The project center (if it is indeed intuitive and designed properly) is
quite possibly one of the most compelling features I have seen in a long
time.

--
-C. Moya
www.cmoya.com

"Jim Gordon" <goldkey74@WarmerThanWarmMail.com> wrote in message
news:uF8RRtBgGHA.1272@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> Hi CMM,
>
> I don't usually hang out in the Windows newsgroups, but I was passing
> through and noticed your posting.
>
> Microsoft has yet another version of Office that you can use: Office 2004
> on the Macintosh. After reading through your comments I am pretty sure you
> would be much happier with Office 2004. I'll put my reasons within your
> comments"
>
> CMM wrote:
>> I gotta say that I am profoundly disappointed with Office 2007. I'm still
>> trying to understand the ribbon... (it seems to basically be just an
>> "exploded" menu bar)... but in essense, this is nowhere near the
>> revolutionary release MS marketing is contending.
>
> I haven't used the ribbon yet and have no opinion about it.
>
>> 1) Excel and PowerPoint STILL have the same confusing, horrible MDI /
>> fake-sdi interface. How hard is it to get Word's true SDI right? Even
>> better, implement a nice TABBED document interface. Give the taskbar a
>> break. This is a showstopper.
>
> By MDI I presume you mean "Multiple Document Interface" where each
> document that is open has a tab button in the Windows task bar. By
> comparison, Office 2004 has a Single Document Interface (SDI). You can
> switch from document to document a number of ways. There's the traditional
> Windows menu, or you can use the Dock icon (the dock is similar to the
> Windows task bar in functionality). On Word Mac there is a Window List
> feature that's available by going to VIEW > TOOLBARS > CUSTOMIZE MENUS AND
> TOOLBARS and dragging it from the COMMANDS tab to any toolbar. Mac Excel
> and Mac PowerPoint do not have a Window List feature. WindowList is not
> available in Word 2003 for Windows.
>
>> 2) Dialogs are just as unattractive- and more importantly, unintuitive-
>> as
>> ever... in fact they look completely untouched. For instance, Word's
>> Modify
>> Style dialog box (with the unintuitively placed Modify button in the
>> lower
>> left hand side) is just as unweildy as ever. Excel's equation dialog
>> doesn't
>> look like it's been touched since Windows 3.1.
>
> Every single dialog box was re-designed for Office 2004. I think they look
> better than the Windows dialog boxes, but that is a matter of personal
> taste. Equation Editor and Style dialog boxes are not the same as Windows
> Office. I like the Mac versions better. You decide.
>
>> 3) Why does resizing the window not resize the view? How do we get a
>> Text
>> Width view? Oh, now I have to go into dialog box to do it?! You gotta be
>> kidding me. Word's "view" of a document is just as distracting and
>> annoying
>> as ever.
>
> In Word's customize dialog (see above) there's a "Fit To Window" command
> that might be just what you are looking for. Give it a try. This command
> is available in both Mac and Windows versions of Word.
>
>> 4) No *unified* Template Center / Gallery / Task Manager? Office has
>> needed
>> an attractive, nicely designed Task Manager for a long time. The old New
>> /
>> Open tools were a beginning but they were never IMPROVED. The idea wasn't
>> bad.... it just wasn't followed through on. Often, I'll need to create a
>> document but not sure which app to use (Word or Publisher... I don't
>> know!!!
>> I'm so confused! Let me call IT.... wait I am IT!!!).
>
> This request is for a very elaborate feature set. Fortunately, it is
> available in Microsoft Office 2004. It is a Macintosh-only feature and a
> major one at that. Check this link and click on the "Project Center" and
> "Project Gallery" tabs
> http://www.microsoft.com/mac/product...ighlights.aspx
>
>> There's more... but these are biggies. So far, I don't see much in this
>> release that especially compelling. Same old Office..... with a new menu
>> bar.
>
> If you are really serious about getting a version of Office that has been
> designed differently from Windows Office and Sun's OpenOffice then you
> should give Microsoft Office 2004 a high priority on your list of things
> to try. It already has many of the features that you are wishing for.
>
> -Jim Gordon
> Mac MVP