Hi Marsoupeal,
It's interesting to see some of the comments on the Ribbon change. I recall when Windows came out, similar discussions and
complaints about how almost everything worked, including the layout of the menu bar and what items were listed under those. It
wasn't an overnight success for folks finding that interface 'intuitive' either.
Even when the switch came from things like CP/M to MS-DOS there were complaints that Microsoft 'dared' to change some of the command
line tools so that instead of CP/M's convention for changing a name of a file using
REN NewName = Oldname
to Microsoft using
REN OldName Newname
or Microsoft changing the CP/M PIP [multifunction] command name to COPY. Folks (far fewer 'end users' g in those days ) said they
were sure it would cause no end of confusion and trouble and would of course, fail in the end g. Today, any change can impact so
many users and their daily routines that it's a bit more daring to make a switch than it was in ye olden dayes, although some folks
don't notice that throughout their day that they are switching through differing keyboard and screen layouts with a variety of
devices all day long with little thought to the switch in the keyboard and displays (computer, cell phone, MP3 player, TV/DVR
remote, office copier, digital dashboards in cars)
There was another 'debate' with 'strong positions' over the number of buttons on a mouse for Apple vs Microsoft, and who was right,
and so on
.
Of course now we've all learned from folks doing txting on cell phones that you can actually master an interface while being 'all
thumbs'.
==========
Marsoupeal wrote in message ...
But some features, like word's built in calulator, are harder to
"discover" now. In some ways, the trouble is MS stayed with the toolbars
too long, till they became set in stone in many users' and especially
business users' minds.
Incidentally the ribbon system is not totally new to software. I
remember seeing it as long ago as 2000 in the web editor 1stpage 2000,
(nothing to do with Microsoft or Frontpage 2000 as far as I know.) But I
think Microsoft's business users are more conservative than the average
computer user.
--
Bob Buckland ?:-)
MS Office System Products MVP
*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*