(Credit: Microsoft Inc.)
Normally I use Microsoft Word 2003 for my writing activities, which are relatively small. Most of my writing is done at WordPress where I keep my blog.
Yesterday afternoon I had to print an airmail envelope to send a Link Card (Tarjeta de Enlace) of Banco General to a friend in Maine. This simple task would normally take about fifteen to twenty seconds in Microsoft Word 2003, but in version 2007 it took more than thirty minutes. It was the most frustrating and irritating experience I have had with a word processing application in more then twenty years.
In an effort to increase productivity, Microsoft upgraded Microsoft Office from version 2003 to version 2007, and in the process screwed things up. They completely changed the user interface so you don’t know where to start. I tried and tried unsuccessfully to print the envelope, but just could find how to do it. The buttons and menus were totally confusing.
Finally I decided to search “Print Envelope” in the Help search box. I was surprised to find out that it took ten steps to complete this extremely simple task. It was totally unbelievable.
When I finally printed the envelope, I said, “Enough is enough” and uninstalled Microsft Office 2007 and installed version 2003. I felt relieved. A great weight was unloaded from my shoulders.
Microsoft and other companies as well, don’t understand that software should be simple and easy to use. Intuitive is a better word to describe the software that mainstream users want. I don’t care what happens in the background, I just want to get things done with my software. Is this asking for too much?
The great success of Apple’s software and products is its simplicity and user-friendliness. You don’t even need a manual to understand how a program works. You just look at the software’s layout and proceed to do whatever you want to do.
As an example of a simple-to-use software, on Sunday evening I was able to communicate via Internet with my friend in Maine using Skype. I had never used the program before. In less then 17 minutes I was viewing my friend on my computer screen and clearly hearing her voice through my headphone. I didn’t have to study rocket science to download and install the program and make it work. This is what a call a user-friendly product.
I know Microsoft is trying desperately to clean its act, but by making their software cumbersome and complex, they are moving backwards. I tried Google Docs to do the job, but it didn’t include the feature to print envelopes; and if it did, I couldn’t find the way to do it.
Sometimes it’s better to clear the dust of your ole Underwood typewriter and print the envelope or better still, use a pen. Technology in mediocre hands sucks. Good Day.
As a teacher, it took me a while to get used to ‘The Ribbon’. As I toyed with it for a couple of hours, I realized that in Microsoft Word 2003, there are nine Menu Bar items with ‘drop down’ menus. Not everyone uses all nine commands. The same with Microsoft Word 2007. There are seven tabs that open to several options and commands.
I tell my Microsoft Office 2007 Word and Excel classes that although the user interface changed, your use of the program will probably remain the same. You’ll do the same type of letters, memos, budgets as before, but with a new twist.
If you are self-employed without the need for MS Office 2007, or if your workplace will not upgrade in the immediate future, the loss of MS Office 2003 is no big deal. But, ….. if thats not the case, give MS Office 2007 another try.
The way I looked at MS Office 2007 was that the basic tasks are to open a document, enter or remove text, save a document, print and close a document. Anything more than the basics meant I was looking in the Help menu for merging documents, inserting headers and footers, or other commands that were not visible upon first-sight.
If you have a little spare time, give MS Office 2007 another shot. I’m not a ‘grandstander’ for Microsoft, but it might just work out better for you in the long-run, unless of course, ‘you are self-employed without the need for MS Office 2007, or if your workplace will not upgrade in the immediate future’.
Hi:
Thanks for the thorough explanation. I’m a retired Auditor, so I don’t use Microsoft Office that much. As a matter of fact, I currently use it only now and then. My example, was printing an envelope to send a letter via snail mail to a friend. It proved to be a cumbersome task.
If next time I have to do something simple and it takes me three hours to do it. Kaput! I’ll switch over to Microsoft Office 2003. I still have the old CDs.
Thanks for dropping by,
Omar.-
I have Vista and Office 2007 and still could not figure out how to use new MS Word. I have so much trouble with the menu bar. When I was typing the text, and try to reverse to what I wrote before, I could not find the “reverse” icon on the menu bar. Could someone tell me how to do it? I usually had to retype my earlier work if I did not like my revised sentence and wanted to go back to what I had.
Please advise.
Hi Kate:
I wish I could help you, but I gave up on Office 2007 and went back to Office 2003. Instead of making things easier for the mainstream user, Microsoft made it look like rocket science. Too bad. I wish someone out there could come to your rescue.
Regards,
Omar.-
http://www.exceluser.com/explore/surveys/ribbon/ribbon-survey-results.htm
While it isn’t a proper study, a survey has revealed that (at least for the user base of the website) MS Excel damaged productivity. The study is more a representation of how people feel about the new Excel (and I’d argue, by extension, MS Office 2007) and it’s quite negative. What’s interesting is that finding such things is a pain due to all of Microsoft’s marketing and because there just doesn’t appear to be much data regarding it yet.
I’m no power user but even once I adjusted to the Excel 2007, I could still do the same tasks faster in 2003 even if I had never used the feature in it before. The Ribbon has a few different problems (the article I linked to above does a good job listing them), the biggest of which is that it’s not designed in a logical manner for productivity but in a manner which makes the new and showy features most prominent. It wouldn’t be so bad if the toolbars were customizable and if there were a classic layout but neither function is there.
As for wordtipsforyou’s suggestion about workplaces, it’s somewhat true. Many companies are not making the switch because despite some of the great new features, it is hell on productivity and there is no need to switch, in terms of compatibility or stability. I’m guessing that if Microsoft doesn’t add back in a classic view and customizable toolbars that companies will start making the switch to OpenOffice, spearheaded by Sun Microsystems, developers of Java and MySQL.
The transition to OpenOffice isn’t seamless but the layout is more similar to MS Office 2003 and before than 2007 is. I didn’t like it when I tried it out back in 2003 or 2004 but I had MS Office 2003 and no real need or desire to switch back then (I spent probably 15 minutes messing with it). After using copious amounts of MS Office 2007 and reading about the improvements in OpenOffice, it’s a no brainer which I’ll switch to when I have to make the transition. I’d suggest giving it a try as it’s completely free. Honestly it doesn’t sound like you currently have a need to transition but it’s good to know about good alternatives when Office 2007 starts having compatibility problems.
Sorry for being verbose.
~Alexander
Hello Alexander:
I echo with your words. For me, MS Office 2007is a huge step backwards, as far as productivity is concerned. I decided to kill it and go back to MS Office 2003. It does what I need to do without having to waste time breaking my head on how to do them. I’m not a power user either, so MS Office 2003 suits my needs pretty well.
I’ve not yet forayed into OpenOffice territory, but have an open mind in case I need to make a switch.
Thank you for your thorough comments.
Omar.-