Submitted by On Monday, Microsoft updated the four-month-old Beta 1 version of Microsoft Office 2007 with a “Technical Refresh” version. Office has shed the preliminary name “Microsoft Office 12” for its final name, Microsoft Office 2007, and sports an improved version of the new ribbon interface. This Technical Refresh represents the first version of Office 2007 to run under Windows Vista.
Microsoft Refreshes Office 2007 Beta 1
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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I know it’s not exactly the greatest reason for liking it, but I’m kinda a “user-experience” junkie. Office 2000 hit that sweet spot of user experience with regard to the Microsoft Office Suite. XP offered a little refinement, but I really never cared for 2003. It looks like with the new version of Office, there’ll be a real reason to upgrade for me. I know that XP and 2003 offered business users lots of new features, but for me, the shiny new (and seemingly better organized) interface is gold.
When I have to sit down to do work, I am a lot more productive when I am comfortable. If not, I get distracted, and want to do something else.
I think a lot of people will be pleasently surprised when they actually sit down and try it. I tried out beta 1 earlier this week and I was actually a bit surprised. It was very easy to find everything. Even the new settings window was MUCH better, and I found options that I’d never seen before but I knew were there. The whole experience was just better, and didn’t feel like I was fighting anything.
Monday night, I ran through Jensen’s blog that OS News linked to a week or so ago and the product really surprised me. Thanks for linking that, it really is the best place to discover the new Office. Under “Post Categories on the left, the #2 and #3 links are the richest.”
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/default.aspx
At first I was “whoopee!! another set of screenshots?” But then I read!!!
First off, every day I use Office I discover some new functionality. Considering I switched from WordPerfect around Office 97, and used it at work since Word 6, I’m pretty proficient. I learned to stop asking “I wish Office would do feature xxx” and look for it. After a while my gripe was having to look for it and taking so many mouseclicks to get anywhere.
The redesign makes sense. People who don’t want to learn a new paradigm stop complaining and don’t upgrade. The paradigm made sense within 10 minutes. That’s a lot faster than Office XP’s 5 paradigms. Each of the tabs makes sense. I don’t see the problem.
Try teaching someone how to edit styles & templates. “Oh look yet another nested dialog window opening on top of the task pane” (possible 4 nested dialogs at my count for some Styles & Formatting options).
Yes it does kill the ability to use toolbars as floating pallets. No getting around that. But the Ribbon is no larger than the default 2 toolbars+menu in Office now.
Benefits I see –
-Far most importantly, all those buried features are given daylight. The Jensen site really brought out a lot of that too.
-Symbols are easily accessible!!
-Conditional formatting isn’t a pain.
-You have one paradigm. Office XP is a trainwreck of multiple paradigms.
-Instead of shoehorning everything into File Edit View paradigm and then forcing users to guess which feature is where, each application has its own clearly marked tabs. Some people complain about the loss of consistency across apps, but I think it works. I would rather have clearly marked categories for each app than consistent categories across multiple apps.
-Zoom slider!!!
-Live Formatting and the Gallery mode of selecting are very well done.
-PDFs
-Outlook’s Task Manager is finally getting some lovin’.
-Lots more. Before you oan it, read and don’t judge from the screenies alone.
I love the new office, I have been testing it since it came out last fall, but when ever there is a release the servers get swamped! Its gonna be forever till its finished.
But i will say the new one note is probably my favorite part, since i use it the most, and i find it alot better for notes than word.
Looks like we’ve got someone that doesn’t like positive reviews of Office.
I wish the editors were more involved in monitoring this type of thing
Edited 2006-03-16 01:47