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You know, I really don't want to have to read a book to figure out how the UI works....
Unless this has like really cool super-secret tricks in it.
~Lordbob
More -
A new resource available for download from Microsoft is designed to let customers upgrading from Office 2003 or earlier to Office 2010, get familiarized with the redesign of the look and feel of the Word components of the product. The Word 2010: Interactive menu to ribbon guide can be grabbed free of charge through the Microsoft Download Center, and as the label implies, users will get a “visual, interactive reference guide to help you find the new location of commands in Word 2010,” according to Microsoft. “Use this interactive tutorial to find the location of commands in Word 2010. The guide is a simulation of the old menu version of Word. Click a command in the guide to learn its new location in Word 2010.”
With the advent of Office 2007, Microsoft dramatically overhauled the graphical user interface for its productivity suite. The evolution of the new Ribbon/Fluent GUI continued with Office 2010, which brings to the table a perfected variant of the user interface, widening the gap between the new design and the old File menu that was the default in Office 2003 and earlier.
While Ribbon is immensely superior to the old Office UI, it takes a little time to get accustomed to it. As with everything new there’s a learning curve, but fact is that some users might not get over the initial shock of having to work with a completely overhauled UI. It’s human nature to seek as much comfort as possible, and while the Office 2003 UI might feel extremely comfortable the new users interface of Office 2010 will appear to be strange and extremely different.
Free Word 2010 Ribbon/Fluent UI Guide Available - For download from Microsoft - Softpedia
You know, I really don't want to have to read a book to figure out how the UI works....
Unless this has like really cool super-secret tricks in it.
~Lordbob
lordbob, I just installed it on a test box I have here at work. It requires Silverlight, it gives you a virtual Word 2003 UI, you can then click on your familiar buttons to find how to perform the same actions in Word 2010.
Too bad there aren't any for other Office apps, if the company wanted to put Silverlight on everyone's PC we could push this as a help for the transition to Office 2010 from 2000..
I was mistaken, there IS one for most apps in the Office 2010 suite. There is also an Excel sheet for each application for "translation" from Office 2003 to Office 2010. All of this can be found at
Learn where menu and toolbar commands are in Office 2010 - Outlook - Microsoft Office
And one for Office 2007 from Office 2003.
Guides to the Ribbon: Use Office 2003 menus to learn the Office 2007 user interface - Support - Microsoft Office
Ribbon is possibly the worst ever UI invented by man! I fail to see where it is superior to the classic interface. Computers are supposed to make life easier and if it takes an university diploma just to learn how to use Ribbon then it has failed miserably in user friendliness.
This is what happens when company executives have their way and insist on something to look and function differently for commercial sakes while totally disregarding functionality.
No matter how much they try to convince us that it is the best ui; they seem to forget that they also tried to convince us that Windows ME and Vista were the best too!
Thank god that there are people who take the time to offer us third party software that brings back the excellent and functional classic menu style UI.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Freedom of choice is one of the things that make this world a great place.
There are other, older versions available if you don't like the newer ones.
I found after a couple of days that I much prefer the new ribbon in Office, works well once you get use to it.
Let's not start on the ME and Vista bashing. Many people, including myself, never had a problem with those OS's.
Don't know if there is an option to get classic menus in Office 2010, haven't looked.
It would be impossible to make apps and OSs that suite everyone.
If someone really doesn't like new features on the new editions and can't find anything to change them to an older or specific style they like, then they have to accept/learn the new features or go back to the older versions. Sometimes that is the choice.
No matter what the software companies come up with a large group of users won't like it for some reason.
As users we have to accept changes, they are inevitable, but we don't have to like it.
If we didn't have change in our nature we would still be living in caves, so change is a good thing.
No offense intended to anyone that doesn't like change, it's just going to happen