With Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT)
announcing the public beta release of Office 2010 today I thought I’d share
some impressions of the Consumer Technical Preview (CTP) release of the suite
which I’ve been testing at home and at work for a few months.
I’m not a power-Office user so my
usage is confined largely to Outlook and Word, with occasional very basic Excel
usage. And I should add I’m not keen on change, and was never really sold on
the ribbon interface when it was added to Word in Office 2007. Suddenly, it
seemed, I couldn’t find anything anymore, because of a design change that was
supposed to make it easier to find things.
Well, the ribbon is back in 2010,
and now it’s everywhere. Excel and Outlook, as well as the other apps, all have
it too. While I’m still somewhat of a design purist, and I’d like a “classic
mode” option to toggle, the ribbon has grown on me somewhat. I guess I’ve just
gotten used to it. And, as a novice Excel user, I did find it easier to do some
advanced spread-sheeting and charts thanks to the ribbon interface.
Perhaps the ribbon is more
attractive to those people that aren’t already proficient with an application.
If you do already know what you’re doing, the change can be disquieting. Either
way, the ribbon is firmly entrenched in 2010.And it doesn't seem as busy as it was in 2007, appearing a little cleaner and less cluttered.
Also new in 2010 is what they call
the “backstage.” Each app has a button that takes you into a sub-menu system
for opening and saving files, printing, and other functions. I like the version
control and permission management tools that allow you to track changes and set
who can make edits.
I’m not as keen, however, on the way
the print tools have been moved way backstage. Of course I can short-cut there
with ctrl-p, but via mouse clicks, I counted three clicks to get from document
to document printing. Seems like two too many, a quick print icon on the main
screen would be nice (one can be added manually).
As mentioned, Outlook now has the
ribbon interface. While it took some getting used to (I had to hunt for the
send/receive quick button before finally finding it hiding on the top left of
the interface). The quick action tabs are interesting, such as the button to
instantly open an e-mail addressed to your manager, although I haven’t made
much use of them. The rules also have potential, and I like how the calendar is
now more integrated into the main mail screen, showing upcoming meetings as
well as outstanding tasks without tabbing away.
I wasn’t that keen however on the
threading message functionality. It makes sense in theory, being able to view
messages back and forth on the same topic as a conversation rather than as separate
messages. It could just be my resistance to change, but I found it easier to
follow and find messages before.
These are just a few early
impressions of Office 2010, and I haven’t even gotten into many of the apps in
the suite, such as PowerPoint, Publisher, OneNote and Access. Based on what I’ve
seen though, I’d say if you’re a novice user who has had trouble unlocking the
potential of the Office suites, 2010 will make it easier for you to find those
tools and do more with them. If you’re already a power-user, there are some
functionality improvements but you may find the ubiquitous ribbon interface to
be an adjustment.
Still, in time, you’ll get used to
it. I wouldn’t feel the need to rush into it though.
