Bring back the Classic Menus

[DG]

just a sugestion...



----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
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http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...-40590da00219&dg=microsoft.public.office.misc

 

[Harlan Grove]

just a sugestion...

Coca Cola had Pepsi to help them figure out why New Coke was a bad idea.
Microsoft unfortunately lacks the instructive aid of effective competition.
And since the ribbon was obviously incorporated into Office in order to make
effective competition even less likely, there's little reason to hope for
Microsoft releasing a Classic UI alternative. There are, however, several
3rd party alternatives. All that's really needed is the equivalent of
Classic toolbars as a 3rd party control. Then it'd be possible to hide the
ribbon and use Classic toolbars to back fill a work-alike Classic menu.

The good news is Microsoft did make it possible to hide the ribbon. The bad
news is that there's no other UI elements aside from dialogs (aka user
forms), and modeless dialogs just aren't as handy as Classic toolbars.

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

Not going to happen - just an answer.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. All
unsolicited mail sent to my personal account will be deleted without
reading.

After furious head scratching, DG asked:

| just a sugestion...
|
|
|
| ----------------
| This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
| suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click
| the "I Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the
| button, follow this link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft
| Web-based Newsreader and then click "I Agree" in the message pane.
|
| http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...-40590da00219&dg=microsoft.public.office.misc

 

[Harlan Grove]

Not going to happen - just an answer.

....

If sales are well below expectations, it could.

And must you post in MIME/HTML?

 

[Matt]

What were they thinking when they screwed up the menu bar? You would think
that they would hire some representative users (i.e. "real people") to give
them feedback on these things before they spent hundreds of thousands of
dollars mucking things up. I went out and paid a third party company for
software to get my classic menus back. That galls. When my Office trial
period expires, I probably won't, even though I'm out $30 for the third party
menus.

Microsoft has a real knack for irritating its customers. Only a monopoly
could get away with their attitude.

Matt

 

[Another Brian]

In MS' defense, they claim that they did to usability testing and the
ribbon is what new users and casual users found easier to learn and
use. More advanced users so far seem to either love or hate the
ribbon. I'm in the advanced group, but I still haven't decided one way
or another. Some features of the ribbon, particularly in Excel, I find
easier to use. Some things harder, particularly trying to figure out
which ribbon a feature in on. Personally if I had been them, I'd have
kept the old menus and added the ribbon and allowed the user to decide
which they wanted. But we're stuck with it for now. Maybe in Office
2009 MS will switch back, but I'm not holding my breath.

Brian Bygland

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

Open your mind and this website and read what Microsoft did with "the hoi-polloi users."
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh

It will give you the other side of the story as to why Microsoft decides that nested menus within nested menus within nested menus within nested menus was not going to work any more.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. All
unsolicited mail sent to my personal account will be deleted without
reading.

After furious head scratching, Matt asked:

| What were they thinking when they screwed up the menu bar? You would
| think that they would hire some representative users (i.e. "real
| people") to give them feedback on these things before they spent
| hundreds of thousands of dollars mucking things up. I went out and
| paid a third party company for software to get my classic menus back.
| That galls. When my Office trial period expires, I probably won't,
| even though I'm out $30 for the third party menus.
|
| Microsoft has a real knack for irritating its customers. Only a
| monopoly could get away with their attitude.
|
| Matt
|
| "DG" wrote:
|
|| just a sugestion...
||
||
||
|| ----------------
|| This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to
|| the suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion,
|| click the "I Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see
|| the button, follow this link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft
|| Web-based Newsreader and then click "I Agree" in the message pane.
||
|| http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...-40590da00219&dg=microsoft.public.office.misc

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

The next version of Office will have even more Ribbons, including the Outlook main window. I can't wait, personally. Ever try finding that command in the Tools->Options menu?

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. All
unsolicited mail sent to my personal account will be deleted without
reading.

After furious head scratching, Another Brian asked:

| In MS' defense, they claim that they did to usability testing and the
| ribbon is what new users and casual users found easier to learn and
| use. More advanced users so far seem to either love or hate the
| ribbon. I'm in the advanced group, but I still haven't decided one way
| or another. Some features of the ribbon, particularly in Excel, I find
| easier to use. Some things harder, particularly trying to figure out
| which ribbon a feature in on. Personally if I had been them, I'd have
| kept the old menus and added the ribbon and allowed the user to decide
| which they wanted. But we're stuck with it for now. Maybe in Office
| 2009 MS will switch back, but I'm not holding my breath.
|
| Brian Bygland
|
| || What were they thinking when they screwed up the menu bar? You
|| would think
|| that they would hire some representative users (i.e. "real people")
|| to give
|| them feedback on these things before they spent hundreds of
|| thousands of
|| dollars mucking things up. I went out and paid a third party
|| company for
|| software to get my classic menus back. That galls. When my Office
|| trial
|| period expires, I probably won't, even though I'm out $30 for the
|| third party
|| menus.
||
|| Microsoft has a real knack for irritating its customers. Only a
|| monopoly
|| could get away with their attitude.
||
|| Matt
||
|| "DG" wrote:
||
||| just a sugestion...
|||
|||
|||
||| ----------------
||| This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to
||| the
||| suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click
||| the "I
||| Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button,
||| follow this
||| link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader
||| and then
||| click "I Agree" in the message pane.
|||
||| http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...-40590da00219&dg=microsoft.public.office.misc

 

[XS11E]

"Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]"

Open your mind

Wasted advice. There are several things an Office user can do about
the "ribbon".

1. Learn to use it and find it's actually easier than the old classic
menus.

2. Use Office 2003 instead of upgrading.

3. Whine about it like a little child who's lost it's teddy bear.

Number 3 is easier and seems to be what most users prefer.