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#61
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Another great example of how Word 2007 "brings commands closer to the surface"
Word MVPs have provided feedback to MS, individually and collectively,
throughout the development process. It's not as if this UI had burst upon an unsuspecting world: Jensen Harris started documenting it in his blog (http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/) in September 2005. The only thing that will change Microsoft's direction is massive failure of corporate America to adopt the new version. But, given the reluctance of many corporations to upgrade early in the product life cycle, it may take a while for this failure to become evident. -- Suzanne S. Barnhill Microsoft MVP (Word) Words into Type Fairhope, Alabama USA Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit. "Larry" wrote in message ... Mark's points are so important, and are worth re-reading and thinking about. I especially like Number 5: It's as though the main purpose of Word is fancy functions to manage fancy documents, rather than the basic task of typing and editing text. MS, in its desire for innovation for the sake of innovation, has lost sight of what most people spend their time doing with Word, which is typing, editing, and formatting text. Based on the unhappiness expressed by several respected MVPs, something I've never seen before in the eight years I've been frequenting the Word newsgroups, I think there is a basis for some kind of collective statement or petition to Microsoft from the newsgroups, led by the MVPs, pointing out the serious problems with Word 2007 and asking for a major retooling, including restoring basic features that have been taken away like the menus and toolbars. Terry said his own requests and suggestions had been rebuffed. But what if a bunch of MVPs and other interested Word users spoke together? We might not win, but Microsoft could not completely ignore us either. They would have to face the fact that intelligent people deeply interested in Word see serious problems here. Word experts of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your Microsoft Office Button. Larry wrote in message oups.com... I don't find that to be true at all. I coach a firm of 55 employees in 4 offices, most of whom were with the company when it switched from WP to Word a few weeks before I arrived, so their learning curve was unpleasant. Naturally with that mindset they'd been adapting slowly. The two most critical things that appealed to them and uplifted their collective viewpoint were macros and keyboard shortcuts. Once they were shown these things, they adored them, and were unnerved (often greatly) when a new or foreign PC didn't have them. Everyone seems to appreciate keyboard shortcuts and the ability to remap them. (Most never use the Bold or Italic buttons anymore. It's just easier not to move your hand from the keyboard.) I placed a menu-building add-in on each system to simplify over 70 procedures, often complex ones that no average user would bother to do manually. It runs each of these macros in 2 or 3 clicks or keystrokes, and the staff is now in love with it. Word 2007 will slow or stifle this. I think 5 concepts now being widely offered as fact are simply wrong at base: (1) the average user is too dumb & lazy to want to improve efficiency or reduce fatigue; (2) power users are close-minded curmudgeons who are resistant to any change on general principle; (3) users as a whole are such utter sheep that everyone will eventually submit to Microsoft's peverse rug-yank; (4) the ribbon is more inherently more efficient than the menus; and (5) clicks or keystrokes that invoke commands are a significant part of the document-creating or -editing experience. (They're not; most average users' time spent at the computer is used for typing or scrolling, not finding specific commands on menus or buttons. That much should be obvious.) Word 2007 may look cute to newbies or amusing for the idle or self- employed, but anyone who works in a standard office setting facing normal concerns about deadlines and overhead will be hopelessly injured if they upgrade. I'm with Larry. I think 2007 is an abomination that invites revolt. Yes, I'm a power user. Folks here seem almost willing to imply that's a bad thing. Mark Suzanne S. Barnhill wrote: But can you accept that the majority of users do NOT use Word the way you do? The vast majority of them would never think of going to the trouble to customize Word this way even if they were told how, and most have no desire to use Word this way. I find that most users are not interested in keyboard shortcuts at all. -- Suzanne S. Barnhill Microsoft MVP (Word) Words into Type Fairhope, Alabama USA Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit. "Larry" wrote in message ... Also, if memory serves correctly, years ago Beth helped me with macros to prevent the vertical and horizonal scroll bars from ever appearing unless I wanted them (and