Any way to get classic menus in Office 2007? Ribbon sucks!

[DynoTech]

After using MS products for more than 10 years, I am extremely disappointed
with MicroSoft's decision to abandon the people who generated billions of
dollars for them. My generation built MicroSoft by purchasing their products
in great quanities, to a great deal because they were intuitive and easy to
use. The new ribbon bar being forced upon us if we choose to upgrade to
Office 2007 is a bad business decision. I agree that it adds some nice
features, but taking away the ability to access a classic menu is totally
unacceptable. Until MicroSoft gets it right and provides support for the
millions of (former) loyal customers, my company for one, will not upgrade to
Office 2007.

 

[darkrats]

Here you go: http://www.addintools.com/english/menuoffice/default.htm

 

[XS11E]

After using MS products for more than 10 years, I am extremely
disappointed with MicroSoft's decision to abandon the people who
generated billions of dollars for them.

Just the opposite, they listened to customers. The changes in
Office are the result of customer input.

2007 is a bad business decision.

See above. We had the same complaints when the Office bar vanished
from people who loved it but for most of us getting rid of the
annoying thing was a HUGE improvement.

I agree that it adds some nice features, but taking away the
ability to access a classic menu is totally unacceptable. Until
MicroSoft gets it right and provides support for the millions of
(former) loyal customers, my company for one, will not upgrade to
Office 2007.

That's a very foolish attitude. The intent of the new ribbon is to
make it easier to find things. It IS different, it DOES take time to
get used to it but why not give it a try? You might find you like it
once you get familiar with it.

 

[gls858]

After using MS products for more than 10 years, I am extremely disappointed
with MicroSoft's decision to abandon the people who generated billions of
dollars for them. My generation built MicroSoft by purchasing their products
in great quanities, to a great deal because they were intuitive and easy to
use. The new ribbon bar being forced upon us if we choose to upgrade to
Office 2007 is a bad business decision. I agree that it adds some nice
features, but taking away the ability to access a classic menu is totally
unacceptable. Until MicroSoft gets it right and provides support for the
millions of (former) loyal customers, my company for one, will not upgrade to
Office 2007.

My first impression also, but I took a little different tack. I decided
I was going to learn how to use it effectively. After adding some
commands to the quick access bar and becoming familiar with the location
of the commands under the tabs, I'm convinced that I can navigate faster
now than I could with the menus.

gls858

 

[DKIMZEY]

Alot of the complaints on the ribbon bar come from users facing
deadlines - who are now faced with a learning curve. The ribbon bar
would have gained wider acceptance if MS had added a tab that contained
the classic menu.

In short users faced a new ribbon bar but the work deadlines stayed the
same. While change may be constant - there is no joy in having to
uninstall Office 2007 and re-install Office 2003 to meet a proposal
deadline.

The fact that an application was needed where users could execute
commands in an Office 2003 menu - and an animation showed you where the
equivalent command was in Office 2007 - should have been a major sign
that the ribbon bar is not that intuitive.

After working in Office 2007 for more than 6 months on a daily basis -
the only relief I found was buyin a AddIn Classic Menu.

The real frustration I have with Windows Vista and Office 2007 is
simple:

Cute does not equal productive.

 

[lstomasello]

I hate the ribbon bar and I hate the fact that Microsoft refuses to
acknowledge that it stinks.

The problem with Microsoft’s case studies that show the ribbon bar is better
is that they did not populate their focus groups with existing Office 2003
experts. They conducted their study on new users that would have to search
all the menus to find out how to change a font to red and make it bold.

The fallacy is that Microsoft crafted an interface for 5% of the office
users (newbies that could care less where Font settings are), and told the
other 95% of us to take a hike.

Microsoft, please; if you insist on keeping this unproven-new-age, and
unwelcome user interface, PLEASE give us experts a CLASSIC MENU option in the
Options menu.

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

Simply not true as to whom Microsoft tested Office 2007 on. See
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh

Where do people pull this stuff out of?

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, lstomasello asked:

| I hate the ribbon bar and I hate the fact that Microsoft refuses to
| acknowledge that it stinks.
|
| The problem with Microsoft’s case studies that show the ribbon bar
| is better is that they did not populate their focus groups with
| existing Office 2003 experts. They conducted their study on new users
| that would have to search all the menus to find out how to change a
| font to red and make it bold.
|
| The fallacy is that Microsoft crafted an interface for 5% of the
| office
| users (newbies that could care less where Font settings are), and
| told the other 95% of us to take a hike.
|
| Microsoft, please; if you insist on keeping this unproven-new-age, and
| unwelcome user interface, PLEASE give us experts a CLASSIC MENU
| option in the Options menu.

