Show Office 2007 Who's the Boss 267
jcatcw writes "Microsoft knows how you like your Office Suite. You like Ribbons ... they're a given, right? Well, if not, Computerworld reviews some third-party packages that allow you to customize the software's interface. Classic Menu gives you an Office-2003-like set of menus. It'll help you navigate old menu structures to find favorite commands, but don't expect to use all the familiar keyboard shortcuts. ToolbarToggle lets you customize the menus. However, Classic Menu has two advantages over ToolbarToggle: It's available for PowerPoint today, and it includes Office 2007 commands on its menus, a modification you can't make to ToolbarToggle menus. RibbonCustomizer works within the Ribbon's own constraints to let you change the display of icons and commands on existing tabs or any new ones you create."
Man, just get used to it (Score:4, Insightful)
I think there are valid complaints about Office 2007 (namely, the new
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It's not that we fear change. It's that we're sick of relearning everything every couple years. Offer a new interface? Sure, just please don't take away the old one.
Re:Man, just get used to it (Score:4, Insightful)
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While we are at it, why don't some of those people use the learning curve time to learn something new instead... like OpenOffic
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Re:Man, just get used to it (Score:5, Interesting)
Go to Excel 2000 and put a column of numbers in columns A, B, and D. Hit CTRL-A to "select ALL" and do a sort.
Now do the same in Excel 2003.
You'll find that in Excel 2003, it tries to guess what you mean by "select ALL" and will only select and sort column A and B. If you sort your data, the data in column D is no longer associated with the data in A and B.
In this obvious example, you can see it didn't select all. But suppose you have an excel sheet that has many columns and you want to sort them like you always have... ctrl-A and sort. In excel 2003 you may end up breaking all of your data.
This exact thing happened to me and I lost almost a day of work because the file I was working on was ruined and I only figured it out after getting very strange results.
Why in the hell do they take something as long-standing and nearly universal as Ctrl-A and change what it does? Oh right, because if it's a standard, Microsoft will try to break it - even if it's their own standard.
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Re:Man, just get used to it (Score:4, Informative)
--jeffk++
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For those of use that like to keep our hands on the keyboard (efficient [although not always accurate] typists) running to the mouse is a pain.
You're not making any sense. You favour keyboard shortcuts and don't like using the mouse, but you complain that the mouse-driven part of the interface has changed? If you don't like using the mouse, then don't use the mouse and stick to the keyboard -- all the old keyboard shortcuts work exactly the same as they did before (yes, even the alt+x+y accelerators).
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Alt-F, Alt-O, etc work just fine.
Alt-I, B, N, Enter
Plus there is a difference between favouring keyboard use and never using the mouse. I don't throw the mouse out.
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Familiarity.
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You haven't actually tried to use this crap, have you? Everything presumably is right there in a jumbled mess of tiny unintuitive icons, grouped in some weird way, with a default ribbon (or front piece of a ribbon, or whatever) that comes back after you do one command once. I can't find a damn thing.
Drop-down menus have been around so long because they work!
If, for example, I wanted to change how I was
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The only exception is the zoom slider at the bottom-right.
I still think the new format is much better. And trust me, people - it won't change significantly in the next version of Office.
All the me
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I don't have to spot the old menu because I open it with Alt-V. When possible, I do most commands on the keyboard because it's faster than screwing around with the mouse. I don't even have to be looking at the menu to do some things because I "know" how to work it.
I don't have the 2007 version, but to the ribbons still work wit
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yes.
If you open up Word 2007 and hit "alt + V", the View tab will show up, with a keyboard shortcut for every command you see in front of you.
The only downside to the Ribbon is the learning curve for customizing it: you need to essentially create a plugin, instead of just dragging a few icons to how you want them.
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Re:Man, just get used to it (Score:5, Informative)
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Spellcheck is a TOOL! It was under the Tools menu. Perfect.
Spellcheck is not a message. What's it's doing under the Message menu ("ribbon", whatever)?
Why is message formating under the Options menu, and font formating under the Format Text menu?
It's idiotic. It's change for the sake of change.
All the formating options under the Format menu and all the tools widgets under the Tools menu, now that made perfect sense.
The new arrangement, even after you learn it, doesn't mak
Re:Man, just get used to it (Score:4, Insightful)
Actually, drop-down menus work because you got used to them and so did everybody else. Heck, I remember my first time using a mouse when it became widely available. You obviously got past that one, although from your post I'm not sure if it wasn't without complaining
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Umm, no, they don't. I forget the statistic but it's something like 80% of users use only 20% of the features - they'd use the rest but they don't know they're there.
I use Office 2007 daily and it's a revelation. Producing complex cross-suite documents is now much quicker and more intuitive.
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Is it better? I think it looks nicer. I don't have any serious problems with day to day stuff in excel or word.
