Office 2010 tech preview leaks onto interwebs A technical preview version of Microsoft’s forthcoming Office 2010 has popped up on several BitTorrent sites, just days after the company released it to a select bunch of testers. The software was supposed to be dished out on an invite-only basis. However, both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the Office 2010 Technical Preview …
I won't touch any version of Word after 2003 because of that stupid, non-customisable ribbon. The fact that the styles swatches take up more than half the default ribbon is a joke - and don't get me started ont he fact that it takes more button clicks to access almost anything compared to the original interface. Let me re-iterate: I, and no-one I know or recommend software to, will be touching this ribbon. Provide the option to switch to the original interface. Be warned, Microsoft.
I use OOo at home, and whilst it is OK for basic stuff it is useless for anything meaty. The spreadsheet is especially horrific and has hordes of basic, but very annoying, UI glitches when working with data (e.g. copy + paste, lose all your formatting).
The graphics are very dated and if that crappy Windows 95-esque "Help" window opens up one more time, I think I'll scream. In fact, the whole UI is antiquated garbage. It's good that they don't use the abhorrence that is Ribbons, but they really need to spruce it up.
There are many reasons to dislike MS and Office, but to think that OOo is any threat at the moment is as much fantasy as considering Linux to of any significant threat in the consumer market (it had a chance on netbooks, but has since lost even that hope).
Those who find OO.org to be sufficient or in the right track... for its price...
And those that use MS Office in such and advanced way that OO.org is no match.
I wonder if the argument was more of like:
If you HAD TO PAY for your office suite, would you spend the pounds on MS Office or would you get OO.org?
I bet if people had to pay for MS Office there would be a much bigger OO.org adoption.
"Don't get me started ont he fact that it takes more button clicks to access almost anything compared to the original interface."
That's your mistake, using the mouse to navigate the menus when your fingers are already on the keyboard. The ribbon interface is much more efficient when you take a little time to RTFM and learn the keyboard shortcuts rather than dragging your knuckles around your desk mouse in hand.
Check this out: http://blogs.howtogeek.com/mysticgeek/2009/03/08/get-office-2003-menus-in-the-office-2007-ribbon/
Means you can enjoy the (admittedly quite good) new features of 2k7 without tearing your hair out over the 'My First Computer' interface.
I can't imagine HOW anyone thought that was a good idea; in Excel 2003 I have four rows of buttons that between them can access just about every single feature in Excel - in 2007 the ribbon takes up the same amount of space but can fit about 8 buttons per tab. Can't understand how that's more efficient or better in any way, it takes more clicks to get everywhere!
Anyway, enjoy the above link...
I've been using Office 2007 for over a year now as part of their student offer (bought it for £40) and I really like it.
I used Office 2000 and 2003 extensively during school and I really prefer the ribbon interface - it's a lot more logical to get to features you haven't used before.
Sure, most people tend to dislike it because they don't know where anything is anymore - to them I say 'meh, get with the times'. It's a change for the better IMO.
As for the changes introduced by 2010, they seem to have added the ribbon interface to all programs. (e.g. Visio 2007 doesn't have it but 2010 does.)
Sam York: "Can't understand how that's more efficient or better in any way, it takes more clicks to get everywhere!"
No, let's be clear: it takes *you* more clicks to get everywhere.
Trying to use Excel 2007 like it is Excel 2003 -- as you are -- is your failure, not Microsoft's. Stop being a bloody Luddite.
I've been using Office for more years than I care to think about and like to think I'm a pretty advanced user of most of the apps. But being someone who cut their teeth on Wordstar I automatically learn keyboard shortcuts for everything as I find it more convenient.
But the ribbon thing is just horrible (luckily we've only upgraded Outlook so far) as it doesn't have all the useful buttons on it - like print being a good example. It takes up too much screen and they seem to think that everyone is 4 years old and like the pretty colours. It doesn't seem to give me anything more useful than the old simple toolbars had in the past.
Well, I don’t mind the ribbon in the current version of Office. But I do have one major gripe over it. I think I was in Excel and having clicked on the tab I wanted, I made a change and decided I did not like it. So, I hit Ctrl+Z to undo and the change was undone, but the ribbon changed back to the tab I had selected previously. So I have to select the tab I want again, make a change, undo it, select the tab AGAIN, make a change… why force me to select the tab again? I want to undo the change I just made, that’s all.
I note that the big blobby Office button has become the differently coloured thing that looks like a ribbon tab but isn’t really.
Will I be able to have one click document or spreadsheet creation? I want a blank document, I never want a blog post.
Will I be able to view separate sheets in a workbook side by side?
Will the god-awful selection of tables/queries/reports/forms be better?
Seems I had more issues with office than I thought!
"....RTFM and learn the keyboard shortcuts..."
Well fuck me backwards! Learning the keyboard shortcuts in an app is quicker than picking the mouse up every time you want to access the tools? Who knew?
Next week, how reverting to DOS can save you a shitload of cash on hardware and gets rid of *all* that tedious, time wasting GUI shit once and for all.
This is just more of the same old, same old.....
MS is trying to pull the "We will lead the way and everyone else will follow" bullshit.
But in trying to repackage a dog terd (the basic functionality or lack of) in tinsel one year, sugar frosting the next, and a shiny bow the year after and christmas wrapping the year after; all one gets is a dog terd rebranded in fancy clothes - so THEY can think they can MAKE YOU, keep paying in to their perpetual cash cow.
I had a go of 07 and while some improvements were appreciated, when I found that I could not remove the boundaries of a table by merging the cells - it occurred to me that "O& is just a dog terd wrapped in tinsel and they fucked up in the repackaging of the old software".
Evan if I got a pirated version I would not be inclined to use it.......
Their efforts to TRY and make me perpetually and mostly needlessly subscribing to the never ending MS upgrade cycles - is a complete wank.
Not having menus and forcing everyone to use that idiotic ribbon..... oh spare me.
IF the base product was simply kept as a base product with incremental improvements - MINUS the deliberate efforts to trash other software and compatabilites - including backwardly with their own products - well I might consider getting it - and only a pirated version - in lieu of all the thousands of hours of UNPAID FOR hassles their crap software has caused me in the past....
See MS - I am not frighted of MISSING OUT ON the "ME TOO" keeping up with the incrowd who have the latest and most compatible MS software....
The Open Source software is getting to be really good, and I hope they start to use MS's tactic of stealing everyone else's ideas, and using some of the better improvements in OPEN OFFICE (.org) etc.,
But the never ending MS conjob of an upgrade cycle....... they are just dog terds wrapped in tinsel.
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