Classic Mode ?

D

Dominic

Does anyone know if the Office 2007 system offers a classic mode to make it
behave like Office 2003? I cannot tell you how much I absolutely HATE the new
user interface. I have been a computer user since the early 1980's and MS has
broken about every rule of incremental software design with this kind of
change in the user interface.

Currently I am attempting to further my degree and I was forced to take a
basic computer class. The one I was stuck with was Office 2007. All I will
have to say is I am glad I found out about this 'piece' of software now. I
was intending on buying the new version for my systems at home and at the
office. After experiencing 2007 I am very glad I didn't waste the money. I am
constantly searching for the features and do not have time to learn a
completely new piece of software in order to do my job.

I do like some of the new features of 2007 but cant stand the UI is there a
way to toggle between a 'Classic Mode' and 'Totally Different Software Mode
(Default)'?
 
G

Gemini

Hi Dominic! I quite understand your frustration with the Ribbon thing.
However, MS has NOT provided an alternative way of reverting to the classic
UI.

Someone else recently asked this question. Here's the link to that thread.

http://tinyurl.com/8bb5g5

Good luck!

-- Gemini
 
M

Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

http://www.pschmid.net offers a free "lite" version of the classic menu.

However, going forward, you will want to familiarize yourself with the new
interface.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, Dominic asked:

| Does anyone know if the Office 2007 system offers a classic mode to
| make it behave like Office 2003? I cannot tell you how much I
| absolutely HATE the new user interface. I have been a computer user
| since the early 1980's and MS has broken about every rule of
| incremental software design with this kind of change in the user
| interface.
|
| Currently I am attempting to further my degree and I was forced to
| take a basic computer class. The one I was stuck with was Office
| 2007. All I will have to say is I am glad I found out about this
| 'piece' of software now. I was intending on buying the new version
| for my systems at home and at the office. After experiencing 2007 I
| am very glad I didn't waste the money. I am constantly searching for
| the features and do not have time to learn a completely new piece of
| software in order to do my job.
|
| I do like some of the new features of 2007 but cant stand the UI is
| there a way to toggle between a 'Classic Mode' and 'Totally Different
| Software Mode (Default)'?
 
J

JoAnn Paules

I showed a friend the new interface this weekend. She'd never seen it before
and is not a power user. She's ready to upgrade. She loves the fact that she
can more easily find the functions she sometimes uses. Her only issue is the
full height of the ribbon. I didn't show her the minimized version.
 
D

Dominic

Thank you all for your input. However I have absolutely no intention of
learning a new system. I downloaded and installed Open Office from
openoffice.org, and best part its free. I am one of the few people who will
to pay for the software I use even with multiple systems I have a valid
license for each; so MS through its stupidity just lost out on 10+ copies of
Office.

If this is any indication the way MS is headed I wont go apple but I have no
problem doing Unix or Solaris as my OS. Just remember MS you are dumbing down
the software to the point that even a trained monkey can use it, but then
again how much does a trained monkey make, and will they be able to afford
the SW. Your long time user base will abandon you good luck when you go BK.
 
M

Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

You will find, going forward, many software makers adopting the Ribbon idea,
if not the exact interface.

Just for your information.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, Dominic asked:

| Thank you all for your input. However I have absolutely no intention
| of learning a new system. I downloaded and installed Open Office from
| openoffice.org, and best part its free. I am one of the few people
| who will to pay for the software I use even with multiple systems I
| have a valid license for each; so MS through its stupidity just lost
| out on 10+ copies of Office.
|
| If this is any indication the way MS is headed I wont go apple but I
| have no problem doing Unix or Solaris as my OS. Just remember MS you
| are dumbing down the software to the point that even a trained monkey
| can use it, but then again how much does a trained monkey make, and
| will they be able to afford the SW. Your long time user base will
| abandon you good luck when you go BK.
|
| "Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]" wrote:
|
|| http://www.pschmid.net offers a free "lite" version of the classic
|| menu.
||
|| However, going forward, you will want to familiarize yourself with
|| the new interface.
||
|| --
|| Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]
||
|| Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
|| ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
|| How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375
||
||
|| After furious head scratching, Dominic asked:
||
||| Does anyone know if the Office 2007 system offers a classic mode to
||| make it behave like Office 2003? I cannot tell you how much I
||| absolutely HATE the new user interface. I have been a computer user
||| since the early 1980's and MS has broken about every rule of
||| incremental software design with this kind of change in the user
||| interface.
|||
||| Currently I am attempting to further my degree and I was forced to
||| take a basic computer class. The one I was stuck with was Office
||| 2007. All I will have to say is I am glad I found out about this
||| 'piece' of software now. I was intending on buying the new version
||| for my systems at home and at the office. After experiencing 2007 I
||| am very glad I didn't waste the money. I am constantly searching for
||| the features and do not have time to learn a completely new piece of
||| software in order to do my job.
|||
||| I do like some of the new features of 2007 but cant stand the UI is
||| there a way to toggle between a 'Classic Mode' and 'Totally
||| Different Software Mode (Default)'?
 
D

Dima

MS has lost and will loose much money, because users of previous Office
versions do not and will not upgrade to the Office 2007 interface.
What happened to heads of MS designers? Did they completely change the
heads?:)
Milly Staples said:
You will find, going forward, many software makers adopting the Ribbon idea,
if not the exact interface.

