Word 2007 Learning Curve

The others have given you some great tips to start off with: namely use the
old keyboard shortcuts and modify the QAT to be useful for your style of
working.

I feel your pain as I have already been through it. Personally, I am all in
favour of the new Ribbon, but at least three quarters of the tools on the
ribbons are redundant for my way of working. This was the same as previous
versions of Word, but at least in those cases I was able to remove the
redundant tools and add the tools that I find productive (or create a custom
toolbar). Now I am stuck with all the junk stealing my screen real estate.
At least the QAT is easy to edit and you can collapse the Ribbon when not
needed.

--
Terry Farrell - MS Word MVP

"JMB" <jmb.RemoveThis@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:9653F319-18ED-45D8-ADCB-1B293BBDCCBE@microsoft.com...
> Herb and Susan, thanks for the useful feedback. Like Herb I have no
> choice,
> with my company about to make a massive migration to Vista and Office
> 2007.
> And I can't afford to loose much time and productivity because of this.
> Hence
> my present preparatory work at home in my spare time. So I'll have to bite
> the bullet, but this looks like it is going to be a very tough and bitter
> one. Quite frankly I fail to understand what Microsoft was/is thinking.
> Preparing a new document or spreadsheet seems to be all about coping with
> the
> user interface and appearances now, and in the meantime many people seem
> to
> forget what it is really about, i.e. the contents of the message ... The
> next
> release has been aptly code named MS Office HAB (Hot Air Balloon). On the
> other hand I suppose it is also fair to point out that I'm not getting any
> younger and possibly my flexibility to adjust is no longer what it used to
> be.
>
> --
> JMB
>
>
> "Herb Tyson [MVP]" wrote:
>
>> When I agreed to write a book about Word 2007, I faced exactly the same
>> problem you're facing. But, because Word 2007 was the object rather than
>> the
>> means, I had no choice in the matter. At the outset, I was using Word
>> 2003
>> to write the book, but at some point, critical productivity mass was
>> achieved, and I found that new Word 2007 features made me more
>> productive,
>> and so I wrote the last half of the book using Word 2007.
>>
>> I don't know if there are "classic" interface tools for Excel, but there
>> are
>> several for Word 2007:
>>
>> http://www.addintools.com/english/menuword/
>>
>> http://pschmid.net/blog/2007/04/20/111
>>
>> I believe that the second option is free. So, for Word, at least, you
>> have
>> at least three choices:
>>
>> 1. Bite the bullet and learn Word 2007, knowing that Word 14 will surely
>> build on Word 2007/12 rather than on Word 2003/11; this is the best
>> option
>> if you need to keep up with future versions of Word. If it's hard to get
>> used to the new interface now in Word 12, it will only be more difficult
>> several years from now with Word 14.
>>
>> 2. Use a classic interface tool, relying on it when you're in a hurry,
>> but
>> otherwise dabbling and gradually learning the ribbon approach. This is a
>> good option if Word 2007 has features that you need, but you don't need
>> to
>> learn Word 2007 in a hurry. There are other learning aids you can use, as
>> well, such as the interactive guide that shows you where to find Word
>> 2007
>> commands and features:
>> http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT10076633...3&vwidt
>>
>> 3. Revert to Word 2003. This is a good option if Word 2003 provides
>> everything you need and if you won't need to work with documents that
>> rely
>> upon Word 2007-specific features that aren't preserved when using the
>> Office
>> 2007 Compatibility Pack.
>>
>> A 4th option--not incompatible with #1 and #2--is to set up Word 2007's
>> Quick Access Toolbar so that it contains your most-used tools from Word
>> 2003
>> (do the same for Excel 2007). This is the approach I use for my everyday
>> work, and it has alleviated a lot of Word 2007's ergonomic
>> inefficiencies.
>> One approach to this is shown here:
>>
>> http://word2007bible.herbtyson.com/2007/05/02/making-word-2007-a-littl...ore-fam
>>
>>
>> --
>> Herb Tyson MS MVP
>> Author of the Word 2007 Bible
>> Blog: http://word2007bible.herbtyson.com
>> Web: http://www.herbtyson.com
>> "JMB" <jmb.RemoveThis@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:0AB12808-0879-4AD7-B3EE-57299613C21A@microsoft.com...
>> > I'll make an honest attempt to give this question/feedback a positive
>> > twist.
>> > I have been using Word/Excel etc. for years now and consider myself
>> > somewhat
>> > of an expert user. Now I have a new computer with Vista and Office
>> > 2007.
>> > And
>> > I essentially find myself facing this predicament of going up an
>> > enormously
>> > steep learning curve, i.e. relearning how to wordprocess and
>> > spreadsheet
>> > almost from scratch all over again. The new and improved of Office 2007
>> > apps
>> > may look much more "politically correct" than in previous versions, but
>> > so
>> > far my experience has been that it can hardly get any less user
>> > friendly
>> > and
>> > more convoluted than this. I'm giving it a very serious try here, but
>> > I'm
>> > also beginning to think about throwing in the towel. Anybody out there
>> > that
>> > can offer any useful advice as to how I can actually start using the
>> > Office
>> > 2007 applications without letting all my previous experience and
>> > know-how
>> > completely go to waste?
>> > --
>> > JMB
>>
>>