helped me with a lot of other things as well). It was a bit of a trick. Word just wanted those ugly scroll bars to keep popping up. Only serious customization could get around that. But once we had it, it was never an issue again. I have simple keystrokes to toggle the scrollbars when I want them, not when Microsoft wants them. My aim in that case and generally has been to keep all unnecessary clutter out of the Word window. So I got rid of all toolbar buttons that I don't use, and replaced the Standard and Formatting toolbars with one simplified toolbar. I never display the Ruler except when I need it. Also, the blue background screen is "cooler," easier on the eyes. So the whole look is simple and pleasing to the eye. To me, the way Word looks when it opens in its default state is an incredible eyesore. The other thing for me is to have an integrated environment, where I do things with the minimum of keystrokes or mouseclicks. For example, I developed a single key command (Num1) to toggle the Blue background off and on. I have a single key command (Num2) which not only toggles the capitalization of a word, but if there's a selection going up to the start of a word, it cuts the selection and toggles the capitalization of the first letter of the word immediately following the selection. I have three custom menus with many macros I use constantly, every one of those macros takes just two keystrokes, Alt+Letter, Letter. I'm still not sure if it's posible to replicate something like that in 2007. Things that take two steps in the older versions (even without my customizations), take three or more steps in 2007, things that take one step in the older versions (like opening the Window menu via keystroke) take two steps in 2007. This is totally unacceptable. The whole point is that things that you do often be done with the minimum of keystrokes. So my approach is to make Word's look as simple as possible, and Word's operation as simple as possible. Word 2007 is not only the opposite of that, it basically makes it impossible to customize around it. It imposes so much more on you (that incredibly complicated, hyperactive Ribbon) and makes it impossible to escape it. "Beth Melton" wrote in message ... I think it's impossible to persuade you in general, Larry. ;-) If you want the truth, when I saw the new UI you were one of the first people that came to mind. I thought, oh my, when Larry sees this he'll have a heart attack. I'm thankful to see you've taken a look at it and are still around. grin Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for assistance by email can not be acknowledged. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Beth Melton "Larry" wrote in message ... Ok, Beth, I understand that you feel it's impossible to persuade me that trashing and replacing Word's total interface and method of operation was for the Greater Good. "Beth Melton" wrote in message ... Styles were merely an example that came to mind at the time. You know, Larry, just based on previous discussions I've had with you on topics of an even more simiplic nature I know there nothing I can say to you that will change your mind... |
#62
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Another great example of how Word 2007 "brings commands closer to the surface"
Like Suzanne, the first customisation I make to my Toolbars (both main
toolbar and the right-click toolbars that I use regularly) is to remove the Cut/Copy/Paste commands - along with italic, bold and underline). I always use the keyboard: a lifetime's habit (along with Control+S, Control+P and other windows-wide keyboard commands). In Word2007, I am particularly annoyed that not only is the Clipboard Group given so much prominence on the Home Ribbon, but the Paste button is HUGE and the Format Painter uses a humungous area of screen real estate because it has been anointed with the words 'Format Painter' - which cannot be turned off. Just how much in your face is that? That's not bringing a command closer to the surface: it's slapping you in the face with a wet kipper. I understand that for most 'normal' users (read unskilled Word users) the Paste button is the number 1 button. So what: why should that stop a skilled user from having the choice to remove it? Let's redesign the keyboard layout and put the skilled users keys underneath to make more room for bigger keys for the unskilled users on top. There could be a whopping great big return key to make sure that the unskilled users are able to put in loads of space between paragraphs and an equally huge spacebar so that the same users can line up their columns of text... -- Terry Farrell - MS Word MVP "Stan Brown" wrote in message t... Mon, 9 Apr 2007 11:41:09 -0500 from Suzanne S. Barnhill : No, Word has always provided a variety of ways to accomplish any given task, to accommodate user preference insofar as possible, while still leaning to making the UI most accommodating for the majority of users. I'll also add that many users *do* adopt at least some keyboard shortcuts when they are introduced to them, but most casual Word users (and that includes a *lot* of users, since "everybody" has Word) don't have the same needs as power users. I remember support for this in the MS blog that Joann pointed me to a few weeks ago. It said that even people who used Ctrl-V a lot also clicked the Paste icon a lot. Since then I've paid attention, and even though I'm a keyboard guy I find myself using that Paste icon. :-) -- Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://OakRoadSystems.com/ |
