In previous posts I've already whined about the "removal" (hiding) of the File menu, where the Print... menu has gone, the replacement of the File -> Page Setup... menu and how to set Landscape printing.
If you've used Office '07 you've probably noticed that, instead of menus, Office 2007 has these button tabs, or menu-button-panel things. Kind of a nice idea for new users, but can be confusing for folks who are used to the old menus.
For example, once you've visited the Page Layout or View tabs, you might be wondering where the Formatting and Edit menus went? Simple formatting and Edit -> cut / copy / paste now live on the "Home" button bar.
Of course, if you've every used a Microsoft product before, you might think it would be under something like "Formatting" and "Edit". Like, if View and Page Layout have changed from menus into those button bar tabs, then there should be a button bar for Formatting, and another for Edit commands, right? Well... apparently not. Those are considered "Home" functions now. If you had sharp eyes, you might have noticed that you started on the Home tab when you fired up Word (or Exel, Power Point, etc).
This is a particularly odd wording choice. Something called "Home" sounds like a web browser thing, like maybe something that would bring up your home page, or maybe the Microsoft Office support home page, but certainly nothing to do with editing. Or maybe "Home" would be where the File menu is, like creating or opening files when you first startup the program? Wrong again, those functions are now on that weird circle flag thing in the upper left corner.
I mentioned at the start that replacing menus with the newer tabbed button bars *could* be a nice idea, especially for new users. But Office 2007 misses the mark. Some of the tabs are poorly named, and they've removed the most common ones that any experienced users would look for. When when Apple or Google docs gets around to this, they'll do it right.
Although Office 2007 has some improvements, I am floored by the number stupid changes they've made that confuse anybody who's ever used their products before. Some stunningly bad ideas.
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