Reply to: aaarrgghhh Office 2007

[Sockpuppet]

Must admit when I upgraded to Office2010 I hated it but now really like it.

[BoredBloke]

When I fisrt started using 2007 I hated the front end but it's not going anywhere fast so there is little point maintaining the use of the old one. In 2010, the ribbon is still there, although it doesn't take up quite so much of the screen and a lot of the functionality hidden behind the big blob in the top left seems to have been shifted elsewhere.

[Lockhouse]

So by using that argument, every store that uses a web interface should also have a CRT with green screen just in case they want to type everything in by hand like they used to.

I look on it more like the grille on a BMW, been around for decades, subtly changed not too look out of date, everyone recognises it and knows what it signifies*. Same with the standard Windows menu interface. Should have tweaked but left alone.

*You might think it signifies "The driver of this car is a tw@t", but that's not my point.

[TykeMerc]

You weren't forced to use it with 2007.
Interesting. I used Word 2007 quite a lot and my default save was .doc, not .docx. I don't remember configuring it to do that.

I'm beginning to wonder if there were two versions of 2007 about.

I've had several work laptop iterations with Office 2007 on and they all defaulted to .docx save format so I configured them for .doc which is a simple option.
I never found a way to replicate 2003 menu style interfaces and got used to the ribbon, but on a laptop screen I find it takes up too much screen space for my taste and I really don't see the (well any if I'm brutally honest) benefit of the ribbon.

[vetran]

Try search cmds from Microsoft labs saves a lot of 'Ribbon Rage'.

Search Commands

[Doggy Styles]

I thought AtW's whole argument was that you were forced to use the ribbon?

You weren't forced to use it with 2007.

.docx was the native format in 2007 as well as 2010. I thought 2003 had it as well but maybe that was an optional bolt-on?

Interesting. I used Word 2007 quite a lot and my default save was .doc, not .docx. I don't remember configuring it to do that.

I'm beginning to wonder if there were two versions of 2007 about.

[darmstadt]

The whole point of Windows, x86 is that you have legacy - never throw away decades of investment like this, if you have something new make sure old classic options are still in place even if they are off by default.

So by using that argument, every store that uses a web interface should also have a CRT with green screen just in case they want to type everything in by hand like they used to.

[d000hg]

I elected to stick with the old interface when I got 2007

I thought AtW's whole argument was that you were forced to use the ribbon?

I'm now using 2010 at home, but I know most others aren't so I always send .doc. If anyone has 2010, they can still read it.

.docx was the native format in 2007 as well as 2010. I thought 2003 had it as well but maybe that was an optional bolt-on?

Most I work with can read .docx but I do often use .doc since I'm not quite sure what the benefits of .docx are (apart from for the poor developers who write tools to understand the files).

[Doggy Styles]

That's all well and good but it gets really confusing when you find yourself alternating between different versions at home and at work.

I elected to stick with the old interface when I got 2007 partly because all my customers were still using it (and still are - my current client is still using 2003!), and I have a high involvement in Word documents. I'm now curious to see how the new user interface can help productivity (once I'm up to speed with it).

I'm fine with the different set-up at home although, like others here, I'm not sure why Microsoft bothered as the old interface worked well.

I didn't think anyone used it anyhow. Everytime I've emailed a docx out, I always get a reply from the recipient telling me they can't open it. Every time without fail.

I assume you are referring to Office 2010 rather than the user interface. I'm now using 2010 at home, but I know most others aren't so I always send .doc. If anyone has 2010, they can still read it.

[pacharan]

Why didn't you use the option of retaining the old 2003 look and feel? That's what I did when I upgraded to Office 2007.

I've got 2010 now, and decided to get used to the ribbons. When I can't find a command I look it up in the Help.

That's all well and good but it gets really confusing when you find yourself alternating between different versions at home and at work.

I didn't think anyone used it anyhow. Everytime I've emailed a docx out, I always get a reply from the recipient telling me they can't open it. Every time without fail.

[d000hg]

You sound like one of those poor old dears who had to put 30 years of typing experience behind them when their boss decided to get them a computer

Exactly!

It's a mindset thing. You can realise you need to learn it regardless of liking it, in order to be productive. Or you can cut off your nose to spite your face by deliberately not understanding so that you 'prove' you are right about it being too hard.

With technology moving so fast, it's a slippery slope.

[Spacecadet]

There is (or was?) whole generation that was trained (sometimes from school) how to deal with MS word/Excel using menus.

I've used them since version 2.0 (for DOS), every single version up and I find this ribbon ******* totally unnatural, con-fusing, time wasting bulltulip of a solution - FFS there was NO need whatsoever for it.

You sound like one of those poor old dears who had to put 30 years of typing experience behind them when their boss decided to get them a computer

[MrMark]

You're just old and set in your ways. You're investing time into proving it's hard when it would take about an hour to get used to it if you weren't.

+1
I must admit to being confused. I would have thought that contractors, who claim to quickly adapt and become productive in new work environments, would be the last people to find a software upgrade hard to come to terms with. Seems I was wrong.

[Lockhouse]

There is (or was?) whole generation that was trained (sometimes from school) how to deal with MS word/Excel using menus.

I've used them since version 2.0 (for DOS), every single version up and I find this ribbon ******* totally unnatural, con-fusing, time wasting bulltulip of a solution - FFS there was NO need whatsoever for it.

Blimey, I agree with ATW. There's a first time for everything!

[d000hg]

I find this ribbon ******* totally unnatural, con-fusing, time wasting bulltulip of a solution

You're just old and set in your ways. You're investing time into proving it's hard when it would take about an hour to get used to it if you weren't.