Just for your information.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, Dominic asked:

| Thank you all for your input. However I have absolutely no intention
| of learning a new system. I downloaded and installed Open Office from
| openoffice.org, and best part its free. I am one of the few people
| who will to pay for the software I use even with multiple systems I
| have a valid license for each; so MS through its stupidity just lost
| out on 10+ copies of Office.
|
| If this is any indication the way MS is headed I wont go apple but I
| have no problem doing Unix or Solaris as my OS. Just remember MS you
| are dumbing down the software to the point that even a trained monkey
| can use it, but then again how much does a trained monkey make, and
| will they be able to afford the SW. Your long time user base will
| abandon you good luck when you go BK.
|
| "Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]" wrote:
|
|| http://www.pschmid.net offers a free "lite" version of the classic
|| menu.
||
|| However, going forward, you will want to familiarize yourself with
|| the new interface.
||
|| --
|| Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]
||
|| Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
|| ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
|| How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375
||
||
|| After furious head scratching, Dominic asked:
||
||| Does anyone know if the Office 2007 system offers a classic mode to
||| make it behave like Office 2003? I cannot tell you how much I
||| absolutely HATE the new user interface. I have been a computer user
||| since the early 1980's and MS has broken about every rule of
||| incremental software design with this kind of change in the user
||| interface.
|||
||| Currently I am attempting to further my degree and I was forced to
||| take a basic computer class. The one I was stuck with was Office
||| 2007. All I will have to say is I am glad I found out about this
||| 'piece' of software now. I was intending on buying the new version
||| for my systems at home and at the office. After experiencing 2007 I
||| am very glad I didn't waste the money. I am constantly searching for
||| the features and do not have time to learn a completely new piece of
||| software in order to do my job.
|||
||| I do like some of the new features of 2007 but cant stand the UI is
||| there a way to toggle between a 'Classic Mode' and 'Totally
||| Different Software Mode (Default)'?
Click to expand...
 
G

Gordon

D

Dima

Dear Gordon,
Are you a support professional?
Business users (e.g. economists) of previous Office versions find the
relearning a waste of valuable time.
 
B

Ben M. Schorr - MVP OneNote

Some do. Some find the new UI to be easier and are discovering features
they never realized were in the product before.

And yes, I am a support professional.

-B-
 
D

Dima

Only business newcomers and beginners "find the new UI to be easier".
I'm an innovator, but even I do not want to upgrade to Office 2007.
Our company bought thousand previous Office's before the Office 2007 release
and thousand Office 2003's since the Office 2007 release, and is not going to
upgrade any office's to 2007, only to 2003.
 
B

Ben M. Schorr - MVP OneNote

I'm sorry but that's your opinion. I know lots of advanced users who like
the new interface quite a bit. I also know some who hate it and refuse to
use it. Personally I could take it or leave it. I'm fine with it and I can
see how it makes some features more discoverable. There are other elements
of the UI that I'm not as happy with.

I'm sorry to hear you're not going to let your users have Office 2007.
Outlook 2007 in particular has some nice new features that knowledge workers
and business professionals find useful.

But if you don't want to do it then I guess you won't.

-B-
 
D

Dima

Our company support professionals, not me, are not going to let my colleagues
have Office 2007, because most our business professionals find the Office
2007 UI too uncomfortable.
 
D

Dima

Also, I uninstalled Office 2007 because Excel crashed just at opening of my
vital Excel 2003 file. Excel 2003 works with the file well.
 
G

Gordon

Dima said:
Dear Gordon,
Are you a support professional?
Business users (e.g. economists) of previous Office versions find the
relearning a waste of valuable time.
Click to expand...


I have been a support professional, yes. That's one of the reasons the
ribbon was introduced - users being able to customize the toolbars to the
nth degree is a support NIGHTMARE.
And I haven't wasted very much time re-learning either...
As a recently-retired Systems and Management Accountant I can tell you that
75% of users only use 25% of the functionality of Office anyway....
 
D

Dima

Most of our business professionals go crazy when they have to waste 100 more
time to do a simple operation in Excel 2007 because they cannot find a Excel
2003 command in the 2007 UI!
 
M

Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Too bad you haven't suggested they try this first:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/HA102295841033.aspx

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, Dima asked:

| Most of our business professionals go crazy when they have to waste
| 100 more time to do a simple operation in Excel 2007 because they
| cannot find a Excel 2003 command in the 2007 UI!
|
| "Gordon" wrote:
|
|| ||| Dear Gordon,
||| Are you a support professional?
||| Business users (e.g. economists) of previous Office versions find
||| the relearning a waste of valuable time.
|||
||
||
|| I have been a support professional, yes. That's one of the reasons
|| the ribbon was introduced - users being able to customize the
|| toolbars to the nth degree is a support NIGHTMARE.
|| And I haven't wasted very much time re-learning either...
|| As a recently-retired Systems and Management Accountant I can tell
|| you that 75% of users only use 25% of the functionality of Office
|| anyway....
||
|| --
|| Asking a question?
|| Please tell us the version of the application you are asking about,
|| your OS, Service Pack level
|| and the FULL contents of any error message(s)
 
J

Justin

Dima said:
MS has lost and will loose much money, because users of previous Office
versions do not and will not upgrade to the Office 2007 interface.
What happened to heads of MS designers? Did they completely change the
heads?:)
Click to expand...

There's always Open Office.
 

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