Y
ytbird
How do I get rid of the god awful look of 2007, and get more of my work area
back?
back?
B
Bob Buckland ?:-\)
You can use Ctrl+F1 or double click on any of the ribbon tabs to put the ribbon in 'view on mouseover' mode.
There isn't a classic interface choice available in the Ribboned apps. If
it's a retail product version you may be able to return Office 2007 for a refund
http://microsoft.com/mscorp/productrefund/refund.mspx
and then use your prior version.
If you still have a previous version of Word you can create a custom toolbar (Tools=>Customize=>Commands) and drag all of the Word
2003 commands onto it and many of those (there are some discontinued commands) will appear on the Add-ins tab in Word 2007.
http://gmayor.com/Toolbars_in_word_2007.htm
You can also use some of the free or paid 3rd party add-ins available that have a 'classic' interface.
Toolbar Toggle
This is the only that I recall that allows you to 'float' old style toolbars to have them in locations on your screen other than
'top row'. http://toggletoolbar.com
Ribbon Customizer
This product includes old style toolbar visibility as well as tools to customize the Ribbon instead/in addition to that
http://pschmid.net/office2007/ribboncustomizer/index.php
Both of these products reverts from their full feature 'Professional' version to a free versions to lite/starter editions after 30
days that still allows you to use the old style toolbars.
Another one is Shah Shailesh's Classic menu Add-in
http://in.geocities.com/shahshaileshs/menuaddins
I haven't checked into the details on this one.
You'll find other 3rd party tools by clicking the 'Toolbars and Menus' category choice on
http://office.microsoft.com/marketplace
and more through searching on http://google.com or Microsoft's http://Live.com
Note, that a lot of the keyboard shortcuts from the older versions still work in the 2007 versions. For example to get to what was
Word's
Tools=>Options menu
both of these keyboard shortcuts work in Word 2007
Word 2007's: Alt, F, I
Word 2003's: Alt, T, O
You'll find 'cheat sheets' on many of the was/is combinations in the downloads from Microsoft available here.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/HA102295841033.aspx
=========
How do I get rid of the god awful look of 2007, and get more of my work area back?>>
--
Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP
*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*
There isn't a classic interface choice available in the Ribboned apps. If
it's a retail product version you may be able to return Office 2007 for a refund
http://microsoft.com/mscorp/productrefund/refund.mspx
and then use your prior version.
If you still have a previous version of Word you can create a custom toolbar (Tools=>Customize=>Commands) and drag all of the Word
2003 commands onto it and many of those (there are some discontinued commands) will appear on the Add-ins tab in Word 2007.
http://gmayor.com/Toolbars_in_word_2007.htm
You can also use some of the free or paid 3rd party add-ins available that have a 'classic' interface.
Toolbar Toggle
This is the only that I recall that allows you to 'float' old style toolbars to have them in locations on your screen other than
'top row'. http://toggletoolbar.com
Ribbon Customizer
This product includes old style toolbar visibility as well as tools to customize the Ribbon instead/in addition to that
http://pschmid.net/office2007/ribboncustomizer/index.php
Both of these products reverts from their full feature 'Professional' version to a free versions to lite/starter editions after 30
days that still allows you to use the old style toolbars.
Another one is Shah Shailesh's Classic menu Add-in
http://in.geocities.com/shahshaileshs/menuaddins
I haven't checked into the details on this one.
You'll find other 3rd party tools by clicking the 'Toolbars and Menus' category choice on
http://office.microsoft.com/marketplace
and more through searching on http://google.com or Microsoft's http://Live.com
Note, that a lot of the keyboard shortcuts from the older versions still work in the 2007 versions. For example to get to what was
Word's
Tools=>Options menu
both of these keyboard shortcuts work in Word 2007
Word 2007's: Alt, F, I
Word 2003's: Alt, T, O
You'll find 'cheat sheets' on many of the was/is combinations in the downloads from Microsoft available here.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/HA102295841033.aspx
=========
How do I get rid of the god awful look of 2007, and get more of my work area back?>>
--
Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP
*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*
G
Graham Mayor
Uninstall 2007 and reinstall 2003. The interface of 2007 is nothing like
that of 2003 and cannot be made to imitate it in any meaningful way.
--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP
My web site www.gmayor.com
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
that of 2003 and cannot be made to imitate it in any meaningful way.
--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP
My web site www.gmayor.com
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Y
ytbird
Thanks, I did just that. I am sure there are many benifits to the 2007
version, but none I so deperatly need that I have to suffer through its
apperence.
My 7 yr. old daughter likes it though. So maybe there is a place for it.
version, but none I so deperatly need that I have to suffer through its
apperence.
My 7 yr. old daughter likes it though. So maybe there is a place for it.
J
JoAnn Paules
I know the ribbon is a huge difference. Do yourself a favor and get
accustomed to it now. Sometime in the not too distant future more businesses
will be using it. By then, you'll be an accomplished Word user and will be a
huge asset to the company who employs you. ;-)
accustomed to it now. Sometime in the not too distant future more businesses
will be using it. By then, you'll be an accomplished Word user and will be a
huge asset to the company who employs you. ;-)
M
Mark Pitcavage
JoAnn, you tell the previous poster to do himself a favor, but I wish
Microsoft had done me a favor and not drastically changed something that
already worked fine. I have used the new interface for six months now and
although I -can- use it, I -hate- using it. Not only is it not necessarily
intuitive but its very nature makes it difficult quickly to skim through all
the options to find something you are looking for, something the traditional
drop down menu system did perfectly. Moreover, it is also less user
customizable, so far as I can see. And it takes up more space on the screen.
