Office 2003 soon to lose support too

lehnerus2000 said:

...The(y) could have used "Sidebars" like 2003.

The "Sidebars" caused the basically the same issue in 2003.
In that case, it was the loss of horizontal real estate on 4:3 monitors.
Typical MS execution...

I agree, it would have been nice to have made the ribbon relocatable, like the task bar on the Win 7 desktop.

lehnerus2000 said:

...

Lady Fitzgerald said:

Collapsed, it is like the old menu system except with less functions

So don't collapse it. I never do.

If you want more vertical real estate you have no choice...

One whole inch; big deal. You don't see the entire document anyway so why worry about it. I never missed that one inch.

lehnerus2000 said:

...Non sequitur; the "Ribbons" are all the same height.

Most of the "Ribbon" tab bar is empty on my PC.
There could probably be another dozen headings on that bar....

So? Put them in.

lehnerus2000 said:

...How?
You can't edit the "Ribbons" without hacking xml files...

Click on the File tab, then click on Options.

Strictly speaking, you don't edit the ribbons themselves; you add ribbon headings. You can also add individual commands and commands from the various ribbons to the quick launch bar.

lehnerus2000 said:

...Speaking of the "Print Preview" window, the 2010 version is even more horrible...

Looks fine to me. I'll grant you it is different, way different, but it is just as functional, if not more so.

lehnerus2000 said:

...

Lady Fitzgerald said:

The Developer Ribbon that allows template editing is disabled by default

So, enable it. I have it enabled on my copies of Word 2010. It probably wasn't enabled by default since most people won't use it or will use it only rarely.

Like the "Mailing Ribbon" or "Review Ribbon"?

You can only enable it once you know it exists (and why you should bother).
I only found out that I needed it after searching the Internet for info on editing templates...

Take some time to look around in Options. Do some experimenting. That's how I found things. It's not that big a deal.

lehnerus2000 said:

...The problem the "Ribbons" were supposed to solve, were actually caused by Microsoft's total inability to provide useful help or tutorials (hence sites like SevenForums).
It had nothing to do with the menus and toolbars being too hard to use...

M$ never provided tutorials for any of their programs, especially the OSes, so, what's new? I've found the Help screens in Office 2007 and 2010 to actually be helpful much of the time.

I am using Office Pro 2013 & I am adjusting to it very well. It has taken me awhile as I have not used Office since Office Pro 95, so you can see I would be a bit rusty. Anyway I am surprised how similar most of the programs are.
it has taken me awhile to get into the swing of things with Access but gradually it is coming back & with the help of some of MS's video tutorials I am relearning.
Just as a matter of interest MS used to supply a thick manual for Access v 1.0 & I taught myself how to use from that, in fact after awhile I was advising MS here in Aust on some ways to input & extract data in Access.

lehnerus2000 said:

Lady Fitzgerald said:

So? Put them in.

There is no add "Ribbon" command in Office 2007.

Lady Fitzgerald said:

Click on the File tab, then click on Options.

Strictly speaking, you don't edit the ribbons themselves; you add ribbon headings. You can also add individual commands and commands from the various ribbons to the quick launch bar.

There is no "File" tab in 2007 (it's a "lollipop" button).

In any case, you don't need to go to Options to do that (you can do that using the drop-down arrow).
BTW, I have added items to the "Quick Launch".

Lady Fitzgerald said:

Take some time to look around in Options. Do some experimenting. That's how I found things. It's not that big a deal.

Experience shows that opening every options/settings window in a program or OS, setting all of the "dials to eleven" (without knowing what they do) is a great way to break programs, if not the entire OS.

This forum is full of "Please help my PC is broken" threads, where people have done just that.

Believe it or not, I do check a program's Options/Preferences/Settings dialogues and I set them to suit myself.

Any Options/Preferences/Settings that I don't understand, I will research or ignore, depending on:

• How much time I have to play around
• Whether I have a backup HDD image, or not

In MS Office, I:

• Disable all of the "Smart" selection settings
• Adjust the Editing Options
• Set the Save locations
• Create Templates
• etc.

You're making the same mistake that "Metro Lovers" make, when people complain about Metro.

The problem is not that I don't know how use MS Office (I've used it for ~13 years).
The problem is that I find the "Ribbon" annoying and I don't like using it (for the reasons I previously posted).
The same thing applies to Metro (i.e. it's annoying and I don't like using it).

My last job was training people to use XP and Office 2003 (and I always received positive feedback from my students).
I've been studying at TAFE to get higher level qualifications (Networking and Web Design) so that I can get another training job.

Indianatone said:

If anyone's interested you can have the menu on Office 2007 and 2010, free for home users. Cheap if you want to buy it. Helps with the transition.
I use it and recommend it wholeheartedly. I even bought $20 worth of licenses as I liked it so much. A company like this deserves support. There are menu systems out there that can set companies back $1000's

UBit Schweiz: UBitMenu International Languages

UBitMenu | PCWorld

Thanks for those links, Indianatone. :)

I've looked similar utilities in the past.
I've used the "Ribbon" for ~4 years, so I'll probably be unable to use the old style menus now.

I've been using the ribbon long enough, I doubt I would be able to use the old style menus, either. For that matter, I've been using 2010 since last Fall and I've already forgotten the differences between 2010 and 2007 (and I gave away my copy of 2007 so I can't refer back to it).

Apparently, arguing over who likes what is going to be like arguing if one likes broccoli or not. The fact is, 2003 is reaching its EOL, something that just didn't get sprung on us; 2003's EOL has been known from day one so you have the choice of adopting what's next or, if you don't like what's next, find another program (which is what I'll probably be doing if M$ keeps heading the direction it has been).

As far as breaking things when experimenting goes, that's what System Restore or imaging is for. I personally have found System Restore to be somewhat unreliable so I prefer imaging; others have had no trouble with System Restore.

Hi there
I can't believe what I'm reading here about the ribbon in Office 2007 and up -- Maybe because it's Friday and I've had a lunchtime 1/2 litre or two (or Pints if UK wise) but just PRESS CTRL + F1 and the ribbon minimizes to just like you have in Office 2003 -- and what's more you can customize bits of it too.

(Not only in Office -- in all the programs where the ribbon exists CTRL+F1 minimizes it -- as per File (Windows) explorer in W8).

Proper complaints are fine but the ribbon isn't IMO a REAL complaint -- probably people have forgotten how to use keyboard short cuts. !!!

Cheers
jimbo

lehnerus2000 said:

...It's like beer.
Australians like cold beer and the English apparently like warm beer...

Then there is me. I can't stand the stuff! Period!