Steve Conover
June 04, 2006
 Introduction
When I first heard about the changes in Microsoft Office 2007 I was
somewhat concerned. As a long-time Office user, I am very familiar with
the feel of the "classic" suite. While some things sounded good, I was
afraid that things would just be too different. As you can imagine, it
was with some relief that I discovered things weren't going to be so
bad.
I recently downloaded the
Microsoft Office 2007 Beta 2 and have been pleasantly surprised.
Things are different, sure. Some things aren't acting quite like I think
they should. But overall there are some great new features and I have
decided to overlook the negatives for now (who knows, maybe things will
be smoothed out in the final release) and write a short blurb on the
things thank I actually do like in Office 2007.
The general stuff applies:
- The new Aero/Office2007 theme is, of course, beautiful and sets
the standard for aesthetic appeal.
- After some getting used to, the new
Ribbon that replaces the menu/bar paradigm tends to be
convenient and keeps all the important stuff available.
- Quick preview of different options appear on the document
itself, giving an instant feel for what a change will do to the look
and flow of the document.
But these are over-hyped things that most of us are hearing about.
The following are a few of the other changes that I find appealing. Some
are small, some less so, but they all work together to make Office 2007
a nicer place to work.
In short, they are:
- New Context Menu
- Styles++
- Improved Graphs
New Context Menu
The context menu that opens up when you right-click a
word or paragraph now has an additional section to allow you to change
the format of the thing you are clicking on. Want to make a word bold or
red? Just click the word and choose that open. It's fast and really
easy.
(click image for larger view)
Really, it's a small thing, but having what I want
always at the tip of my fingers is something that I really respect
Office for.
Styles++
New shape styles can be applied to the familiar
Office 2003 drawings shapes. These styles transform boring old circles,
squares, etc. into very clean, professional looking illustrations.
These look like effects you would previously need a
graphic artist to complete.
Improved Graphs
The graphs/plots/charts produced by Word/Excel have, for the past ten
or so years, been generally considered sub par. Sure, they get the job
done. But if you wanted something really nice, you had to turn
elsewhere. In Office 2007, everything has been reworked to provide a
really great range of graphical plots that look great in both print and
on the screen.
(click image for larger view)
This is a really big item for me personally. Until now,
I have really been embarrassed about the quality of graphs I have been
able to produce. The 2D stuff was simple and ragged at best, and the 3D
stuff was a joke. No more! As far as I am concerned, these new charts
are fit for everything from web development to journal articles to
magazines. The only danger I see is that the traditional academic
community will be frowning on anything that challengers the boring old
standard that has been set from a lack of tools.
(click image for larger view)
Conclusion Sure, there are a handful
of so-called "productivity" enhancements in Office 2007. For me, though,
the most exciting elements of the new office are graphical. It puts the
power of creating powerful, pleasing, "21st century" documents back in
my hands. What I produce can once again be modern and compelling,
without fooling around with a graphics program.
It is this deviation from the classic Powerpoint-esc feel that may
entice me to buy a release copy next year. |