Hi Bob,

Having listened to Jensen Harris in person, reading his blog, and suffering
through the beta, I think I can promise you that they aren't going to "yank the
dialogs out" although they will probably give some of them a facelift the next
time around. I think the tiny size of the launchers was a mistake, probably in
an overzealous attempt to "hide the complexity from new users". Believe me,
they're hearing plenty of feedback about it!

On Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:53:58 -0500, CyberTaz <onlygeneraltaz1 DeleteThis @com.cast.net>
wrote:

>Hey Terry -
>
>Do ya think that maybe they're trying to discourage people from using them
>because they eventually intend to yank the dialogs out?
>
>Regards |:>)
>Bob Jones
>[MVP] Office:Mac
>
>
>
>On 12/27/07 5:53 AM, in article
>E432B79C-8A13-485B-A582-DB7866B2CACA@microsoft.com, "Terry Farrell"
><mvpng DeleteThis @po193qw.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> Bob
>>
>> And how I wish these 'dialog launchers' were activated by clicking anywhere
>> in the group title bar rather than having to aim for the piddling little
>> arrow at its end. After all, the bar is functionless other than for display
>> the group title.
>>
>> Terry
>>
>> "CyberTaz" <onlygeneraltaz1 DeleteThis @com.cast.net> wrote in message
>> news:C398B2DC.2F4BD%onlygeneraltaz1@com.cast.net...
>>> In addition to the excellent suggestions from others, I've found it quite
>>> helpful to pay particular attention to the "Dialog Launcher" buttons that
>>> appear on the right end of the group name bar of many of the tabs - they
>>> look like a little square with a diagonal arrow within it... In most cases
>>> the dialogs or Task Panes they evoke are virtually identical to what
>>> you're
>>> accustomed to using in previous versions.
>>>
>>> HTH |:>)
>>> Bob Jones
>>> [MVP] Office:Mac
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 12/26/07 10:00 PM, in article
>>> 9653F319-18ED-45D8-ADCB-1B293BBDCCBE DeleteThis @microsoft.com, "JMB"
>>> <jmb DeleteThis @discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Herb and Susan, thanks for the useful feedback. Like Herb I have no
>>>> choice,
>>>> with my company about to make a massive migration to Vista and Office
>>>> 2007.
>>>> And I can't afford to loose much time and productivity because of this.
>>>> Hence
>>>> my present preparatory work at home in my spare time. So I'll have to
>>>> bite
>>>> the bullet, but this looks like it is going to be a very tough and bitter
>>>> one. Quite frankly I fail to understand what Microsoft was/is thinking.
>>>> Preparing a new document or spreadsheet seems to be all about coping with
>>>> the
>>>> user interface and appearances now, and in the meantime many people seem
>>>> to
>>>> forget what it is really about, i.e. the contents of the message ... The
>>>> next
>>>> release has been aptly code named MS Office HAB (Hot Air Balloon). On the
>>>> other hand I suppose it is also fair to point out that I'm not getting
>>>> any
>>>> younger and possibly my flexibility to adjust is no longer what it used
>>>> to be.
>>>
>>

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit.

After all the 'waffle' we were given about usability and how the whole area
around the Pizza in Word and Start Menu in Vista are 'sensitive' areas so
the users don't actually have to hit the buttons dead-on, it is a shame that
the team designing the dialog selectors hadn't been party to the same
brainwashing.