#63
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Another great example of how Word 2007 "brings commands closer to the surface"
You cannot add attachments in these newsgroups: can you imagine users
attaching 10MB documents that they cannot open? Terry Farrell "Larry" wrote in message ... Cicely, I don't seem to be able to paste a screen shot into a formatted news message, I don't know why. I could paste it into a Word document and to you as an attachment if you like. I can't send you my template, though I am working it into something to sell online, primarily for writers to provide a host of quicker and easier ways to do various writing, editing, and navigating tasks. Larry "Cicely Waldrop" wrote in message news:000001c77abe$a005d460$0a00a8c0@Gilead... Hi Larry, I have very interested in how you have customized Word. Do you mind posting a screenshot or e-mailing a template? Thanks |
#64
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Another great example of how Word 2007 "brings commands closer to the surface"
I understand that for most 'normal' users (read unskilled Word users) the Paste button is the number 1 button. So what: why should that stop a skilled user from having the choice to remove it? Ah, but there's a deeper purpose here, which you haven't discovered yet. You must accept on faith that that deeper purpose exists, and drop your negativity and your complaining, and then, after several months of immersing yourself with an open mind and a positive attitude in this environment, the true sense and worth of it will become clear to you. And this is what we all must do. Larry "Terry Farrell" wrote in message ... Like Suzanne, the first customisation I make to my Toolbars (both main toolbar and the right-click toolbars that I use regularly) is to remove the Cut/Copy/Paste commands - along with italic, bold and underline). I always use the keyboard: a lifetime's habit (along with Control+S, Control+P and other windows-wide keyboard commands). In Word2007, I am particularly annoyed that not only is the Clipboard Group given so much prominence on the Home Ribbon, but the Paste button is HUGE and the Format Painter uses a humungous area of screen real estate because it has been anointed with the words 'Format Painter' - which cannot be turned off. Just how much in your face is that? That's not bringing a command closer to the surface: it's slapping you in the face with a wet kipper. I understand that for most 'normal' users (read unskilled Word users) the Paste button is the number 1 button. So what: why should that stop a skilled user from having the choice to remove it? Let's redesign the keyboard layout and put the skilled users keys underneath to make more room for bigger keys for the unskilled users on top. There could be a whopping great big return key to make sure that the unskilled users are able to put in loads of space between paragraphs and an equally huge spacebar so that the same users can line up their columns of text... -- Terry Farrell - MS Word MVP "Stan Brown" wrote in message t... Mon, 9 Apr 2007 11:41:09 -0500 from Suzanne S. Barnhill : No, Word has always provided a variety of ways to accomplish any given task, to accommodate user preference insofar as possible, while still leaning to making the UI most accommodating for the majority of users. I'll also add that many users *do* adopt at least some keyboard shortcuts when they are introduced to them, but most casual Word users (and that includes a *lot* of users, since "everybody" has Word) don't have the same needs as power users. I remember support for this in the MS blog that Joann pointed me to a few weeks ago. It said that even people who used Ctrl-V a lot also clicked the Paste icon a lot. Since then I've paid attention, and even though I'm a keyboard guy I find myself using that Paste icon. :-) -- Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://OakRoadSystems.com/ |
#65
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Another great example of how Word 2007 "brings commands closer to the surface"
But as has been mentioned, there is software which will allow you to
customize the Ribbon, move or delete groups, move or delete an entire tab, and so on. MS doesn't provide this with Word, you have to pay a third-party company $30 for it. |
#66
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Another great example of how Word 2007 "brings commands closer to the surface"
The "third-party company" is a student, Patrick Schmid, who is also an MVP.