I am hard pressed to understand what advantage it -does- offer, as a matter
of fact. Since I use Windows XP at work and Vista at home, I am constantly
reminded of how much better the old interface is.
Regards,
Mark Pitcavage
Microsoft had done me a favor and not drastically changed something that
already worked fine. I have used the new interface for six months now and
although I -can- use it, I -hate- using it. Not only is it not necessarily
intuitive but its very nature makes it difficult quickly to skim through all
the options to find something you are looking for, something the traditional
drop down menu system did perfectly. Moreover, it is also less user
customizable, so far as I can see. And it takes up more space on the screen.
I am hard pressed to understand what advantage it -does- offer, as a matter
of fact. Since I use Windows XP at work and Vista at home, I am constantly
reminded of how much better the old interface is.
Regards,
Mark Pitcavage
JoAnn Paules said:
J
JoAnn Paules
I understand what you mean but the truth is that they aren't going to go
back to the old layout. That leaves us with a couple of options: Stay with
an older version, use another program, or get used to the new format. In my
industry, Microsoft Office is most commonly used. Eventually I'd end up
using the ribbon. I'd rather learn how to use it now before my company
upgrades to it. Those who avoid the ribbon may end up with lower
productivity levels or missed deadlines. I can't afford that. I can be
replaced. (Probably more easily than what I'd like to admit.) I have a few
more years to work before I can retire and I don't want those years to be
filled with taking orders at a fast-food establishment and dealing with a
19-yr old manager named Timmy.
--
JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]
Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies"
back to the old layout. That leaves us with a couple of options: Stay with
an older version, use another program, or get used to the new format. In my
industry, Microsoft Office is most commonly used. Eventually I'd end up
using the ribbon. I'd rather learn how to use it now before my company
upgrades to it. Those who avoid the ribbon may end up with lower
productivity levels or missed deadlines. I can't afford that. I can be
replaced. (Probably more easily than what I'd like to admit.) I have a few
more years to work before I can retire and I don't want those years to be
filled with taking orders at a fast-food establishment and dealing with a
19-yr old manager named Timmy.
--
JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]
Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies"
Mark Pitcavage said:
S
Suzanne S. Barnhill
To add to what JoAnn has said, your OS is (mostly) irrelevant to the Word
version you're using, since you can run Office 2007 on Windows XP or Office
2003 on Vista.
--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
version you're using, since you can run Office 2007 on Windows XP or Office
2003 on Vista.
--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Mark Pitcavage said:
M
MARKINRO
What was Microsoft thinking ? The GUI changes are too severe of a learning
curve. I just tried Ctrl-I to insert a column break. Its GONE !!! If it
were me
1. Allow user to switch between the ribbon and the old menu/toolbar
interface. Deafult to the ribbon
2. Keep all 2003 shortcuts. Again an option for #1
3. Upgrade ALL office apps at the SAME time. Outlook 2007 has the previous
GUI. Now, users need to be familiar with both GUI's
4. Compatible file formats. Is there an add-on for 2003 that can read 2007
formats ? Let the user default the format so they do not have to select it
all the time.
You guys REALLY messed up on this one. I doubt many people are upgrading.
I'm re-installing my 2003.
curve. I just tried Ctrl-I to insert a column break. Its GONE !!! If it
were me
1. Allow user to switch between the ribbon and the old menu/toolbar
interface. Deafult to the ribbon
2. Keep all 2003 shortcuts. Again an option for #1
3. Upgrade ALL office apps at the SAME time. Outlook 2007 has the previous
GUI. Now, users need to be familiar with both GUI's
4. Compatible file formats. Is there an add-on for 2003 that can read 2007
formats ? Let the user default the format so they do not have to select it
all the time.
You guys REALLY messed up on this one. I doubt many people are upgrading.
I'm re-installing my 2003.
R
Robert M. Franz (RMF)
Hello Markinro
MARKINRO wrote:
[..]
while I sympathize with that feeling, I prefer them to get the ribbon
right instead of having to juggle with both GUIs.
Most are kept, I'd say.
Fair enough. Doesn't bother me personally, because a) I'm not such a
heavy Outlook user, and b) to me, Outlook is such a different type of
application in contrast to the "big three" (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Yes, there is, back to Word 2000. Indeed, all hell would break loose
otherwise!
Most (SOHO) users are not upgrading anyway: if they are buying any
Office version, it's usually the latest one with a new computer. Now,
corporate users, that's a different story entirely. Only time will tell.
2cents
Robert
MARKINRO wrote:
[..]
while I sympathize with that feeling, I prefer them to get the ribbon
right instead of having to juggle with both GUIs.
Most are kept, I'd say.
Fair enough. Doesn't bother me personally, because a) I'm not such a
heavy Outlook user, and b) to me, Outlook is such a different type of
application in contrast to the "big three" (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Yes, there is, back to Word 2000. Indeed, all hell would break loose
otherwise!
Most (SOHO) users are not upgrading anyway: if they are buying any
Office version, it's usually the latest one with a new computer. Now,
corporate users, that's a different story entirely. Only time will tell.
2cents
Robert
S
Suzanne S. Barnhill
2. The shortcut to insert a column break is Ctrl+Shift+Enter.
4. You can save in Word 97-2003 format, and you can choose that as the
default Save format. And users of versions back to Word 2000 can download
the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007
File Formats from
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...70-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466&displaylang=en
4. You can save in Word 97-2003 format, and you can choose that as the
default Save format. And users of versions back to Word 2000 can download
the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007
File Formats from
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...70-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466&displaylang=en
K
Kevin
Or come to work for a company like ours, where we scrap the whole 2007
versions to stop wasting time.
versions to stop wasting time.