I work in a high profile enterprise scenario so I can't use openoffice.org (I use that at home, I like free software and it's a great, if underrated and undersold product).
But I have to say this article made me think. You can't customise the ribbon
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--
Procrastination -- because good things come to those who wait.
Well don't you ever think about anything silly, such as spending a minute with the manual or looking around in the interface to get accustomed.
Follow your signature: wait, and good things will come to you.
I know, that in the first
I haven't tried it but... (Score:2, Interesting)
So should the "insert row" function be in the "insert" menu or the "table" menu?
Menus, in my opinion, never worked because inevitably the interface will be changed and a new function will be added. When the new function is added, a choice must be made on which menu it should appear and if a new menu is necessary. Eventually you end up with too many functions that were tacked on and a huge tree of functions burried in menus. That's what happen
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You should just keep using whatever version of Word (or whatever the program) that you always have. It seems you consider the new version inferior. The obvious course of action is to keep using the same software. Don't pay for a downgrade, that would be silly.
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It took me quite a while to find even the undo command.
The toolbar command is right next to the Office button, at the top of the screen, thus conforming to Fitt's law as befits a commonly used operation. Alternatively, use ctrl-z. Alternatively, if you prefer the old-style keyboard accelerators, alt+e+u still works fine.
Inserting a footnote now requires a whole series of mouse clicks as far as I can tell.
Insert -> Footer -> Blank. Three clicks; exactly the same number as before. Alternatively, just double-click at the bottom of the document. That would be 2 clicks, in rapid sucession.
Go try something relatively obscure like turning on line numbering in a document and changing the style of the line numbers. It took me 10 minutes...
Page layout -> Line numbers -> Continuo
Re:Man, just get used to it MOD PARENT UP! (Score:4, Informative)
As for line numbers - It's still easy to insert line numbers. However, What I WROTE was try changing the STYLE (e.g., font) of the line numbers - try it, it ain't that easy.
Alt-E-U doesn't work reliably either. Yes, there are new icons for undo and redo next to the Office button, if you notice them and realize what they are. There are an AWFUL lot of icons up there.
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Inserting a footnote now requires a whole series of mouse clicks as far as I can tell.
References->Insert Footnote (the big icon in the second group)?
As for line numbers - It's still easy to insert line numbers. However, What I WROTE was try changing the STYLE (e.g., font) of the line numbers - try it, it ain't that easy.
I didn't even know line numbering was possible -- I've never used that before, nor felt a need for that feature. So, first I had to guess how I could enable them, and my first guess -- the Page Layout tab -- was fine.
Then I saw what you meant: there's no easy way to work on those numbers. But due to my knowledge of styles, I guessed there would be a style named "Line Number" -- and, again, I guessed it right. Maybe I was just lucky to f
in which a 20-year Word vet learns about ctrl-z... (Score:5, Informative)
Oh, and if you've been using Word since 1986, you should know by now that Undo is Ctrl-Z, just like it is in every other Windows, Linux, and Mac application (s/Ctrl/Command/). You shouldn't ever have to use a mouse to undo or redo something.
Next!
Next!
As for changing the style of line numbers, it's basically the same in Word 2003 and 2007: Set it up using the style palette. In both versions, by default, the "Line Number" style won't be shown in the palette until you are using line numbers. If you're planning on changing styles, you really ought to know how to use the style palette.
Next!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Office_200
One of the less obvious new features that's actually a really huge improvement, is the "Building Blocks" system. You can create and re-use "things"; for example, you can create a specific format, layout, and text content for a presentation of your company's mission statement, or maybe it's just a set of paragraphs you use over and over between a lot of documents. You can get a sense of how this works by going to the Insert menu and playing around with the Text Box and Quick Parts features.
I write user interface design documents as part of my professional work, and this one feature alone has saved me hours of time, and my documents look better to boot. Word 2007 has already paid for itself several times over.
Re:in which a 20-year Word vet learns about ctrl-z (Score:2)
Insert footnote is there, as you say, but it is easy to miss, being on the left and below "Insert Endnote." For some reason, the infrequently used "endnote" option ended up getting elevated above the footnote option.
Alt-S-F is a ne
Re:Man, just get used to it (Score:5, Interesting)
More and more people are not fearing change and are changing to things like Open Office and web-based word processing. I used to preach at people about the advantages of Linux and Open Source. Made very little headway, because people don't like change. Now they have a choice between changes forced on them by Microsoft, and an old interface (Open Office) that looks more like the old Office than the new Office does. Now I'm helping companies make the switch. Thank you Microsoft!