 

[Echo S]

http://pschmid.net/office2007/ribboncustomizer/index.php has classic menu
options as well as giving you the ability to customize your ribbons.

 

[Harlan Grove]

Simply not true as to whom Microsoft tested Office 2007 on.
See http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh

....

Haven't (and won't) bothered to listen to the WMV clip, but have
looked over the PDF version of the presentation. The only specific
mention of a broad range of user skill levels is in the label above
the graph on page 140, and that was from a survey of users after the
new UI was locked in.

Also find any mention in the presentation of anything other than Word.
The new UI was forced on the other Office programs. Maybe PowerPoint
and Outlook users use those programs like they use Word, but Excel
hasn't benefited from the new UI.

See http://www.exceluser.com/explore/surveys/ribbon/ribbon-survey-results.htm

 

[GuyWB]

I will tell you where I "Pull this stuff out of", 2 months into an Office
2007 rollout and I am getting 5% of my users accept/like it and 95% range
from concerned/confused to asking "What is this??/How am I supposed to do my
job??". They do not have the time to completely relearn the applications
they have been using for the past decade because some nimrod decided to get
"Artistic" instead of being functional. Most people, when it comes down to
it, don't care about "pretty", they want it to work predictably and
consistantly.

 

[Dlborges]

Ditto, madness. Undo command? Where did it go, one of the most basic Key
Commands. What happened? I can't even find an undo command in Access, i have
to close without saving in the reports screen. CRAZED. Time to move to a new
product where innovation is added with reservation and respect for those
things that WORK!

I will tell you where I "Pull this stuff out of", 2 months into an Office
2007 rollout and I am getting 5% of my users accept/like it and 95% range
from concerned/confused to asking "What is this??/How am I supposed to do my
job??". They do not have the time to completely relearn the applications
they have been using for the past decade because some nimrod decided to get
"Artistic" instead of being functional. Most people, when it comes down to
it, don't care about "pretty", they want it to work predictably and
consistantly.

Simply not true as to whom Microsoft tested Office 2007 on. See
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh

Where do people pull this stuff out of?

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, lstomasello asked:

| I hate the ribbon bar and I hate the fact that Microsoft refuses to
| acknowledge that it stinks.
|
| The problem with Microsoft’s case studies that show the ribbon bar
| is better is that they did not populate their focus groups with
| existing Office 2003 experts. They conducted their study on new users
| that would have to search all the menus to find out how to change a
| font to red and make it bold.
|
| The fallacy is that Microsoft crafted an interface for 5% of the
| office
| users (newbies that could care less where Font settings are), and
| told the other 95% of us to take a hike.
|
| Microsoft, please; if you insist on keeping this unproven-new-age, and
| unwelcome user interface, PLEASE give us experts a CLASSIC MENU
| option in the Options menu.

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

Um, did you check the QAT?

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, Dlborges asked:

| Ditto, madness. Undo command? Where did it go, one of the most basic
| Key Commands. What happened? I can't even find an undo command in
| Access, i have to close without saving in the reports screen. CRAZED.
| Time to move to a new product where innovation is added with
| reservation and respect for those things that WORK!
|
| "GuyWB" wrote:
|
|| I will tell you where I "Pull this stuff out of", 2 months into an
|| Office 2007 rollout and I am getting 5% of my users accept/like it
|| and 95% range from concerned/confused to asking "What is this??/How
|| am I supposed to do my job??". They do not have the time to
|| completely relearn the applications they have been using for the
|| past decade because some nimrod decided to get "Artistic" instead of
|| being functional. Most people, when it comes down to it, don't care
|| about "pretty", they want it to work predictably and consistantly.
||
|| "Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]" wrote:
||
||| Simply not true as to whom Microsoft tested Office 2007 on. See
||| http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh
|||
||| Where do people pull this stuff out of?
|||
||| --
||| Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]
|||
||| Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
||| ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
||| How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375
|||
|||
||| After furious head scratching, lstomasello asked:
|||
|||| I hate the ribbon bar and I hate the fact that Microsoft refuses to
|||| acknowledge that it stinks.
||||
|||| The problem with Microsoft’s case studies that show the
|||| ribbon bar is better is that they did not populate their focus
|||| groups with
|||| existing Office 2003 experts. They conducted their study on new
|||| users that would have to search all the menus to find out how to
|||| change a
|||| font to red and make it bold.
||||
|||| The fallacy is that Microsoft crafted an interface for 5% of the
|||| office
|||| users (newbies that could care less where Font settings are), and
|||| told the other 95% of us to take a hike.
||||
|||| Microsoft, please; if you insist on keeping this unproven-new-age,
|||| and unwelcome user interface, PLEASE give us experts a CLASSIC MENU
|||| option in the Options menu.