JoAnn Paules said:
K
Kevin
JoAnn, I understand your point, and would generally agree. But I'm not
convinced this ribbon idea is the future, and here to stay. Too many people
absolutely hate it. I work at a tech firm and all of our customers and staff
hate it.
In my opinion, the IT idiot who pushes to replace productive software with
this garbage is the one who should be worried about keeping his job.
If Microsoft insists on going down this road, they will start losing market
share drastically. Our firm is one of many that have already switched to
other vendors. And that's coming from strong supporters (for the most part)
of Microsoft. When that happens, your company will be looking for people who
can actually get work done with usable software apps.
Of course there is always a learning curve, but after the user transitions
to the new software, the new software should increase the productivity in the
work place. We've been using this for more than 6 months now, and our
productivity is still severely affected.
The bottom line is that most people can do the same tasks much faster with
Word 2003 than they can with Word 2007. So how in the heck is Word 2007 an
improvement to anything?
Not disagreeing with you JoAnn, just wanted to throw in my perspective.
convinced this ribbon idea is the future, and here to stay. Too many people
absolutely hate it. I work at a tech firm and all of our customers and staff
hate it.
In my opinion, the IT idiot who pushes to replace productive software with
this garbage is the one who should be worried about keeping his job.
If Microsoft insists on going down this road, they will start losing market
share drastically. Our firm is one of many that have already switched to
other vendors. And that's coming from strong supporters (for the most part)
of Microsoft. When that happens, your company will be looking for people who
can actually get work done with usable software apps.
Of course there is always a learning curve, but after the user transitions
to the new software, the new software should increase the productivity in the
work place. We've been using this for more than 6 months now, and our
productivity is still severely affected.
The bottom line is that most people can do the same tasks much faster with
Word 2003 than they can with Word 2007. So how in the heck is Word 2007 an
improvement to anything?
Not disagreeing with you JoAnn, just wanted to throw in my perspective.
JoAnn Paules said:
J
JoAnn Paules
I've recently learned that the company I work for is looking to roll out
Office 2007 at the end of 2009. By then, I'm going to have enough time using
it at home so that I'll be off and running. I fear I'm going to be called in
to help the others in my area A LOT. They already see me as being an
"in-department help desk". I wonder if I can retire in a
year..................?
--
JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]
Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies"
Office 2007 at the end of 2009. By then, I'm going to have enough time using
it at home so that I'll be off and running. I fear I'm going to be called in
to help the others in my area A LOT. They already see me as being an
"in-department help desk". I wonder if I can retire in a
year..................?
--
JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]
Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies"
Kevin said:
K
Kevin
Yeah, they'll definitely need you. There is no doubt that anyone who is
familiar with this will be absolutely essential to any company upgrading all
personnel to 2007. And for sure, there will be many companies who will do
this....blindly upgrading MS products, whether they're useful or not. But I
expect when they do, they will have the same reaction that we (and countless
others on the Internet) have had.
I understand more of your posts now that I know the context in which you are
using this. But trust me, when you roll this thing out into a production
environment, where many of your personnel and projects are based even
moderately on 2003 or some other similar alternative, your IT team is in for
a rude awakening.
I know because we already tried it.
And I am also aware that there is always some resistance to new versions of
software, and there is always a learning curve. But most of the time, once
people get used to the changes, they agree the new versions are better. This
is not the case for Word 2007.
Just because it is new, doesn't mean it is better. It is simply a horrible
concept for a user interface. It doesn't make sense to anyone. Yes, we can
learn it. But there is no reason to learn it, if there are alternatives that
are much more intuitive (and cheaper).
Google "hate word 2007" and see how thousands of people, in real world
business environments, are struggling with this new software app. Most of
them are very tech savvy.
And Microsoft's argument that this is somehow better for non-technical users
is completely wrong. I can't count the number of typical home users that are
mortified about the thought of using their new PC. They feel stupid because
they don't know how to use anything, or get Word to do what they want. We
have to tell them, it's not their fault. So this UI isn't helping anyone.
If Microsoft wants to change everything, fine. But make everything more
intuitive, not less intuitive. It's like Windows ME...they'll never admit it,
but even Microsoft must know this new UI was a catastrophic mistake.
And when more businesses, such as yours, start adopting it, and realizing
how much it is actually hurting their business, you'll start seeing a lot
more posts like this one.
"Microsoft Office" is supposedly intended for just that...an office
productivity suite. But I don't know of one real world office that has become
more productive with this new version.
familiar with this will be absolutely essential to any company upgrading all
personnel to 2007. And for sure, there will be many companies who will do
this....blindly upgrading MS products, whether they're useful or not. But I
expect when they do, they will have the same reaction that we (and countless
others on the Internet) have had.
I understand more of your posts now that I know the context in which you are
using this. But trust me, when you roll this thing out into a production
environment, where many of your personnel and projects are based even
moderately on 2003 or some other similar alternative, your IT team is in for
a rude awakening.
I know because we already tried it.
And I am also aware that there is always some resistance to new versions of
software, and there is always a learning curve. But most of the time, once
people get used to the changes, they agree the new versions are better. This
is not the case for Word 2007.
Just because it is new, doesn't mean it is better. It is simply a horrible
concept for a user interface. It doesn't make sense to anyone. Yes, we can
learn it. But there is no reason to learn it, if there are alternatives that
are much more intuitive (and cheaper).
