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Utility provides the classic menus and toolbars
A new utility allows Microsoft Office 2007 users to use the familiar old menu interface.
The latest version of the world's most-used office suite replaces the classic interface with ribbon bars that are supposed to help less-experienced users take advantage of advanced features.
But many people have found it difficult to get used to and prefer the old look, according to Chinese developer Addintools.
It claims its Classic Menu for Office 2007 v2.08 product allows people "to work in their usual manner without changing their habits."
The program is said to work with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and provide access to new Office 2007 features, as well as old ones, via the classic menus and toolbars.
Microsoft did not offer a "classic look" option with Office 2007, saying it would be too difficult to incorporate into the completely revamped product.
The new utility, if it works well, may interest companies with a mix of old and new machines who want to give staff a consistent interface, ar who fear the new version may entail retraining costs.
Classic Menu for Office 2007 v.2.08 runs under XP or Vista and costs $29.95 for a single-user license, which includes free updates and technical support for two years after the date of purchase. A free evaluation copy is available here.
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Holding back advancement
Software like this may seem helpful, but it's counterproductive by allowing people to revert to an old system rather than learning the new system.
Posted by D.Joseph Design, 11 Apr 2007
Hate The New UI
Someone posted a comment: "Software like this may seem helpful, but it's counterproductive by allowing people to revert to an old system rather than learning the new system." I disagree with this. I have been trying to use Office 2007 on a test server at work. I find it extremely unwieldy. The interface doesn't work for me. My productivity is drastically reduced. I used to be able to make tear-off toolbars I could float wherever I was working --- this made me very productive and efficient, but Microsoft now thinks this is wrong. Efficiency and productivity has been pushed to the back burner in favour of shiny eye candy that doesn't improve the applications-in fact, it makes them worse. Is it an improvement, in Word for example, to hide my most often used formatting styles so that it took me THREE WEEKS to find them? These styles, in previous versions, used to take only the one second it required for me to physically move the mouse and choose it. Rather than just simply bend over for Microsoft, many users are vocally objecting to this new change. Otherwise, why would this and other products that restore Office to a usable state be in demand? How is allowing people to actually get their work done easily and efficiently "counterproductive"? Microsoft's claim that it would be too difficult to incorporate a "classic" look is pure BS, obviously, because these third party companies are able to do it. Personally, I am switching to OpenOffice.org for my laptop. Microsoft is not getting any more $$$ out of me for Office unless they provide a useful interface, as well as actually add new useful functionality. There are no new features in Office 2007 that I would consider compelling enough to put up with this horrible interface.
Posted by Mike L, 30 Jul 2007
Office 2007 Interface is Useless
There is no good way to work with the Office 2007 interface, I like the new features that 2007 offers, but the new interface is awful and actually the interface is the one thing that wasn't broken, so why did they choose to "fix" it?
Posted by Chris, 07 Jan 2008