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"A huge step backwards" on by publicblast
Pros: Pretty to look at
Cons: Infuriating Ribbon interface
Summary: I have been a computer user for 26 years, and have used MSOffice for over 12 years. While Office was not always visually attractive or perfectly easy to use, it was always great at getting the job done. In OfficeXP and Office 2003, Microsoft greatly improved functionality and ease-of-use, and Office's tools became pretty easily accessible to both novices and power users.
And that's why I'm so angry about Office 2007's "Ribbon" upgrade. I am an expert computer user, and I am constantly frustrated by the difficulty of making the "easy" interface show me the tools I want. I also like using the keyboard to access menus and tools rather than the mouse, and the Ribbon makes this impossible. Worst of all, there's no View option that allows the legacy interface to be used--everyone is stuck with the Ribbon. Even when WinXP had its new interface, an option was provided for "Windows Classic" interfaces--no such flexibility in Office 2007.
I am having this much difficulty and I am, in all modesty, an expert. My mother-in-law and other non-experts have found Office 2007 to be completely useless. A teacher of one of her graduate classes handed out an assignment using Excel for statistics, and was shocked to learn that her instructions could not be followed at all in Office 2007--the functionalty for correlation and Data Analysis wasn't even installed by default! Even more telling, my organization recently decided not to upgrade to 2007, because the IT staff felt that most people wouldn't be able to re-learn how to use Word 2007 soon enough to offset the loss in productivty from dealing with the new interface.
I'm sticking with my old copy of OfficeXP, thanks. I truly hope that Microsoft makes a patch allowing Word 2007 to use the old interface. -
"There aren't words to describe how little I like this" on by bishop74
Pros: Honestly? I can't think of anything worth mentioning.
Cons: Damn near everything.
Summary: There has never been a program that I have used that I have hated enough to warrant writing a review until now. I have been using Word 2007 for several months and I am constantly annoyed by it.
Maybe I am too set in my ways, but navigation of the program is counterintuitive. I can never seem to find what I am looking for. Microsoft's apparent need to cater to the near-blind and/or illiterate has led them to give each function a pretty thumbnail graphic of what it does. As such, what has been a simple pull down list of a few items in the past is now a row of pictures of functions that I never use that only serve to clutter up what should be relatively simple. It seems like I have to click three times what I used to do in one. Add to this the compatibility issues, and I just don't see how this is a step forward.
On the bright side, I haven't seen an animated paperclip or dog, so I guess it's not a total loss. -
"MS WORD 2003 vs WORD 2007" on by jbmc98
Pros: More Comands
Cons: Totally revamped. Start over leaning MS Word
Summary: Over the years most people use MSWord because it came with MS Office. Now may be a time to look for something different. MS has totally changed the toolbar in MSWord 2007 & to be honest, most likely you will get frustrasted, upset, even mad trying to find some of the command you are so use to using.
So before you spend $200 to $400 on the new MS OFFICE 2007 PROGRAMS. I HIGHLY suggest you look at other word processors. Unless you have time everyday, trying to learn the new MSWord, which to me has been a pain.
That's why I quit using the Word 2007 & went back to MS WORD 2003.
Good Luck.
Buyer Beware ---- Maybe MS will doing something if they lose a lot of sales. -
"Make your employees angry, use MS Office 2007" on by dhermosillo
Pros: absolutely none
Cons: un-intuitive, bloated, giant graphics, lack of customizability
Summary: This is the worst of Microsoft. Horrible user interface pushed on to experienced users, with no way to modify the "ribbon". Our office was brought to a screeching halt because of this awful "upgrade". IT had to remove it within the week because no one could do their jobs. I'm curious what Microsoft's plan is for refunding businesses for this waste of money. If you want your employees to curse you, get frustrated, or smash their computers, then you should use Office 2007.
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"Its just confusing" on by Iwantone
Pros: Does everything
Cons: Hard to DO everything though- very disjointed interface
Summary: I am not an Anti MS zealot- I think they are a great American company that needs the government to HELP them stop pirating rather than SUE them for (foolish) "monopolistic practices". That said - this new MS word is just confusing. I like the new tabbed interface CONCEPT but the buttons all being different sizes is kind of weird at best- but WHY O WHY are the MAIN buttons (Save, Print and Save as)are NOT part of the LARGE buttons in the HOME tab?
And why cant I POPULATE a TAB WITH THE ICONS I WANT TO USE?!? After all this time and money in development that is just crazy that I cant use the app the way I WANT to use the app.
And why use all the style icons in the HOME tab- MOST users don't ever mess with those- why not PRINT, SAVE and SAVE AS there???
Also i don't know if any of you are having this problem, but importing graphics and moving them around in a document is slow and lags- and I have a new Lenovo T60 widescreen with Core 2 duo (yes I know this app isn't multi-threaded to take advantage of the two procs)and 2 gig of Ram. Word 2003 handled graphics VERY nicely. I hope this changes with a service pack because I use a lot of graphics and this simply has be smoother.
Also someone mentioned Lotus Word Pro- A GREAT APP and creating a header and footer in WordPro was MUCH easier than the cryptic way to do it in MS Word.
I do like the right clicking that gives an icon pallet to manipulate text- that was a good UI upgrade. My recommendation- use Word 2003 this really is not simpler, is not faster and has no added features that are must haves.
Microsoft Word 2007 user reviews