Google "hate word 2007" and see how thousands of people, in real world
business environments, are struggling with this new software app. Most of
them are very tech savvy.
And Microsoft's argument that this is somehow better for non-technical users
is completely wrong. I can't count the number of typical home users that are
mortified about the thought of using their new PC. They feel stupid because
they don't know how to use anything, or get Word to do what they want. We
have to tell them, it's not their fault. So this UI isn't helping anyone.
If Microsoft wants to change everything, fine. But make everything more
intuitive, not less intuitive. It's like Windows ME...they'll never admit it,
but even Microsoft must know this new UI was a catastrophic mistake.
And when more businesses, such as yours, start adopting it, and realizing
how much it is actually hurting their business, you'll start seeing a lot
more posts like this one.
"Microsoft Office" is supposedly intended for just that...an office
productivity suite. But I don't know of one real world office that has become
more productive with this new version.
K
Kevin
Also JoAnn,
I can't help but notice your affiliation with Microsoft. It seems that
anyone saying anything good about Word 2007 has some affiliation with
Microsoft.
Coincidence? Hmm.
I can't help but notice your affiliation with Microsoft. It seems that
anyone saying anything good about Word 2007 has some affiliation with
Microsoft.
Coincidence? Hmm.
J
JoAnn Paules
Yes, I have an affiliation with Microsoft but I am not a Microsoft employee.
I am not thrilled with everything Microsoft does and if you looked, you'd
see that I was one of the one who was unhappy with the new ribbon at first.
Since it's not going away and I have about 15 years before I can retire, I
could either get accustomed to the ribbon now or I could continue to b*tch
about change. B*tching doesn't pay the mortgage nor does it change the 2007
interface to a "classic view".
Please remember, there are alternatives to the ribbon. There are add-ins if
you prefer to stay with updated versions of Microsoft Office or you can use
other products.
I am not thrilled with everything Microsoft does and if you looked, you'd
see that I was one of the one who was unhappy with the new ribbon at first.
Since it's not going away and I have about 15 years before I can retire, I
could either get accustomed to the ribbon now or I could continue to b*tch
about change. B*tching doesn't pay the mortgage nor does it change the 2007
interface to a "classic view".
Please remember, there are alternatives to the ribbon. There are add-ins if
you prefer to stay with updated versions of Microsoft Office or you can use
other products.
K
Kevin
Unless enough people b*tch to Microsoft until they fix it. Or put 2003 back
on the shelves, and give us our money back for 07.
I understand where you are coming from, but my complaints are not just
emotional rants.
Our office staff have invested years into learning and growing with
microsoft, and many of our Information Resources are dependent on common and
familiar features of all previous versions...not to mention doc types. It
doesn't make any sense why Microsoft would completely disregard everything we
(American companies) have done and learned in the past, without any way to
easily bring that functionality back.
Yes, I could pay a third party to fix it, but why should I have to. Yes, I
can shift to some other vendor, as we are currently doing, but at a cost of a
total loss of our prior and significant investments in Microsoft.
This upgrade has cost my firm a significant amount of money, time, and
resources. So of course I will complain to Microsoft. That is the only reason
I am here now on this Microsoft website providing feedback about our
experiences.
It's never too late to fix a mistake! I really hate the attitude of, "oh
well, it really sucks, but the whole world should just dump their investments
and completely change their business practices, and spend a fortune to
retrain everyone...to be less productive...because, well...it's a Microsoft
upgrade, so we better just get used to it!"
Don't get me wrong, I generally love Microsoft. But no one is perfect, and
Word 2007 is a prime example of that. But that is no reason we can't voice
our concerns to Microsoft and provide them with useful feedback so that they
stop moving in the wrong direction.
If Microsoft really cares about their customers, I believe they will
listen...eventually.
So I completely disagree when you say there is no use in complaining. And
I'll continue to do so until they get it right, or at least reimburse me the
300 bucks or so and bid me fare well.
And that raises another question...Microsoft said they didn't include (not
even optionally) an intuitive menu bar for everyone that hates the ribbon
because they said there was no practical way to incorporate that. Really!?
Then how do the third-party vendors do it so easily??
Microsoft could easily release an add in to give back the functionality that
most of us are accustomed to. I don't mind if this is not the default
setting, since they want to obviously torture new users, but at least make
this an option for the rest of us. I don't think, for the money we spent on
this, that this is too much to ask for.
Kevin
on the shelves, and give us our money back for 07.
I understand where you are coming from, but my complaints are not just
emotional rants.
Our office staff have invested years into learning and growing with
microsoft, and many of our Information Resources are dependent on common and
familiar features of all previous versions...not to mention doc types. It
doesn't make any sense why Microsoft would completely disregard everything we
(American companies) have done and learned in the past, without any way to
easily bring that functionality back.
Yes, I could pay a third party to fix it, but why should I have to. Yes, I
can shift to some other vendor, as we are currently doing, but at a cost of a
total loss of our prior and significant investments in Microsoft.
This upgrade has cost my firm a significant amount of money, time, and
resources. So of course I will complain to Microsoft. That is the only reason
I am here now on this Microsoft website providing feedback about our
experiences.
It's never too late to fix a mistake! I really hate the attitude of, "oh
well, it really sucks, but the whole world should just dump their investments
and completely change their business practices, and spend a fortune to
retrain everyone...to be less productive...because, well...it's a Microsoft
upgrade, so we better just get used to it!"
Don't get me wrong, I generally love Microsoft. But no one is perfect, and
Word 2007 is a prime example of that. But that is no reason we can't voice
our concerns to Microsoft and provide them with useful feedback so that they
stop moving in the wrong direction.