Funny, if some other company had vended something that looked exactly like Vista and the new Office, MS would have put out a study describing the very high costs of user retraining. You can only mislead your customers so much with this sort of nonsense before you achieve total loss of credibility, at that point even when you tell them the truth they are not inclined to believe you. I think Microsoft has finally achieved this goal, although why they would have wanted to I can't say, maybe just some inside joke among marketing people. Clearly the company is not run by techies.
couldn't agree more (Score:3)
Retraining and FUD (Score:3, Interesting)
Fuck what the software design looks like. The actual function is far more important. One part of that function is consistency across versions.
Sense of perspective, people... (Score:2)
Even when you get beyond the icons you still don't need any retraining unless you're a compete idiot. You want to view the ruler? Openoffice: press the view menu, click '
Perception is some of this (Score:2)
I must admit that I get pretty cranky when software UI gets changed for little more than eye candy reasons and I get even more cranky when the UI is trying to guess what I want and gets it wrong. To most people, myself included, software is a tool. I'm the master, n
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I get even more cranky when the UI is trying to guess what I want and gets it wrong [...] Many UI "innovations" (particularly context sensitive stuff like clippy and ribbons) make for an annoying experience rather than an easy flow. [...] Rather than change the main menu to be context sensitive, it would likely be far better to keep the main menu structure solid so you always have consistency
But the main menu isn't context-sensitive. The Home, Insert, Page layout, References, Mailings, Review, and View tabs are permanent and unchanging, no matter what you're doing. The only thing I can think of that's context-sensitive is that when you've selected a table or something, a 'table' tab appears to let you change table-specific options if you want to, but you're free to click on it or not as you wish. Hardly "the UI trying to guess what you want".
Now the 'intelligent menu' crap that came in i
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For heaven's sake, it is just about writing documents and it is also 2007. Shouldn't most of the essential features be identified and standardized by now ?
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"classic mode", "Basic Mode", "advanced mode", and "everything mode".
Problem with that is that although 80% of people only use 20% of the features, all 80% use a *different* 20%, which is the problem that makers of 'light' word processors as opposed to projects like OOo always run into. I can't remember where I read this (Joel on Software, maybe), but someone commented that the process usually goes like: Someone makes a 'light' word processor, and doesn't include word count since only 5% of people ever use it. Journalist reviews word processor. Journalists are the one se
Re:No new features to add (Score:2)
Does anyone ever use more than 5% of all the features in the Office Suite?
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Because some of us actually use Office at work in very busy business environments, and my co-workers don't have time to learn how to "cope with change" or whatever because they're trying to get their damn work done. Instead fo hunting around nested menus, they're hunting around n
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Of course, "ribbon" is only a G away from "gibbon [wikipedia.org]", which makes sense because you'd have to be a monkey to figure the thing out.
They just upgraded me to the latest Office at work, and the ribbon is definitely causing me a productivity loss at the moment. Oh, I'm sure I'll eventually get used to it but right now it's irritating the bejesus out of me.
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But this is Slashdot, so let's all enjoy your ill-informed rant.
Ah, Office - the Brazil of software (Score:5, Insightful)
I hate the way it formats stuff whether I want it or not. I hate that it automatically changes URLs and e-mail addresses into links, even though I'm creating print documents. I REALLY hate that copied text from elsewhere is pasted in with whatever format it had elsewhere, not with the format of the text on the page that I'm editing.
And I hate that it is invariably difficult or impossible to turn this crap off.
I sincerely fear every new release of MS Office specifically because I need to beat it into submission to make it behave as if I'm in charge.
I don't even know what a "ribbon" is, but I'm sure that I'll hate that too.
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Re:Ah, Office - the Brazil of software (Score:4, Informative)
IIRC, Word has a "paste as" or "paste special" option that will offer "unformatted text" as a possibility. OpenOffice does. Else, there's always notepad as a middleman...
Oh and for sure, you will hate ribbons.
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"Oh, Visual Studio doesn't have a Find feature in the text pane you are using? Why don't you just paste the text into Notepad then search with that?"
"Uh... because there is no reason I should have to go to all that trouble to do a trivial search, that's why."
"Oh, yeah, Word is screwing up your text past
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Office Button->Word Options->Advanced->Cut, copy and paste.
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Why do people gripe about features it takes And I hate that it is invariably difficult or impossible to turn this crap off.
It's in Options. Turn off Autoformat. That's it. You're
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I hate the way it formats stuff whether I want it or not. I hate that it automatically changes URLs and e-mail addresses into links, even though I'm creating print documents. I REALLY hate that copied text from elsewhere is pasted in with whatever format it had elsewhere, not with the format of the text on the page that I'm editing. And I hate that it is invariably difficult or impossible to turn this crap off.
For hyperlinks: If it does it, click the tag next to the hyperlink and press "stop automatically creating hyperlinks", and it'll stop. Not difficult. For pasted text, click the tag next to the pasted text, and click "match destination formatting". Then click "set as default". Again, if you find that "difficult or impossible", MS did once create [wikipedia.org] an interface with you in mind...