 

[Gordon]

Ditto, madness. Undo command? Where did it go, one of the most basic Key
Commands. What happened?

On the QAT. There by default AFAIK........did you LOOK?

 

[Bob I]

Microsoft redid the Menu system so people could find things easier and
stop making suggestions to add things that were already there on the
menu. Apparently even putting it right there in plain sight doesn't work
for you, so what "new product" are you going to move on to?

Ditto, madness. Undo command? Where did it go, one of the most basic Key
Commands. What happened? I can't even find an undo command in Access, ihave
to close without saving in the reports screen. CRAZED. Time to move to a new
product where innovation is added with reservation and respect for those
things that WORK!

:

I will tell you where I "Pull this stuff out of", 2 months into an Office
2007 rollout and I am getting 5% of my users accept/like it and 95% range
from concerned/confused to asking "What is this??/How am I supposed to do my
job??". They do not have the time to completely relearn the applications
they have been using for the past decade because some nimrod decided toget
"Artistic" instead of being functional. Most people, when it comes down to
it, don't care about "pretty", they want it to work predictably and
consistantly.

:

Simply not true as to whom Microsoft tested Office 2007 on. See
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh

Where do people pull this stuff out of?

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, lstomasello asked:

| I hate the ribbon bar and I hate the fact that Microsoft refuses to
| acknowledge that it stinks.
|
| The problem with Microsoft’s case studies that show the ribbon bar
| is better is that they did not populate their focus groups with
| existing Office 2003 experts. They conducted their study on new users
| that would have to search all the menus to find out how to change a
| font to red and make it bold.
|
| The fallacy is that Microsoft crafted an interface for 5% of the
| office
| users (newbies that could care less where Font settings are), and
| told the other 95% of us to take a hike.
|
| Microsoft, please; if you insist on keeping this unproven-new-age, and
| unwelcome user interface, PLEASE give us experts a CLASSIC MENU
| option in the Options menu.

 

[dino3721]

The reason people hate mircosoft is an easy one. They move things
around, you can do less with the new version as you could do with the
old, and there are way more clicks with a mouse to do basic things.

If Microsoft came out with new products but let us choose and theme we
would be more accepting. In Vista you should be able to choose "Classic
XP" theme. In Office 2007 you should be able to choose "Office 2003"
theme.

If people have to re-learn the OS or their software, they may as well
go to a Mac or Open source. OpenOffice looks pretty good to me right
now.

Tasks in Office 2007 are taking me 10 time longer with less than
perfect results. I hate it!!!!

I went to an Office 2007 seminar and they call these menus
improvements. More clicks to do the same thing- is called crap.

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

Yeah, like moving to a Mac or Linux does not involve a learning curve. HA!

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, dino3721 asked:

| The reason people hate mircosoft is an easy one. They move things
| around, you can do less with the new version as you could do with the
| old, and there are way more clicks with a mouse to do basic things.
|
| If Microsoft came out with new products but let us choose and theme we
| would be more accepting. In Vista you should be able to choose
| "Classic XP" theme. In Office 2007 you should be able to choose
| "Office 2003" theme.
|
| If people have to re-learn the OS or their software, they may as well
| go to a Mac or Open source. OpenOffice looks pretty good to me right
| now.
|
| Tasks in Office 2007 are taking me 10 time longer with less than
| perfect results. I hate it!!!!
|
| I went to an Office 2007 seminar and they call these menus
| improvements. More clicks to do the same thing- is called crap.

 

[Harlan Grove]

Yeah, like moving to a Mac or Linux does not involve a learning curve.  HA!

....

For system administration, true.

For just using a browser or writing text? Ever tried a Mac or a live
CD for any Linux distribution meant for end users? Not all that
difficult.

Start any end user Linux distribution shipped in the last 8 years with
standard packages installed and there are no significant differences
where to find the browser or Open Office or the text editor or the
drawing program.