If Microsoft really cares about their customers, I believe they will
listen...eventually.
So I completely disagree when you say there is no use in complaining. And
I'll continue to do so until they get it right, or at least reimburse me the
300 bucks or so and bid me fare well.
And that raises another question...Microsoft said they didn't include (not
even optionally) an intuitive menu bar for everyone that hates the ribbon
because they said there was no practical way to incorporate that. Really!?
Then how do the third-party vendors do it so easily??
Microsoft could easily release an add in to give back the functionality that
most of us are accustomed to. I don't mind if this is not the default
setting, since they want to obviously torture new users, but at least make
this an option for the rest of us. I don't think, for the money we spent on
this, that this is too much to ask for.
Kevin
B
Bob Buckland ?:-\)
Hi Kevin,
This is basically a peer support group for using Microsoft Word, so yes, folks here are more interested in figuring out how to get
things done with that tool set, but if you read through postings you'll find that there are many cases where the frustration or
problems are not limited to just the 2007 version and there are changes each of us would probably like Microsoft to make for the
product to be better. Sometimes they listen (i.e. make the changes that are asked for) sometimes they go with their own instincts
I don't think there were too many folks in the betas who when they first saw the Ribbon posted as a first reaction 'cool -
much better'. Some like it better, some don't, for some it's now more comfortable (from daily use), for others, it's not.
On refunds - if you're using retail copies of MS Office then there is a 45-day money back guarantee on their software licenses:
http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/productrefund/refund.mspx
If you acquired the product using a volume license purchase agreement then you'll need to contact your licensing rep or the
Microsoft licensing folks through http://microsoft.com/licensing
to see what the policy would be for your specific license agreement for either refund or downgrading to an earlier version.
Prior to release of the product there was a long term beta that folks could use to evaluate Office 2007, and there was and is 60-day
trial versions to evaluate the product before even starting the 45 day money back count. Presumably before your company rolled out
the product 'company wide' they did deployment planning and testing of their own. If your company or any company is 'blindly
upgrading' then those business decisions make little sense and would tend to be a business decisin poorly thought out - not by
Microsoft - but by those companies that would choose to spend without study.
You're right, not everyone needs to upgrade, not everyone will.
The team that chose to drive the Office 2007 User Interface (Steven Sinofsky and Julie Larson-Greene) are heading up the Windows v7
(next version) products. Microsoft's position wasn't so much that "there was no practical way" to include the prior version
interface, but rather that they made a business decision to go forward with a new design and to get the new product version tested
and released to market in a certain time frame. Those business decisions and the parameters evaluated are similar to those of
other manufacturing companies. Microsoft made a decision to not include the old user interface, but to make the ribbon
customizable (rearrange/add/remove parts/hide it). It's that customization capability that is the basis for the free and paid 3rd
party add-ins possible.
If Microsoft's business decision is, perceived by Microsoft to be wrong then that can certainly impact the future product decisions,
but the chances of putting an old version back on the shelf are probably about as likely as car manufacturers doing the same thing
with an older model car From all reports I've seen Microsoft is well into the development of the next Office version.
As with most products, whether bread, beverage, car, computer, television or cell phones, or appliances, not everyone likes the same
thing, or finds the same make and model of the same thing to be useful. Wouldn't life be rather dull without some competition and
differing points of view?
Your local Home Depot sells many different brands and models of electric drills. For each brand there are folks who swear by it and
folks who swear at it, that's why retailers carry more than one brand/version in the same product category. It's perception,
and matching the right tool/purchase to the job and that's based on personal beliefs or company policies
Microsoft Office 2007 includes a number of server & cloud products that go beyond the desktop and depending on your business needs
you may or may not need those. If needed those features and integration aren't available in the older versions and future versions
of Office will expand on the capabilities of those features. Office 2007 isn't needed by everyone and if you're using a 3rd party
product and that's the right tool for your company, then why wouldn't you want to make that business decision to pick another tool.
As to the new file formats, those are partly a continuation of Microsoft moving (along with other products on the market) to XML
based documents and partly from speeding that schedule up a bit driven by market forces. Microsoft Office 2007 Service Pack 2 will
add built in support for the Open Office file formats (those are also XML based). The old binary formats were limiting adding some
of the new capabilities due, in part, to their complexity in having others work with them, but the specs for them are now available
for download from Microsoft for those that need that. With XML based formats folks can create and edit Microsoft Office documents
without having Office installed, and there are companies doing that. Office is basically just one 'editing surface' approach for
working with Office documents. Microsoft provided a retrofit for the 3 prior versions of Office (2000, 2002/XP, 2003) to be able to
read/write the new file formats. For me, the new file formats have been a little easier to troubleshoot and fix damaged documents
than those created in the old formats, but that doesn't say that either is problem free. However there are probably billions of
documents out there created without a problem, but we rarely have folks dropping by here to talk about 'today nothing happened'
Will there be revisions to the the Office 2007 UI in the next version? Probably. There are significant differences in the
Office:mac 2008 version. Does anyone know for sure what those might be? No.
Does Microsoft always get it right with their new product introductions, nope. In the Office family alone there have been many
cases of new features or products added then have them go away a version or two later. but per the MS briefing for financial
analysts given this month the sales of Office since the 2007 launch are 120-million and as with many products sales outside of the
U.S. are increasing more rapidly than in the U.S. (not all of those are Office 2007, but Microsoft doesn't usually break out that
type of business statistic).
