Microsoft Office 2007

been using it for quite a while now [bootlegged a beta a long time back] -- anyway, the GUI is different, but once you get used to it, it's great

you should also note that the new .docx files are INCOMPATIBLE with earlier versions of office unless you check "maintain compatibility" or save a 97-2003 compatible document in ".doc" format.

 

I dont remember were i test it but it was AWESOME..and BTW you should buy it...

 

I have it. It came on my new computer. I don't know what version it is. I use Word a lot and it is different than my old version. It is taking some time to get used to it and find everything I need. I sometimes use the old version on my other computer when I'm in a rush.

I have not even tried the other programs, luckily I have not had to use PP or excel lately. I'm not too efficient with either.

 

i didnt buy the final release, but i acquired it

in any case, it's nice. just remember that not a lot of people have switched over yet, and make sure you save your documents so everyone else can view them.

 

go for it just dont get frustrated because everything is moved around..

the little tabs are nice and intuitive. i really like it [if i havent said it too much already]

everyone seems to be messing around with their GUIs in their new programs. Adobe has a funky GUI in their new CS3 suite, but you get used to them fast.
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Office 2007 is great.

Get it, it rocks.

 

Cnet doesn't always know what they are talking about.

Once you get used to the new interface, it is far superior to 2003. I get it free because I'm still in school, and I've been using it for a couple months now. Definitely worth the purchase. Getting to features is much faster once you know where they are.

 

there is a legal trial out on the microsoft website, highly suggest trying that before you buy. I really like Word 2007, really easy to use.

 

I think I'll trust you guys and just buy.
-Colin

 

Dont bother, stick to 2003, the interface is terrible.

 

Actually, the interface is far better than 2003. We've been testing it for quite a while. There were some performance problems with early versions of Outlook, but the release code is fine. If you ever do charts and graphs in Excel, 2007 is way better than 2003. Word has some nice features as well.

 

Interface only sucks if you're not human.

http://developer.apple.com/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/OSXHIGuidelines/XHIGIntro/chapter_1_section_1.html

 

I got it for free at a Vista launch. Pretty cool and I like it.

 

My brother did some beta for Microsoft, and came over and gave me a copy of Office 07 today... Hooray!
-Colin

 

I've been running it since the betas. Overall it's a great evolution of the office line.

I have had a few quality issues, such as crashes. I have also had Outlook performance issues which are officially documented by Microsoft (there is now a patch out for this that does not seem to help much).

The interface is nice, a step forward. However, there *is* a learning curve, especially if you've used the product since say the mid-90s (basic menu system was unchanged 1995 - 2003). Each product in the line as a "mini" learning curve to get the basics done. I've since found there's another level for advanced users. It's the stuff that was buried the most (that I knew right where to look for) that have shifted the most.

Also, I've noted a particularly high disparity in the new Microsoft Excel interface vs. the old. Also, even though it's polished, there's some "cognitive friction" when generating charts due to new interface design, and probably will be for a year until I get fully used to things.

On the plus side, the output created by the program is far more "Beautiful" than prior versions--automatic shadows, reflection, rotation, etc. to images being a main example. PowerPoint is particularly nice in this regard.

Outlook has a weird hybrid of the new interface vs. the old. I guarantee you this will change in the new version of Office to be all the new style (or I'll eat my hat).

My final analysis was, this is an evolved product but this interface is a huuuge step. They did a lot of research. Some things they nailed, some things need tweaking that you can get only from a lot of users using the software for a few years. I predict the next iteration of the interface will get these "Interface v1.0" human-factors related "kinks" out. For now though, it's still quite usable.


--Mike

 

Example of "Beautiful Output":
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Yep, I'd say the surface of Mars is pretty unstructured.

Except for the face of the alien.

 

Mars is a quientessential example of an unstructured environment!

 

i love onenote - i want to take it out behind the middle school and have sex with it

 

But the performance of Outlook 2007 sucks - it does something insane to the disk fragmentation on my laptop: I can cause over 1,000 new fragments on my disk in a day of just using Outlook. Likely why it can hang for periods of time and get lost in space. I just patched it today and will see how it does (after crashing twice). At least the Outlook crash recovery utility is built in and keeps all the data and a fast recovery (didn't have to rebuild my message store, for instance).

And the benefits of Outlook 2007 are less than the other programs. I've been using Word and Excel 2007 and am now addicted. But my cost to upgrade was rather low, so worth the effort.

 

note to self - avoid a8guy's middle school!

Dude - there's more fun in the world than gui's

 

Use a proper file system so you don't suffer from frag.... wait then you can't use Windows.
Oh the irony.