Microsoft’s Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh introduces performance enhancements as well as user interface tweaks – most notably, more intuitive ways to work with the new Office ribbon. For example, users who are tired of Office 2007’s two color schemes – black and default blue – will applaud the suite’s new silver theme, accessible regardless of the operating system used. And, while we’ve found some Office 2007 applications, including Outlook, to be sluggish, the performance improvements in the refresh were obvious. There’s a slideshow too, whiloe PCMag also reports on this new release.
The Outlook mail client needs an overhaul for more functionality and end user ease of use.
It would be nice if the whole suite was trimmed down and a little less memory intensive, but it does look better by the screen shots, cleaned up and less cluttered.
Is that menu-bar looking thing at the top of the screen (in the slideshow) the much-hated ribbon? Even as a die-hard MS hater, I have to say that looks sort of cool. It’s definitely different, but why does everybody hate it so much?
//Is that menu-bar looking thing at the top of the screen (in the slideshow) the much-hated ribbon? Even as a die-hard MS hater, I have to say that looks sort of cool. It’s definitely different, but why does everybody hate it so much?//
What is the bet that it changes the GUI so that diasbled access add-ons no longer work properly.
Government Departments will not be able to purchase Office 2007 (even if it does have fancy ribbons) if disabled Government workers can no longer use it.
I dont’t think so. Evereyone I know that has tried Office 2007 Betas actually has been thrilled with it, myself included. Workflow with Ribbon has been streamlined and it will make things much easeier for beginers and it will provide painless transition from classsic toolbar.
There are still some inconsistenices with UI left like that ugly small toolbar addon with save button inside window holder(title bar)and that banding background inside main window, but I hope MS will see that it really lloks bad and update it.
I dont’t think so. Evereyone I know that has tried Office 2007 Betas actually has been thrilled with it, myself included. Workflow with Ribbon has been streamlined and it will make things much easeier for beginers and it will provide painless transition from classsic toolbar.
True; and the most important thing is that once ‘hard to find features’ are actually now readily exposed to the end user rather than playing Sherlock Holmes with the menu’s.
Some of the reactions with Office and Windows Vista reminds me of “5 Stages of Grief” – first it was the denial stage; right now we’re at the anger sage; I think that once Windows Vista and Office is released, there will be a quick move to ‘acceptance’ – and all will look back in a years time, realising how wrong they were; just as they were with Windows XP, and Windows 2000 – both which received substantial flack before they were shipped.
I downloaded the beta to try out office and I must say that I hate the ribbon. I am a heavy excel user, the ribbon just gets in the way. Does it expose features to users that don’t know they exist? Maybe, but I can’t wait to hear all the bitching from my less technical coworkers about where did X go?
I think ribbon is a last ditch effort by MS to make the UI so Office specific that no one will be able to switch without heavy retraining. Ribbon is an evil attempt at vendor lock-in, that is all.
I think ribbon is a last ditch effort by MS to make the UI so Office specific that no one will be able to switch without heavy retraining. Ribbon is an evil attempt at vendor lock-in, that is all.
Even though the beta does not have it, I would be surprised if the final release did not have a “classic view”. I personally like the change…not that I will switch from Office 2003 until my copy quits working. But it seems the change will slow uptake in the business world.
Let me know how revising the UI will help vendor lock in? If anything it may lead to people thinking about switching to OOo instead of paying for the upgrade and necessary training.
It is hard for a company with the inertia (install base) that MS has to innovate. I give them credit for at least trying.
Ahh, there is the conspiracy theory.
It’s in Java, so all you need is JRE. It’s overkill for MSOffice.
http://www.duncanjauncey.com/jdarkroom/
Enjoy. No ribbons, no shit.
“so all you need is JRE”
How many versions? Most people end up with 5 or 6 on their PC since different Java apps are programmed for different JRE’s and won’t necessarily work with each version.
Java: Write once, run slowly some of the time, clog up your PC with multiple versions of the JRE.
No thanks. Java sucks.
Edited 2006-09-14 17:03
Oh well, it works nicely for me, so…
Import and export?