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Hit the Office button and choose Word Options. Go to Proofing and click "AutoCorrect Options". Then review the list and turn off whatever you hate. Note the tabs, as the AutoCorrect features are in various groups.
I find it interesting how so many
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Bleh.
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LaTeX (Score:3, Informative)
I had to write 170 pages of notes for an online course and using LaTeX (which I had only been dabbling with for a month or so) was much easier than Word would ever have been. I wrote
To be honest... (Score:4, Interesting)
Firstly, I seemed to spend ages pulling the whole lot apart and making it just the way I wanted it. Then I'd change it. Then I'd change it again. By the time I'd got it right, I'd made it so different from the standard menus that if I used another PC, I couldn't remember where the heck I'd put anything.
Secondly, this also goes for supporting users. How many times have you told people exactly where to find something in an OS, only to find they've moved it/deleted it/ lost it? Happens all the time with Office. People regularly seem to lose whole toolbars, or end up with a little grey stub.
Thirdly, it's contextual. In older versions, none of the command were contextual at all. The rest of the OS is - right click, drag, etc. but toolbars weren't. Those years of sorting out the new ribbon seem to have pretty much got the whole lot in just the right place. For instance, I absolutely hate PowerPoint, but in 2007 putting a new presentation together was a breeze. It looked pretty good too.
Just my twopenneth. I know a lot of people out there hate the idea of being told where their icons and menus are going, but to be honest, I just don't have a problem with it at all. It's all there, it all makes sense and it's progress as far as I'm concerned.
Why can't things be simple? (Score:2, Insightful)
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Keyboard Shortcuts (Score:3, Informative)
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Monkeysoft Office Anonymous (Score:5, Funny)
How many times have you found yourself saying, "I could understand this global warming analysis model better if only I could see it on a Monkeysoft Powerpoint slide with those animated bullets that enter from the left or right of the slide"?
How many times have you found yourself thinking, "I don't even know what an OS is, I only need Monkeysoft Windows to run Monkeysoft Office, otherwise I could be using A Bantu or OS Ecstacy or whatever that piercing-faced kid in IS&T is using these days"?
How many times have you found yourself skipping a few StarCups coffees every week for a few months so you could buy yourself the latest version of Monkeysoft Office?
How many times have you found yourself thinking, "I don't get upset about viruses, they are an inevitable part of life even if they cost billions and are propagated by dimwits using Monkeysoft Office, soytenly not me"?
Don't worry, there's help. Join Slashdot's Monkeysoft Anonymous Forum [slashdot.org], where people just like you are helping one another learn to live without Monkeysoft, one precious day at a time.
Flash Guides (Score:3, Informative)
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No thanks.
Yes, let's go back to the old menu... (Score:3, Insightful)
This thread is pointless. (Score:4, Informative)
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The ping-pong debate is not actually useful in resolving a topic. When one side _is_ actually trying to resolve the topic, and the other side is using the ping-pong debate style, then it's called a flamewar. Typically I see the people
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I found the thread quite useful.
The people defending the new ribbons came up with a lot of good points about things the ribbons make easier -- that's quite interesting. The people attacking ribbons gave me an insight into the instinct to resist change -- that's less interesting because I see it all the time elsewhere but it's an important aspect of UI design and always worth considering.
who's the boss? (Score:3, Funny)
Also a great ODF pluggin (Score:2)
10 years ago called (Score:4, Funny)
I applaud your courage. (Score:5, Funny)
He's not trying to be a hero (Score:2)
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If he really wanted to be a true hero though, he should have made a remark about Clippy.
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Moron.
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Thing is, a third party company can *sell* the extension, Microsoft wouldn't be able to. It would bring heaps of bad publicity (imagine the fun we'd have here at
Now, like any good company that is in it for the money, the
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Windows Plus Pack offered several themes which allowed user customizations.
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All the LOL-age have no idea.
Don't mention the A-team.
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office 2007 it's a pretty cool software and the new interface is really good too Microsoft has really improved the ease of use with the ribbon toolbar, IMHO not like vista where they have ruined it, so why return back? i know that more than half of office's user are dumb but sooner or later they will have to learn the new interface otherwise they can simply use paper & pencil
Wow. Just wow.
I was going to just quote your first sentence (or two, or three, or however many it was supposed to be), but the second one was even better. So I just quoted the whole damned thing. I don't know why. Just...
Wow.
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Be kind.
If it helps, I'm good friends with a number of very intelligent people who, while articulate in real life and able to type perfectly well, write emails that suggest they either haven't reached puberty and/or they're functionally illiterate. I guess that's the inverse of "No one on the internet knows you're a dog".
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Watermelon and Wild Cherry.
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