Terry

"Jay Freedman" <jay.freedman.RemoveThis@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:o5k7n35noi6b0i2orhm4vfitcmnln4j80l@4ax.com...
> Hi Bob,
>
> Having listened to Jensen Harris in person, reading his blog, and
> suffering
> through the beta, I think I can promise you that they aren't going to
> "yank the
> dialogs out" although they will probably give some of them a facelift the
> next
> time around. I think the tiny size of the launchers was a mistake,
> probably in
> an overzealous attempt to "hide the complexity from new users". Believe
> me,
> they're hearing plenty of feedback about it!
>
> On Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:53:58 -0500, CyberTaz
> <onlygeneraltaz1.RemoveThis@com.cast.net>
> wrote:
>
>>Hey Terry -
>>
>>Do ya think that maybe they're trying to discourage people from using them
>>because they eventually intend to yank the dialogs out?
>>
>>Regards |:>)
>>Bob Jones
>>[MVP] Office:Mac
>>
>>
>>
>>On 12/27/07 5:53 AM, in article
>>E432B79C-8A13-485B-A582-DB7866B2CACA@microsoft.com, "Terry Farrell"
>><mvpng.RemoveThis@po193qw.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>> Bob
>>>
>>> And how I wish these 'dialog launchers' were activated by clicking
>>> anywhere
>>> in the group title bar rather than having to aim for the piddling little
>>> arrow at its end. After all, the bar is functionless other than for
>>> display
>>> the group title.
>>>
>>> Terry
>>>
>>> "CyberTaz" <onlygeneraltaz1.RemoveThis@com.cast.net> wrote in message
>>> news:C398B2DC.2F4BD%onlygeneraltaz1@com.cast.net...
>>>> In addition to the excellent suggestions from others, I've found it
>>>> quite
>>>> helpful to pay particular attention to the "Dialog Launcher" buttons
>>>> that
>>>> appear on the right end of the group name bar of many of the tabs -
>>>> they
>>>> look like a little square with a diagonal arrow within it... In most
>>>> cases
>>>> the dialogs or Task Panes they evoke are virtually identical to what
>>>> you're
>>>> accustomed to using in previous versions.
>>>>
>>>> HTH |:>)
>>>> Bob Jones
>>>> [MVP] Office:Mac
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 12/26/07 10:00 PM, in article
>>>> 9653F319-18ED-45D8-ADCB-1B293BBDCCBE.RemoveThis@microsoft.com, "JMB"
>>>> <jmb.RemoveThis@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Herb and Susan, thanks for the useful feedback. Like Herb I have no
>>>>> choice,
>>>>> with my company about to make a massive migration to Vista and Office
>>>>> 2007.
>>>>> And I can't afford to loose much time and productivity because of
>>>>> this.
>>>>> Hence
>>>>> my present preparatory work at home in my spare time. So I'll have to
>>>>> bite
>>>>> the bullet, but this looks like it is going to be a very tough and
>>>>> bitter
>>>>> one. Quite frankly I fail to understand what Microsoft was/is
>>>>> thinking.
>>>>> Preparing a new document or spreadsheet seems to be all about coping
>>>>> with
>>>>> the
>>>>> user interface and appearances now, and in the meantime many people
>>>>> seem
>>>>> to
>>>>> forget what it is really about, i.e. the contents of the message ...
>>>>> The
>>>>> next
>>>>> release has been aptly code named MS Office HAB (Hot Air Balloon). On
>>>>> the
>>>>> other hand I suppose it is also fair to point out that I'm not getting
>>>>> any
>>>>> younger and possibly my flexibility to adjust is no longer what it
>>>>> used
>>>>> to be.
>>>>
>>>
>
> --
> Regards,
> Jay Freedman
> Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
> Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup
> so all may benefit.

Here are a couple of learning tools for Word 2007 that helped me:

http://office.microsoft.com/training/training.aspx?AssetID=RC100664431033

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/CR100654561033.aspx

http://office.microsoft.com/training/Training.aspx?AssetID=RP100664491...&CTT=5&

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/msoffice/?p=146



"JMB" <jmb.TakeThisOut@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:0AB12808-0879-4AD7-B3EE-57299613C21A@microsoft.com...
> I'll make an honest attempt to give this question/feedback a positive
> twist.
> I have been using Word/Excel etc. for years now and consider myself
> somewhat
> of an expert user. Now I have a new computer with Vista and Office 2007.
> And
> I essentially find myself facing this predicament of going up an
> enormously
> steep learning curve, i.e. relearning how to wordprocess and spreadsheet
> almost from scratch all over again. The new and improved of Office 2007
> apps
> may look much more "politically correct" than in previous versions, but so
> far my experience has been that it can hardly get any less user friendly
> and
> more convoluted than this. I'm giving it a very serious try here, but I'm
> also beginning to think about throwing in the towel. Anybody out there
> that
> can offer any useful advice as to how I can actually start using the
> Office
> 2007 applications without letting all my previous experience and know-how
> completely go to waste?
> --
> JMB

Yes Ok I have tried the QAT approach but I disovered that some of the icons
for different commands look exactly alike and there is no fast-and-easy way
to edit the icons as we were able to do with 2003.

