. The Mac BU is always working to meet customers' needs and already is hard at work on the next version of Office for Mac."

Quite when that will be released is not known. Office 2008 took four years to materialise, though in part it was held up by Microsoft's development of

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completely new file formats.

Currently Mac users can use both AppleScript and Automator for scripting Office applications, though these are restricted to the platform. The Mac BU has worked with MacTech created a set of guides for transitioning from VBA to AppleScript.

Despite the absence of VBA support, sales of Office 2008 have far exceeded Office 2004, according to Mac BU general manager Craig Eisler.

"The response has been amazing - since we launched in January, the velocity of sales for Office 2008 is nearly three times what we saw after the launch of Office 2004," Eisler said. "As we set our course for future versions, we are working closely with customers and will also expand our staff to ensure that Office for Mac remains the most powerful and compatible productivity suite for Mac customers."

Mac users requiring VBA may find a solution in the free OpenOffice suite. Version 4, currently available as a beta is the first to be completely Mac native and boasts limited VBA support.