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MS Office Forum / Word / Menus and Toolbars / February 2007New Office (2007) menus -- can we change them back to exactly CLASSIC menus?
In Outlook MESSAGES (riddon windows) the menus do not work as before. In Word DOCUMENTS (ribbon windows) the new scheme is to NOT display the menu but to rather pop up a message that says you can keep typing BUT ONLY if you have them fully memorized. What I need is an option to put the OLD MENUS (Alt-Key access) and display of them back. Does this exist? [If not, the idiots that invented, designed, and approved these changes should be fired or put to work packing product boxes in manufacturing.] Not only do these menus not work like every other version of Office, they work like no other programs previously built for Windows. One of the nice things about Windows is that if you can run one program you can run them all (as long as you understand the programs purpose) without having to learn a bunch of archane differences.  SignatureHerb Martin, MCSE, MVP http://www.LearnQuick.Com (phone on web site) Nope. > Not only do these menus not work like every other version of Office, they > work like no other programs previously built for Windows. Yes, it's called innovation. Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP] -------------- http://pschmid.net *** Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80 *** Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize RibbonCustomizer Add-In: http://pschmid.net/office2007/ribboncustomizer OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote *** Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed > Nope. > >> Not only do these menus not work like every other version of Office, they >> work like no other programs previously built for Windows. > Yes, it's called innovation. Thanks -- I suppose that I will recommend staying with Office 2003 or going to Open Office then. And I am serious about this. > -------------- > http://pschmid.net [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > *** > Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed Give the new Ribbon UI at least a week-long chance (of actually working with it only) and have non-power-users try it as well. The biggest problem the UI has is that it is simply a brand-new thing nobody knows. It took me a month during the beta (when the apps were quite unstable and made working with them hard) to get used to the new UI in a way that I didn't want to go back to 2003. Also, users who know 2003 very well are going to have the hardest time with it. It's a big change and it takes time to get used to it. There are some rough edges that you might encounter, but those can be addressed one by one, but only after you are over the "the entire Ribbon UI sucks" thing. Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP] -------------- http://pschmid.net *** Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80 *** Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize RibbonCustomizer Add-In: http://pschmid.net/office2007/ribboncustomizer OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote *** Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed > > Nope. > > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > *** > > Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed > Give the new Ribbon UI at least a week-long chance (of actually working I gave it two already and it is attrocious. This is not 'innovation' but rather "let's change things and then claim it is better." > with it only) and have non-power-users try it as well. The biggest problem > the UI has is that it is simply a brand-new thing nobody knows. No, the biggest problem is that it dumps YEARS of muscle memory and even when it could makes things compatible it just dumps the old stuff completely, as in Outtlook messages. Without an option to restore the old menus I will NOT be installing or recommending this to anyone. > It took me a month during the beta (when the apps were quite unstable and > made working with them hard) to get used to the new UI in a way that A month? A week for no real improvement is too long. > I didn't want to go back to 2003. Also, users who know 2003 very well are > going to have the hardest time with it. Even 2003 introduced some stupid stuff but you could mostly avoid it. > It's a big change and it takes time to get used to it. There are some > rough edges that you might encounter, but those can be addressed one by > one, but only after you are over the "the entire Ribbon UI sucks" thing. Then there should be an option to restore it. Whoever designed this is a MORON -- and I used to teach UI design when I worked for MS. SignatureHerb Martin, MCSE, MVP http://www.LearnQuick.Com (phone on web site) There are a lot of things wrong with the menus & toolbars UI for Office. If you are interested in reading the background on the Ribbon UI, see http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/10/09/58. It's an index to the blog posts of the PM in charge of the Ribbon UI. His blog gives a lot of the background of the Ribbon and talks a lot about its design. It makes for quite some interesting reading. > No, the biggest problem is that it dumps YEARS of muscle memory and even > when it could makes things compatible it just dumps the old stuff > completely, > as in Outtlook messages. All the keyboard shortcuts from 2003 (including the menu shortcuts) should work without a problem. They are not displayed, but they lead to the same functionality. > Without an option to restore the old menus I will NOT be installing or > recommending [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > A month? A week for no real improvement is too long. Back in beta 1, the Office apps were crashing all the time. It's quite hard to learn a new UI when you have a crash every few minutes then file a bug for it, etc. > > It's a big change and it takes time to get used to it. There are some > > rough edges that you might encounter, but those can be addressed one by > > one, but only after you are over the "the entire Ribbon UI sucks" thing. > > Then there should be an option to restore it. Read the reasoning behind the Ribbon UI. In short, MS designed a new UI because they didn't know anymore how to put all the new 2007 features in a reasonable way into the old one. BTW, you can create a resemblance of the old UI on the Ribbon. You'd have to use RibbonX for it (the new customization model), it will take quite a bit to do it and it won't look exactly like 2003, but it can be done. Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP] -------------- http://pschmid.net *** Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80 *** Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize RibbonCustomizer Add-In: http://pschmid.net/office2007/ribboncustomizer OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote *** Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed > There are a lot of things wrong with the menus & toolbars UI for Office. > If you are interested in reading the background on the Ribbon UI, see > http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/10/09/58. It's an index to the blog posts of > the PM in charge of the Ribbon UI. His blog gives a lot of the background > of the Ribbon and talks a lot about its design. It makes for quite some > interesting reading. Thanks. >> A month? A week for no real improvement is too long. > Back in beta 1, the Office apps were crashing all the time. It's quite > hard to learn a new UI when you have a crash every few minutes then file a > bug for it, etc. There should be no need to "learn a new UI". Can you tell me for instance how one would add a signature MANUALLY to an email without touching the Mouse and without memorize a specific key? (This was trivial in all other versions of Outlook, just Alt-Insert and down or accelerator visable on the screen menu etc.) And now do the same for all of those other commands on the menus? >> Then there should be an option to restore it. > Read the reasoning behind the Ribbon UI. In short, MS designed a new UI > because they didn't know anymore how to put all the new 2007 features in a > reasonable way into the old one. And thus they have managed to make "all the new features" even harder to use -- especially the common ones in favor of the esoteric being added. > BTW, you can create a resemblance of the old UI on the Ribbon. You'd have > to use RibbonX for it (the new customization model), it will take quite a > bit to do it and it won't look exactly like 2003, but it can be done. As long as I can get the KEYBOARD to work resonably similarly and reasonably visually. Well I can answer my own question about "how to add a signature from the keyboard -- using visual cues and not memorizing every accelerator key". And now this stupid thing appears to be even MORE MORONIC than before: Alt-N for Insert, G for Signatures, and finally you get a menu you can navigate with arrow keys. Alt-N for iNsert almost makes sense, except that appears to be an ARBITRARY accident: Alt-H: Message Alt-I: Insert Alt-P Options Alt-O Formatted text (just when you thought it was at least alphabetic) Alt-L Developer And reading those blogs about "why" then did these stupid things is entirely unconvincing -- an obvious apologia for something that they subconsciously (or now consciously) know is flawed reasoning. Take Developer, I use such things fairly regularly but it doesn't even need a main menu item -- most people don't use it often and those that do don't mind looking for it in a submenu. SignatureHerb Martin, MCSE, MVP http://www.LearnQuick.Com (phone on web site) It makes sense. Alt-I is taken by the Office 2003 style menu shortcut that is still available in 2007. If you remember the keyboard keys for getting this in 2003, then you can still use those. So with Alt-I taken, they picked N. > Take Developer, I use such things fairly regularly but it doesn't even need > a > main menu item -- most people don't use it often and those that do don't > mind > looking for it in a submenu. You are a power user, not the vast majority of all users. While you might be able to find something hidden in a submenu, a majority of users probably cannot. The thing you need to realize is that the ribbon is not designed for power users who know where everything they need is in 2003. Those users simply hate the ribbon because it is a big change. Ask yourself. How much of your resentment is because you don't know your way around anymore and feel like a beginner again and how much is due to this being a really big change from what you are used to? Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP] -------------- http://pschmid.net *** Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80 *** Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize RibbonCustomizer Add-In: http://pschmid.net/office2007/ribboncustomizer OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote *** Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed I was a little put off when I first saw the new ribbon and the changes too. But, I gave it a fair shot, and got used to it pretty quickly. I like the current ribbon much better than the previous and it's second nature. In fact, not only do I think it's actually "easier to use", I'd fight if I had to go back. > It makes sense. Alt-I is taken by the Office 2003 style menu shortcut > that is still available in 2007. If you remember the keyboard keys for [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > *** > Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed >I was a little put off when I first saw the new ribbon and the changes too. > But, I gave it a fair shot, and got used to it pretty quickly. I like the [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > go > back. I have given it more than a fair shot and it is atrocious. Even were it marginally an improvement it destroys the GUI-compatibility between Office and 10,000 other Windows programs. We, and many other admins and consultants, I run into are now recommending AGAINST upgrade. Likely we will have to do so one day -- or switch to Open Office -- but even though we have ALWAYS been Microsoft Office lovers we will not put this on willingly. SignatureHerb Martin, MCSE, MVP http://www.LearnQuick.Com (phone on web site) |
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