I am now trying out the pschmid Ribbon Customiser. However, I still have to
find out how to customise the ribbon.


--
Paul Gauci


"Herb Tyson [MVP]" wrote:

> Use the QAT as much as possible to collect your most frequently used tools.
> One good thing about Office 2007 is that it's really easy to add items to
> the QAT. Right-click what you want, and choose Add to Quick Access Toolbar.
> The other thing that will make it less of a pain (literally) is to move the
> QAT to below the ribbon. That way, it will a shorter mouse journey, and
> easier to access. (Right-click the QAT and choose "Show QAT Below the
> Ribbon".) The QAT has been my salvation.
>
> --
> Herb Tyson MS MVP
> Author of the Word 2007 Bible
> Blog: http://word2007bible.herbtyson.com
> Web: http://www.herbtyson.com
> "JMB" <jmb DeleteThis @discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:9653F319-18ED-45D8-ADCB-1B293BBDCCBE@microsoft.com...
> > Herb and Susan, thanks for the useful feedback. Like Herb I have no
> > choice,
> > with my company about to make a massive migration to Vista and Office
> > 2007.
> > And I can't afford to loose much time and productivity because of this.
> > Hence
> > my present preparatory work at home in my spare time. So I'll have to bite
> > the bullet, but this looks like it is going to be a very tough and bitter
> > one. Quite frankly I fail to understand what Microsoft was/is thinking.
> > Preparing a new document or spreadsheet seems to be all about coping with
> > the
> > user interface and appearances now, and in the meantime many people seem
> > to
> > forget what it is really about, i.e. the contents of the message ... The
> > next
> > release has been aptly code named MS Office HAB (Hot Air Balloon). On the
> > other hand I suppose it is also fair to point out that I'm not getting any
> > younger and possibly my flexibility to adjust is no longer what it used to
> > be.
> >
> > --
> > JMB
> >
> >
> > "Herb Tyson [MVP]" wrote:
> >
> >> When I agreed to write a book about Word 2007, I faced exactly the same
> >> problem you're facing. But, because Word 2007 was the object rather than
> >> the
> >> means, I had no choice in the matter. At the outset, I was using Word
> >> 2003
> >> to write the book, but at some point, critical productivity mass was
> >> achieved, and I found that new Word 2007 features made me more
> >> productive,
> >> and so I wrote the last half of the book using Word 2007.
> >>
> >> I don't know if there are "classic" interface tools for Excel, but there
> >> are
> >> several for Word 2007:
> >>
> >> http://www.addintools.com/english/menuword/
> >>
> >> http://pschmid.net/blog/2007/04/20/111
> >>
> >> I believe that the second option is free. So, for Word, at least, you
> >> have
> >> at least three choices:
> >>
> >> 1. Bite the bullet and learn Word 2007, knowing that Word 14 will surely
> >> build on Word 2007/12 rather than on Word 2003/11; this is the best
> >> option
> >> if you need to keep up with future versions of Word. If it's hard to get
> >> used to the new interface now in Word 12, it will only be more difficult
> >> several years from now with Word 14.
> >>
> >> 2. Use a classic interface tool, relying on it when you're in a hurry,
> >> but
> >> otherwise dabbling and gradually learning the ribbon approach. This is a
> >> good option if Word 2007 has features that you need, but you don't need
> >> to
> >> learn Word 2007 in a hurry. There are other learning aids you can use, as
> >> well, such as the interactive guide that shows you where to find Word
> >> 2007
> >> commands and features:
> >> http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT10076633...3&vwidt
> >>
> >> 3. Revert to Word 2003. This is a good option if Word 2003 provides
> >> everything you need and if you won't need to work with documents that
> >> rely
> >> upon Word 2007-specific features that aren't preserved when using the
> >> Office
> >> 2007 Compatibility Pack.
> >>
> >> A 4th option--not incompatible with #1 and #2--is to set up Word 2007's
> >> Quick Access Toolbar so that it contains your most-used tools from Word
> >> 2003
> >> (do the same for Excel 2007). This is the approach I use for my everyday
> >> work, and it has alleviated a lot of Word 2007's ergonomic
> >> inefficiencies.
> >> One approach to this is shown here:
> >>
> >> http://word2007bible.herbtyson.com/2007/05/02/making-word-2007-a-littl...ore-fam
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Herb Tyson MS MVP
> >> Author of the Word 2007 Bible
> >> Blog: http://word2007bible.herbtyson.com
> >> Web: http://www.herbtyson.com
> >> "JMB" <jmb DeleteThis @discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> >> news:0AB12808-0879-4AD7-B3EE-57299613C21A@microsoft.com...
> >> > I'll make an honest attempt to give this question/feedback a positive
> >> > twist.
> >> > I have been using Word/Excel etc. for years now and consider myself
> >> > somewhat
> >> > of an expert user. Now I have a new computer with Vista and Office
> >> > 2007.
> >> > And
> >> > I essentially find myself facing this predicament of going up an
> >> > enormously
> >> > steep learning curve, i.e. relearning how to wordprocess and
> >> > spreadsheet
> >> > almost from scratch all over again. The new and improved of Office 2007
> >> > apps
> >> > may look much more "politically correct" than in previous versions, but
> >> > so
> >> > far my experience has been that it can hardly get any less user
> >> > friendly
> >> > and
> >> > more convoluted than this. I'm giving it a very serious try here, but
> >> > I'm
> >> > also beginning to think about throwing in the towel. Anybody out there
> >> > that
> >> > can offer any useful advice as to how I can actually start using the
> >> > Office
> >> > 2007 applications without letting all my previous experience and
> >> > know-how
> >> > completely go to waste?
> >> > --
> >> > JMB
> >>
> >>
>
>

