When Microsoft releases Office 2010 later this year, will it be an upgrade worth pursuing, or will it, like Office 2007, be one that you can easily let pass? That’s a question that’s no doubt on the minds of many existing Office users – as well as more than a few executives at Microsoft.
Office 2010 can easily be seen as analogous to Windows 7 in that it represents Microsoft’s latest chance to convince people that they’ve really been listening to their concerns.
Like Windows Vista, Office 2007 was an upgrade that relatively few bothered to adopt. Office 2010, like Windows 7, is a do-over. Microsoft, in fact, took a page from the lengthy Windows 7 beta programme when, last year, it made the beta of Office 2010 widely available to the public.
Here’s looking into why you should go for an upgrade.
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The ‘ribbon bar’ was Office 2007′s most controversial feature — and one that dissuaded many from upgrading to Office 2007. The ribbon bar did away with conventional menus in favour of a tabbed, context- specific top row that grouped functions likely to be needed or wanted. The idea was to unearth the many features of Office applications that many never found because those features were buried deep within menus or dialog boxes.
Menu addicts will be disappointed to hear that not only has the ribbon bar not disappeared in Office 2010, it has been enhanced. You’ll now have the ability to customise the ribbon bar by adding the tabs that you think should appear, and you can add or remove functions or features within tabs.
You’ll also find the ribbon bar throughout Office 2010. In Office 2007, the ribbon bar was missing from Outlook and OneNote, Microsoft’s note-taking and information management tool. There’s still no option to bring back classic menus, but the improvements will be welcome to those who don’t mind the change.
The e-mail application Outlook is probably the suite’s most-used application. Microsoft has managed to introduce fairly dramatic changes to Outlook 2010 without making the programme a drag on productivity.
Most of the essential features remain intact and are located where you’d expect them to be. The many interface enhancements focus on making Outlook feel lighter weight and more responsive. At the same time, users will be able to customise to a level never before possible with Outlook.
It’s easy, for example, to hide the ribbon bar, folders, and other interface elements of Outlook 2010, retaining just the message list and preview pane. Bringing back interface elements you’ve hidden is simple … just click an unobtrusive left or right arrow icon along the top edges.