The adoption rate of Office 2007, according to the Microsoft statistics, exceeds that of Office 2003 over a similar period of time.
There are transcripts of the latest presentations, webcasts and Powerpoint slides from those presentations available through
http://www.microsoft.com/msft/speech/FY08/AnalystMtg2008.mspx
On that page, is link to the presentation by
Stephen Elop, President of the Microsoft Business Division. That's the division that owns the Office products and he's a new hire
to Microsoft this year, so it will be interesting to see what direction he takes things
While the UI may not be perfect, those sales figures don't seem to support their perception of the new UI being a 'catastrophic
mistake'.
Googling anything for 'hate' will almost always yield more results than 'love' when talking about products, because it's a different
context and mindset. Folks who are getting things done with the new version Trying to use that or trying to embrace 'everyone' as
agreeing with you based on your experience and citing only generalities is basically a rant. Personally, I find life too short and
full of other activities and concern to bother getting to the point of 'loving' or 'hating' a particular machine, tool or software.
Challenging? Yes. Frustrating? I've found that to be true of not only every version of software that comes out (something always
changes - some perceived improvements - some 'why did "they" do that), but of trying to figure out the same thing on putting
together, on xmas eve, a product with 'some assembly required' <g>.
By all means, do ,please, contact Microsoft to let them know the real world experiences you've had. They do want to know. But,
please give them *specific examples* of how the new User Interface is responsible for loss productivity, or confusion etc. and how
the product can be better, or why you're going with a different product. 'Me too' statistics, or trying to embrace 'everyone'
together based on your experience, or statements like "they want to obviously torture new users", wont' get it done and can change
the perception and value of your input from your experiences into being seen as a rant. Not what you say you want.
FWIW, many users of Office do not use the product full time and the experiences I've seen are that folks who have never used Office
before, or who use few of it's features, tend to be able to find out how to do things in Office 2007 more quickly and to provide
peers support (be it to family members or co-workers) more readily. I've also found it true that in companies that tend to lock
down Office (and have done so for prior versions as well) folks can get more done with the new UI [more is available by default]
than they could in the old version where choices were turned off or left with some of Microsoft's [perceived as] odd defaults of the
earlier versions such as the 'adaptive menus'
Tools=>Customize=>Options
For those folks, even when Microsoft has made improvements in the defaults, it's not uncommon for the IT/admin folks making the
decisions for the company on deployment to not be more than casual users of the products, but want to make the products more uniform
to decrease the types of support calls they get.
Many users use mouse clicks over keyboard shortcuts these days, it's just the way web site, web forms, etc, have evolved. Microsoft
saved the ability to use a great many of the older version keyboard shortcuts for Office.
For many computer users Office is just one of the tools provided by the company. The company makes the business decision on what to
buy and the investment they choose to make in continuing on with a specific version or moving to something else. I don't know of
any company where everyone agrees with the changes or tools we're given, but they basically take the approach of 'this is the
task/job - these are the resources, tools and assets you are being given to achieve the results' and that's pretty much 'go to work'
and count the hours until Friday night <g>
==============
Unless enough people b*tch to Microsoft until they fix it. Or put 2003 back
on the shelves, and give us our money back for 07.
I understand where you are coming from, but my complaints are not just
emotional rants.
Our office staff have invested years into learning and growing with
microsoft, and many of our Information Resources are dependent on common and
familiar features of all previous versions...not to mention doc types. It
doesn't make any sense why Microsoft would completely disregard everything we
(American companies) have done and learned in the past, without any way to
easily bring that functionality back.
Yes, I could pay a third party to fix it, but why should I have to. Yes, I
can shift to some other vendor, as we are currently doing, but at a cost of a
total loss of our prior and significant investments in Microsoft.
This upgrade has cost my firm a significant amount of money, time, and
resources. So of course I will complain to Microsoft. That is the only reason
I am here now on this Microsoft website providing feedback about our
experiences.
It's never too late to fix a mistake! I really hate the attitude of, "oh
well, it really sucks, but the whole world should just dump their investments
and completely change their business practices, and spend a fortune to
retrain everyone...to be less productive...because, well...it's a Microsoft
upgrade, so we better just get used to it!"
Don't get me wrong, I generally love Microsoft. But no one is perfect, and
Word 2007 is a prime example of that. But that is no reason we can't voice
our concerns to Microsoft and provide them with useful feedback so that they
stop moving in the wrong direction.
If Microsoft really cares about their customers, I believe they will
listen...eventually.
So I completely disagree when you say there is no use in complaining. And
I'll continue to do so until they get it right, or at least reimburse me the
300 bucks or so and bid me fare well.
And that raises another question...Microsoft said they didn't include (not
even optionally) an intuitive menu bar for everyone that hates the ribbon
because they said there was no practical way to incorporate that. Really!?
Then how do the third-party vendors do it so easily??
Microsoft could easily release an add in to give back the functionality that
most of us are accustomed to. I don't mind if this is not the default
setting, since they want to obviously torture new users, but at least make
this an option for the rest of us. I don't think, for the money we spent on
this, that this is too much to ask for.
Kevin <<
--
Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP
*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*
This is basically a peer support group for using Microsoft Word, so yes, folks here are more interested in figuring out how to get
things done with that tool set, but if you read through postings you'll find that there are many cases where the frustration or
problems are not limited to just the 2007 version and there are changes each of us would probably like Microsoft to make for the
product to be better. Sometimes they listen (i.e. make the changes that are asked for) sometimes they go with their own instincts
I don't think there were too many folks in the betas who when they first saw the Ribbon posted as a first reaction 'cool -much better'. Some like it better, some don't, for some it's now more comfortable (from daily use), for others, it's not.