Paul

That is yet another serious shortcoming of the implementation of the new
interface. I am amazed that Microsoft could not foresee that if the Ribbon
is locked for mere mortals (standard Users) to edit and that they are
'supposed' to use the QAT, there needs to be a way to distinguish between
the buttons - just like on the Ribbon!

But the user research team employed at huge expense by Microsoft said that
normal users never change their toolbars and such. Obviously they were not
monitoring real users and took the results at face value.

Terry

"Paul Gauci" <PaulGauci.DeleteThis@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:80F70E8B-EEF0-47A5-B7CC-AC3C5205601F@microsoft.com...
> Yes Ok I have tried the QAT approach but I disovered that some of the
> icons
> for different commands look exactly alike and there is no fast-and-easy
> way
> to edit the icons as we were able to do with 2003.
>
> I am now trying out the pschmid Ribbon Customiser. However, I still have
> to
> find out how to customise the ribbon.
>
>
> --
> Paul Gauci
>
>
> "Herb Tyson [MVP]" wrote:
>
>> Use the QAT as much as possible to collect your most frequently used
>> tools.
>> One good thing about Office 2007 is that it's really easy to add items to
>> the QAT. Right-click what you want, and choose Add to Quick Access
>> Toolbar.
>> The other thing that will make it less of a pain (literally) is to move
>> the
>> QAT to below the ribbon. That way, it will a shorter mouse journey, and
>> easier to access. (Right-click the QAT and choose "Show QAT Below the
>> Ribbon".) The QAT has been my salvation.
>>
>> --
>> Herb Tyson MS MVP
>> Author of the Word 2007 Bible
>> Blog: http://word2007bible.herbtyson.com
>> Web: http://www.herbtyson.com
>> "JMB" <jmb.DeleteThis@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:9653F319-18ED-45D8-ADCB-1B293BBDCCBE@microsoft.com...
>> > Herb and Susan, thanks for the useful feedback. Like Herb I have no
>> > choice,
>> > with my company about to make a massive migration to Vista and Office
>> > 2007.
>> > And I can't afford to loose much time and productivity because of this.
>> > Hence
>> > my present preparatory work at home in my spare time. So I'll have to
>> > bite
>> > the bullet, but this looks like it is going to be a very tough and
>> > bitter
>> > one. Quite frankly I fail to understand what Microsoft was/is thinking.
>> > Preparing a new document or spreadsheet seems to be all about coping
>> > with
>> > the
>> > user interface and appearances now, and in the meantime many people
>> > seem
>> > to
>> > forget what it is really about, i.e. the contents of the message ...
>> > The
>> > next
>> > release has been aptly code named MS Office HAB (Hot Air Balloon). On
>> > the
>> > other hand I suppose it is also fair to point out that I'm not getting
>> > any
>> > younger and possibly my flexibility to adjust is no longer what it used
>> > to
>> > be.
>> >
>> > --
>> > JMB
>> >
>> >
>> > "Herb Tyson [MVP]" wrote:
>> >
>> >> When I agreed to write a book about Word 2007, I faced exactly the
>> >> same
>> >> problem you're facing. But, because Word 2007 was the object rather
>> >> than
>> >> the
>> >> means, I had no choice in the matter. At the outset, I was using Word
>> >> 2003
>> >> to write the book, but at some point, critical productivity mass was
>> >> achieved, and I found that new Word 2007 features made me more
>> >> productive,
>> >> and so I wrote the last half of the book using Word 2007.
>> >>
>> >> I don't know if there are "classic" interface tools for Excel, but
>> >> there
