subject: Software review - Microsoft Office Word 2007 [print this page] For more infomation and download : CLICK HERE
Most controversial will be the new "ribbon" interface, which in most Office applications replaces the traditional menu bar with context-friendly tabs of the most-useful options. While it won't trouble first-time Office users, relearning the locations of commonly used featureseven functions like Save and Close, which have been moved to a new Office button in the application windows' upper-left cornersmight prove troublesome for the more experienced.
Since each ribbon extends the full width of the window and only one shows at a time, you'll often have to switch frequently between ribbons to locate commands you need if you don't know the keyboard shortcut (which can now only be seen by hovering the mouse cursor over the proper icon). At least Microsoft has instituted a Quick Access toolbar into the title bar, which lets you perform any action with one mouse click; the default commands are Save, Undo, and Redo, but adding others is a snap.
Outlook was the recipient of the most-useful changes, with the addition of support for Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds and Short Message Service (SMS); improved phishing detection and protection; an overhauled sorting system, with new flags and configurable color categories; and the new Outlook Instant Search, which combs your e-mails, contacts, calendar, and tasks. The To-Do Bar, which combines calendar and task-list functionality in one view, is more a nuisance than a help if you seldom use tasks.
The other applications are a mixed bag. Publisher 2007, the only completely ribbonless program, is more streamlined and usable than ever. PowerPoint's selection and grouping of ribbons seems the most intuitive, and the new templates and color schemes are a welcome break from the overused royal-blue background. Access has received some great cosmetic tweaksevery other line in tables is shaded for enhanced readability, and windows are more effectively arrangedbut the program otherwise feels less sleek and efficient. The new OneNote electronic-scrapbook program has some undeniably cool functionality, though we don't anticipate using it for much.
The jury's still out on Excel and Word. We love the ability to preview style changes without committing them in both programs, in addition to Excel's increased capacity (it now supports more than one million lines and over 16,000 columns), and Word's refined change-tracking features. But the sheer volume of available actions spread across unfamiliar ribbons means these programs will require considerably more relearning than the others.
Word, Excel, and PowerPoint now default to saving documents in the new Microsoft Office Open XML file format, which can't be opened by programs from earlier Office versions. (You can, however, use Save As to save a document in the older format.) Users of older versions must download a compatibility pack to open these new files. The upside, however, is that the new format is highly compressed: A 1.86MB Word 2003 document rang in at 868K when saved in the Word 2007 format.
Help features have been nicely revamped, with a simpler search system and easy access to training and tutorials on Microsoft's extensive Office Online Web site. Installation was a breeze: Our install of the Enterprise edition took 30 minutes on a 3GHz test PC with 1GB of RAM, and that included programs such as Groove (a file-sharing and collaboration tool), InfoPath (for e-forms-creation and data-gathering), and Communicator (a business-communications app), which aren't a part of most retail versions of Office. That full install added up to 630MB, respectable for this many programs. Memory usage for each program averaged only slightly higher than with the 2003 versions, though each program seemed to open more slowly.
If there's not a gross amount of technical excess in Office 2007, the changes and new features aren't yet worth the fuss of learning how to navigate ribbons. Companies who utilize Office to its fullest will benefit from the steps Microsoft has taken toward complete office integration, but despite the terrific advances in Outlook, yet we haven't found compelling-enough reasons for most ordinary users to upgrade to Office 2007.