On refunds - if you're using retail copies of MS Office then there is a 45-day money back guarantee on their software licenses:
http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/productrefund/refund.mspx
If you acquired the product using a volume license purchase agreement then you'll need to contact your licensing rep or the
Microsoft licensing folks through http://microsoft.com/licensing
to see what the policy would be for your specific license agreement for either refund or downgrading to an earlier version.
Prior to release of the product there was a long term beta that folks could use to evaluate Office 2007, and there was and is 60-day
trial versions to evaluate the product before even starting the 45 day money back count. Presumably before your company rolled out
the product 'company wide' they did deployment planning and testing of their own. If your company or any company is 'blindly
upgrading' then those business decisions make little sense and would tend to be a business decisin poorly thought out - not by
Microsoft - but by those companies that would choose to spend without study.
You're right, not everyone needs to upgrade, not everyone will.
The team that chose to drive the Office 2007 User Interface (Steven Sinofsky and Julie Larson-Greene) are heading up the Windows v7
(next version) products. Microsoft's position wasn't so much that "there was no practical way" to include the prior version
interface, but rather that they made a business decision to go forward with a new design and to get the new product version tested
and released to market in a certain time frame. Those business decisions and the parameters evaluated are similar to those of
other manufacturing companies. Microsoft made a decision to not include the old user interface, but to make the ribbon
customizable (rearrange/add/remove parts/hide it). It's that customization capability that is the basis for the free and paid 3rd
party add-ins possible.
If Microsoft's business decision is, perceived by Microsoft to be wrong then that can certainly impact the future product decisions,
but the chances of putting an old version back on the shelf are probably about as likely as car manufacturers doing the same thing
with an older model car
From all reports I've seen Microsoft is well into the development of the next Office version.As with most products, whether bread, beverage, car, computer, television or cell phones, or appliances, not everyone likes the same
thing, or finds the same make and model of the same thing to be useful. Wouldn't life be rather dull without some competition and
differing points of view?
Your local Home Depot sells many different brands and models of electric drills. For each brand there are folks who swear by it and
folks who swear at it, that's why retailers carry more than one brand/version in the same product category
. It's perception,and matching the right tool/purchase to the job and that's based on personal beliefs or company policies
Microsoft Office 2007 includes a number of server & cloud products that go beyond the desktop and depending on your business needs
you may or may not need those. If needed those features and integration aren't available in the older versions and future versions
of Office will expand on the capabilities of those features. Office 2007 isn't needed by everyone and if you're using a 3rd party
product and that's the right tool for your company, then why wouldn't you want to make that business decision to pick another tool.
As to the new file formats, those are partly a continuation of Microsoft moving (along with other products on the market) to XML
based documents and partly from speeding that schedule up a bit driven by market forces. Microsoft Office 2007 Service Pack 2 will
add built in support for the Open Office file formats (those are also XML based). The old binary formats were limiting adding some
of the new capabilities due, in part, to their complexity in having others work with them, but the specs for them are now available
for download from Microsoft for those that need that. With XML based formats folks can create and edit Microsoft Office documents
without having Office installed, and there are companies doing that. Office is basically just one 'editing surface' approach for
working with Office documents. Microsoft provided a retrofit for the 3 prior versions of Office (2000, 2002/XP, 2003) to be able to
read/write the new file formats. For me, the new file formats have been a little easier to troubleshoot and fix damaged documents
than those created in the old formats, but that doesn't say that either is problem free. However there are probably billions of
documents out there created without a problem, but we rarely have folks dropping by here to talk about 'today nothing happened'
Will there be revisions to the the Office 2007 UI in the next version? Probably.
There are significant differences in theOffice:mac 2008 version. Does anyone know for sure what those might be? No.
Does Microsoft always get it right with their new product introductions, nope
. In the Office family alone there have been manycases of new features or products added then have them go away a version or two later. but per the MS briefing for financial
analysts given this month the sales of Office since the 2007 launch are 120-million and as with many products sales outside of the
U.S. are increasing more rapidly than in the U.S. (not all of those are Office 2007, but Microsoft doesn't usually break out that
type of business statistic).
The adoption rate of Office 2007, according to the Microsoft statistics, exceeds that of Office 2003 over a similar period of time.
There are transcripts of the latest presentations, webcasts and Powerpoint slides from those presentations available through
http://www.microsoft.com/msft/speech/FY08/AnalystMtg2008.mspx
On that page, is link to the presentation by
Stephen Elop, President of the Microsoft Business Division. That's the division that owns the Office products and he's a new hire
to Microsoft this year, so it will be interesting to see what direction he takes things
While the UI may not be perfect, those sales figures don't seem to support their perception of the new UI being a 'catastrophic
mistake'.
Googling anything for 'hate' will almost always yield more results than 'love' when talking about products, because it's a different
context and mindset. Folks who are getting things done with the new version Trying to use that or trying to embrace 'everyone' as
agreeing with you based on your experience and citing only generalities is basically a rant. Personally, I find life too short and
full of other activities and concern to bother getting to the point of 'loving' or 'hating' a particular machine, tool or software.
Challenging? Yes. Frustrating? I've found that to be true of not only every version of software that comes out (something always
changes - some perceived improvements - some 'why did "they" do that), but of trying to figure out the same thing on putting
together, on xmas eve, a product with 'some assembly required' <g>.