>> >> are
>> >> several for Word 2007:
>> >>
>> >> http://www.addintools.com/english/menuword/
>> >>
>> >> http://pschmid.net/blog/2007/04/20/111
>> >>
>> >> I believe that the second option is free. So, for Word, at least, you
>> >> have
>> >> at least three choices:
>> >>
>> >> 1. Bite the bullet and learn Word 2007, knowing that Word 14 will
>> >> surely
>> >> build on Word 2007/12 rather than on Word 2003/11; this is the best
>> >> option
>> >> if you need to keep up with future versions of Word. If it's hard to
>> >> get
>> >> used to the new interface now in Word 12, it will only be more
>> >> difficult
>> >> several years from now with Word 14.
>> >>
>> >> 2. Use a classic interface tool, relying on it when you're in a hurry,
>> >> but
>> >> otherwise dabbling and gradually learning the ribbon approach. This is
>> >> a
>> >> good option if Word 2007 has features that you need, but you don't
>> >> need
>> >> to
>> >> learn Word 2007 in a hurry. There are other learning aids you can use,
>> >> as
>> >> well, such as the interactive guide that shows you where to find Word
>> >> 2007
>> >> commands and features:
>> >> http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT10076633...3&vwidt
>> >>
>> >> 3. Revert to Word 2003. This is a good option if Word 2003 provides
>> >> everything you need and if you won't need to work with documents that
>> >> rely
>> >> upon Word 2007-specific features that aren't preserved when using the
>> >> Office
>> >> 2007 Compatibility Pack.
>> >>
>> >> A 4th option--not incompatible with #1 and #2--is to set up Word
>> >> 2007's
>> >> Quick Access Toolbar so that it contains your most-used tools from
>> >> Word
>> >> 2003
>> >> (do the same for Excel 2007). This is the approach I use for my
>> >> everyday
>> >> work, and it has alleviated a lot of Word 2007's ergonomic
>> >> inefficiencies.
>> >> One approach to this is shown here:
>> >>
>> >> http://word2007bible.herbtyson.com/2007/05/02/making-word-2007-a-littl...ore-fam
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >> Herb Tyson MS MVP
>> >> Author of the Word 2007 Bible
>> >> Blog: http://word2007bible.herbtyson.com
>> >> Web: http://www.herbtyson.com
>> >> "JMB" <jmb.DeleteThis@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> >> news:0AB12808-0879-4AD7-B3EE-57299613C21A@microsoft.com...
>> >> > I'll make an honest attempt to give this question/feedback a
>> >> > positive
>> >> > twist.
>> >> > I have been using Word/Excel etc. for years now and consider myself
>> >> > somewhat
>> >> > of an expert user. Now I have a new computer with Vista and Office
>> >> > 2007.
>> >> > And
>> >> > I essentially find myself facing this predicament of going up an
>> >> > enormously
>> >> > steep learning curve, i.e. relearning how to wordprocess and
>> >> > spreadsheet
>> >> > almost from scratch all over again. The new and improved of Office
>> >> > 2007
>> >> > apps
>> >> > may look much more "politically correct" than in previous versions,
>> >> > but
>> >> > so
>> >> > far my experience has been that it can hardly get any less user
>> >> > friendly
>> >> > and
>> >> > more convoluted than this. I'm giving it a very serious try here,
>> >> > but
>> >> > I'm
>> >> > also beginning to think about throwing in the towel. Anybody out
>> >> > there
>> >> > that
>> >> > can offer any useful advice as to how I can actually start using the
>> >> > Office
>> >> > 2007 applications without letting all my previous experience and
>> >> > know-how
>> >> > completely go to waste?
>> >> > --
>> >> > JMB
>> >>
>> >>
>>
>>