He has put in over a year of work and research in learning to use Ribbon UI. And $30 is a darn good price for something you need/want. Or you could become as adept at Ribbon UI as you are at VBA and write an app yourself. -- Suzanne S. Barnhill Microsoft MVP (Word) Words into Type Fairhope, Alabama USA Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit. "Larry" wrote in message ... But as has been mentioned, there is software which will allow you to customize the Ribbon, move or delete groups, move or delete an entire tab, and so on. MS doesn't provide this with Word, you have to pay a third-party company $30 for it. |
#67
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Another great example of how Word 2007 "brings commands closer to the surface"
Well, you can't post attachments through the Communities interface. You can
post attachments via NNTP, but very few end users will see them because they're mostly reading the NGs through the Web portal. -- Suzanne S. Barnhill Microsoft MVP (Word) Words into Type Fairhope, Alabama USA Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit. "Terry Farrell" wrote in message ... You cannot add attachments in these newsgroups: can you imagine users attaching 10MB documents that they cannot open? Terry Farrell "Larry" wrote in message ... Cicely, I don't seem to be able to paste a screen shot into a formatted news message, I don't know why. I could paste it into a Word document and to you as an attachment if you like. I can't send you my template, though I am working it into something to sell online, primarily for writers to provide a host of quicker and easier ways to do various writing, editing, and navigating tasks. Larry "Cicely Waldrop" wrote in message news:000001c77abe$a005d460$0a00a8c0@Gilead... Hi Larry, I have very interested in how you have customized Word. Do you mind posting a screenshot or e-mailing a template? Thanks |
#68
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Another great example of how Word 2007 "brings commands closer to the surface"
Uh, I was passing on to Terry information that someone else in the group had
given to me, that there is a way to solve the problem with the Ribbon he was describing. I was also pointing out that this solution is not provided as a part of Word. I hope that's ok with you. "Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message ... The "third-party company" is a student, Patrick Schmid, who is also an MVP. He has put in over a year of work and research in learning to use Ribbon UI. And $30 is a darn good price for something you need/want. Or you could become as adept at Ribbon UI as you are at VBA and write an app yourself. -- Suzanne S. Barnhill Microsoft MVP (Word) Words into Type Fairhope, Alabama USA Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit. "Larry" wrote in message ... But as has been mentioned, there is software which will allow you to customize the Ribbon, move or delete groups, move or delete an entire tab, and so on. MS doesn't provide this with Word, you have to pay a third-party company $30 for it. |
#69
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Another great example of how Word 2007 "brings commands closerto the surface"
Larry wrote:
I could paste it into a Word document and e-mail to you as an attachment if you like. The tendency of people to think that Word makes a good wrapper to exchange a single picture is symptomatic of the factors that landed us with Word 2007--the idea that Word can and should be able to do everything! |
#70
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Another great example of how Word 2007 "brings commands closer to the surface"
Thanks Larry. I was aware of the utility: but like you, I don't see why this
shouldn't be an out-of-the-box, user-friendly feature. I hope Paul is well on the way to become a dollar millionaire! Terry "Larry" wrote in message ... Uh, I was passing on to Terry information that someone else in the group had given to me, that there is a way to solve the problem with the Ribbon he was describing. I was also pointing out that this solution is not provided as a part of Word. I hope that's ok with you. "Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message ... The "third-party company" is a student, Patrick Schmid, who is also an MVP. He has put in over a year of work and research in learning to use Ribbon UI. And $30 is a darn good price for something you need/want. Or you could become as adept at Ribbon UI as you are at VBA and write an app yourself. -- Suzanne S. Barnhill Microsoft MVP (Word) Words into Type Fairhope, Alabama USA Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit. "Larry" wrote in message ... But as has been mentioned, there is software which will allow you to customize the Ribbon, move or delete groups, move or delete an entire tab, and so on. MS doesn't provide this with Word, you have to pay a third-party company $30 for it. |
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