By all means, do ,please, contact Microsoft to let them know the real world experiences you've had. They do want to know. But,
please give them *specific examples* of how the new User Interface is responsible for loss productivity, or confusion etc. and how
the product can be better, or why you're going with a different product. 'Me too' statistics, or trying to embrace 'everyone'
together based on your experience, or statements like "they want to obviously torture new users", wont' get it done and can change
the perception and value of your input from your experiences into being seen as a rant. Not what you say you want.
FWIW, many users of Office do not use the product full time and the experiences I've seen are that folks who have never used Office
before, or who use few of it's features, tend to be able to find out how to do things in Office 2007 more quickly and to provide
peers support (be it to family members or co-workers) more readily. I've also found it true that in companies that tend to lock
down Office (and have done so for prior versions as well) folks can get more done with the new UI [more is available by default]
than they could in the old version where choices were turned off or left with some of Microsoft's [perceived as] odd defaults of the
earlier versions such as the 'adaptive menus'
Tools=>Customize=>Options
For those folks, even when Microsoft has made improvements in the defaults, it's not uncommon for the IT/admin folks making the
decisions for the company on deployment to not be more than casual users of the products, but want to make the products more uniform
to decrease the types of support calls they get.
Many users use mouse clicks over keyboard shortcuts these days, it's just the way web site, web forms, etc, have evolved. Microsoft
saved the ability to use a great many of the older version keyboard shortcuts for Office.
For many computer users Office is just one of the tools provided by the company. The company makes the business decision on what to
buy and the investment they choose to make in continuing on with a specific version or moving to something else. I don't know of
any company where everyone agrees with the changes or tools we're given, but they basically take the approach of 'this is the
task/job - these are the resources, tools and assets you are being given to achieve the results' and that's pretty much 'go to work'
and count the hours until Friday night <g>
==============
Unless enough people b*tch to Microsoft until they fix it. Or put 2003 back
on the shelves, and give us our money back for 07.
I understand where you are coming from, but my complaints are not just
emotional rants.
Our office staff have invested years into learning and growing with
microsoft, and many of our Information Resources are dependent on common and
familiar features of all previous versions...not to mention doc types. It
doesn't make any sense why Microsoft would completely disregard everything we
(American companies) have done and learned in the past, without any way to
easily bring that functionality back.
Yes, I could pay a third party to fix it, but why should I have to. Yes, I
can shift to some other vendor, as we are currently doing, but at a cost of a
total loss of our prior and significant investments in Microsoft.
This upgrade has cost my firm a significant amount of money, time, and
resources. So of course I will complain to Microsoft. That is the only reason
I am here now on this Microsoft website providing feedback about our
experiences.
It's never too late to fix a mistake! I really hate the attitude of, "oh
well, it really sucks, but the whole world should just dump their investments
and completely change their business practices, and spend a fortune to
retrain everyone...to be less productive...because, well...it's a Microsoft
upgrade, so we better just get used to it!"
Don't get me wrong, I generally love Microsoft. But no one is perfect, and
Word 2007 is a prime example of that. But that is no reason we can't voice
our concerns to Microsoft and provide them with useful feedback so that they
stop moving in the wrong direction.
If Microsoft really cares about their customers, I believe they will
listen...eventually.
So I completely disagree when you say there is no use in complaining. And
I'll continue to do so until they get it right, or at least reimburse me the
300 bucks or so and bid me fare well.
And that raises another question...Microsoft said they didn't include (not
even optionally) an intuitive menu bar for everyone that hates the ribbon
because they said there was no practical way to incorporate that. Really!?
Then how do the third-party vendors do it so easily??
Microsoft could easily release an add in to give back the functionality that
most of us are accustomed to. I don't mind if this is not the default
setting, since they want to obviously torture new users, but at least make
this an option for the rest of us. I don't think, for the money we spent on
this, that this is too much to ask for.
Kevin <<
--
Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP
*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*
G
Graham Mayor
The problem is that you are not 'b*itching to Microsoft', but to fellow Word
users who have heard it all before. This is a user peer group and not
Microsoft whose employees do not monitor it as a matter of course. Those of
us who are MVPs do not work for, nor speak for Microsoft. The 'title' is
merely a recognition of the work we put into servicing these forums, that
gives us a little more access to the company.
FWIW, Microsoft is aware of the disquiet that business users particularly
feel about Word 2007. Whether something will be done about making it more
like 2003 in a future release remains to be seen. My guess is probably not.
As for the third party interface tools, they work by adapting the ribbon,
not replacing it. You can program the ribbon, if you have the time and
inclination. http://ribboncustomizer.com/ has a free version that will give
you a semblance of the familiar menu bar and a paid for version that enables
editing of the ribbon. Does it make 2007 any easier to learn? Probably not,
but you will lose nothing by trying.
--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP
My web site www.gmayor.com
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
users who have heard it all before. This is a user peer group and not
Microsoft whose employees do not monitor it as a matter of course. Those of
us who are MVPs do not work for, nor speak for Microsoft. The 'title' is
merely a recognition of the work we put into servicing these forums, that
gives us a little more access to the company.
FWIW, Microsoft is aware of the disquiet that business users particularly
feel about Word 2007. Whether something will be done about making it more
like 2003 in a future release remains to be seen. My guess is probably not.
As for the third party interface tools, they work by adapting the ribbon,
not replacing it. You can program the ribbon, if you have the time and
inclination. http://ribboncustomizer.com/ has a free version that will give
you a semblance of the familiar menu bar and a paid for version that enables
editing of the ribbon. Does it make 2007 any easier to learn? Probably not,
but you will lose nothing by trying.
--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP
My web site www.gmayor.com
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>