Comments on: The Importance of The Familiar http://www.simpleproductivityblog.com/the-importance-of-the-familiar/ Because a fulfilling life doesn't have to be complicated. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:37:03 +0000 hourly 1 By: Shabaab Kamal http://www.simpleproductivityblog.com/the-importance-of-the-familiar/#comment-714 Shabaab Kamal Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:32:38 +0000 http://www.simpleproductivityblog.com/the-importance-of-the-familiar/#comment-714 I agree that it's a shame that Microsoft seemed to take no pains to make the transition to Office 07 any easier, but after spending time with it I'm finding that I like the Ribbon a lot more than old-school menus. Yes, at first it was a bit tougher for me to find options that I had previously memorized the locations of, but after writing up a few docs in Word and making two PowerPoints, I've found that the Ribbon makes Microsoft Office a significantly more powerful app suite. There are many more options that I can see and now can use that previously either intimidated me or I didn't even notice. I think you should give Office 07 another chance. It's a bit tough to get into, but in the end it makes Office a lot more useful, not only because of the Ribbon but because of many other features (like the instant preview or better right-click menus). It'll eventually become the standard, anyway (MS is implementing the Ribbon is more of its apps in Windows 7, and is encouraging third party developers to use it, as well). If you still find that you don't like it, though, you should consider installing the Office 2007 compatibility pack. It lets you read the new Open XML formats in earlier versions of office, so you don't have to install Office 2007 over and over. =P http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=941b3470-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466&displaylang=en I agree that it’s a shame that Microsoft seemed to take no pains to make the transition to Office 07 any easier, but after spending time with it I’m finding that I like the Ribbon a lot more than old-school menus. Yes, at first it was a bit tougher for me to find options that I had previously memorized the locations of, but after writing up a few docs in Word and making two PowerPoints, I’ve found that the Ribbon makes Microsoft Office a significantly more powerful app suite. There are many more options that I can see and now can use that previously either intimidated me or I didn’t even notice.

I think you should give Office 07 another chance. It’s a bit tough to get into, but in the end it makes Office a lot more useful, not only because of the Ribbon but because of many other features (like the instant preview or better right-click menus). It’ll eventually become the standard, anyway (MS is implementing the Ribbon is more of its apps in Windows 7, and is encouraging third party developers to use it, as well).

If you still find that you don’t like it, though, you should consider installing the Office 2007 compatibility pack. It lets you read the new Open XML formats in earlier versions of office, so you don’t have to install Office 2007 over and over. =P

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=941b3470-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466&displaylang=en

]]> By: Angi Lundy http://www.simpleproductivityblog.com/the-importance-of-the-familiar/#comment-712 Angi Lundy Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:37:05 +0000 http://www.simpleproductivityblog.com/the-importance-of-the-familiar/#comment-712 Hi There - Part of my job is working with folks who are trying to work with Office product, so I feel your pain - wanted to give you the link to this cool search command add-in for Office 2007, basically it lets you quickly and easily search for any Office 2003 command that may not be easy to find with the Office 2007 ribbon. It's been a lifesaver for some of the users I work with: http://www.officelabs.com/projects/searchcommands/Pages/default.aspx ... and it's free =) Hi There – Part of my job is working with folks who are trying to work with Office product, so I feel your pain – wanted to give you the link to this cool search command add-in for Office 2007, basically it lets you quickly and easily search for any Office 2003 command that may not be easy to find with the Office 2007 ribbon. It’s been a lifesaver for some of the users I work with: http://www.officelabs.com/projects/searchcommands/Pages/default.aspx … and it’s free =)

]]>