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office 2010 - how to get classic menu 12
- Thread starter Nifrabar
- Start date
I should have been clearer: the "much like" is in relation to customisation (e.g we can create a ribbon tabs that gathers together commonly used stuff, or run our own macros and VBA). They still behave and appear like ribbons, however, not toolbars.
They still behave and appear like ribbons, however, not toolbars. "
Fair enough, and the advantages of this are? This is essentially my point. I use Word professionally, it is my main tool. I do not see any advantage in the ribbon at all. Quite the opposite. It makes my ability to use Word the way I want to harder.
If it was even neutral I would not be complaining so much. (Sorry about that!)
However, it is NOT neutral. It is regressive. It prevents me from working with Word in specific ways I want to, ways previously available.
Here is the irony of the darn Ribbbon. I have previously, using functions available BEFORE the ribbon, created custom toolbars that duplicate (to a fairly large degree) what we see as the ribbon. Dynamic "collections" of related tasks snd attributes.
Such heavily modifed toolbars were possible. For my own interest and curiosity I completely rebuilt the visual toolbars so the interface was almost unrecognizable. So what you say?
The so what is that on this massively revamped interface was a wee button. Clicked, it reverted Word back to standard. No "sort of", work-around, "kind-of" like standard. It was atandard.
The Ribbon removes choice. It removes even the ability to allow choice.
The very fact people want to have "old menu" is damning. I do not think is is only because people do not like change. It is because the Ribbon is regressive for people who actually use Word well. Who do not need eye-candy hand-holding.
unknown
Fair enough, and the advantages of this are? This is essentially my point. I use Word professionally, it is my main tool. I do not see any advantage in the ribbon at all. Quite the opposite. It makes my ability to use Word the way I want to harder.
If it was even neutral I would not be complaining so much. (Sorry about that!)
However, it is NOT neutral. It is regressive. It prevents me from working with Word in specific ways I want to, ways previously available.
Here is the irony of the darn Ribbbon. I have previously, using functions available BEFORE the ribbon, created custom toolbars that duplicate (to a fairly large degree) what we see as the ribbon. Dynamic "collections" of related tasks snd attributes.
Such heavily modifed toolbars were possible. For my own interest and curiosity I completely rebuilt the visual toolbars so the interface was almost unrecognizable. So what you say?
The so what is that on this massively revamped interface was a wee button. Clicked, it reverted Word back to standard. No "sort of", work-around, "kind-of" like standard. It was atandard.
The Ribbon removes choice. It removes even the ability to allow choice.
The very fact people want to have "old menu" is damning. I do not think is is only because people do not like change. It is because the Ribbon is regressive for people who actually use Word well. Who do not need eye-candy hand-holding.
unknown
> It is because the Ribbon is regressive for people who actually use Word well
I use Word heavily and, I hope, well. I initially felt the way you do, but having persevered I find I like the ribbon - especially now (Office 2010) that I can customise it easily (technically the ribbon was customisable in Office 2007 via RibbonX, but not easily and without a built-in GUI for doing so). And, with my programming hat on, it has to be said that the RibbonX object model is much cleaner, more flexible, and more functional then the CommandBar object model (not that this is something a typical user would need to worry about)
I use Word heavily and, I hope, well. I initially felt the way you do, but having persevered I find I like the ribbon - especially now (Office 2010) that I can customise it easily (technically the ribbon was customisable in Office 2007 via RibbonX, but not easily and without a built-in GUI for doing so). And, with my programming hat on, it has to be said that the RibbonX object model is much cleaner, more flexible, and more functional then the CommandBar object model (not that this is something a typical user would need to worry about)
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- Thread starter
- #25
I fully agree with fumei and the ribbon Microsoft faces us with makes use of office programs much less easy. Not intuitive as it was before. It would be a big step forward if Microsoft would provide a simple checkbox somewere to make the classic menu available again as so many people are asking for.
That way you get best of two worlds.
Those who like the ribbon can use it and those who are very convenient with the classic menu will be happy again.
This also might prevent Microsoft to see more users move to open source alternatives.
-Bart
That way you get best of two worlds.
Those who like the ribbon can use it and those who are very convenient with the classic menu will be happy again.
This also might prevent Microsoft to see more users move to open source alternatives.
-Bart
IMHO the "old" menus were only intuitive as they has been around for a long time and people had got used to them
In fact, if you look at the functionality closely, especially for excel, there are features which probably do not go together and others that are hidden under several sub menus
What I think the ribbon does well is expose those elements that people use a lot and put them on the Home ribbon and then logically group the other elements togther - I also like the way that new elements appear and take precedence in the ribbon when you are using certain aspects of excel - charts and pivot tables spring to mind
Overall - yes - it is different and I sometimes find myself not knowing where a certain item is but if you step back from what you are used to and look at it objectively, I think that someone who had never seen either the classic menus or the ribbon would actually find the ribbon easier to use...
Rgds, Geoff
We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colours but they all live in the same box.
Please read FAQ222-2244 before you ask a question
In fact, if you look at the functionality closely, especially for excel, there are features which probably do not go together and others that are hidden under several sub menus
What I think the ribbon does well is expose those elements that people use a lot and put them on the Home ribbon and then logically group the other elements togther - I also like the way that new elements appear and take precedence in the ribbon when you are using certain aspects of excel - charts and pivot tables spring to mind
Overall - yes - it is different and I sometimes find myself not knowing where a certain item is but if you step back from what you are used to and look at it objectively, I think that someone who had never seen either the classic menus or the ribbon would actually find the ribbon easier to use...
Rgds, Geoff
We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colours but they all live in the same box.
Please read FAQ222-2244 before you ask a question
geoff said:
This is probably true.
Also true. Yes, the CommandBar model was, shall we say, a but clunky.strongm said:
Knowing that you are MUCH better programmer than I will ever be, I hope I can reach that level of comfort with the Ribbon.
unknown
I can install Office 2003 from scratch and set up Word, Outlook and Excel with custom Tools, Toolbars and Macros to work EXACTLY as I want in a couple of hours.
With Office 2010, I can improve it out of the box, but I can never get it to work the way I want. It takes longer. It isn't intuitive.
Office 2003 was WAY MORE CUSTOMISABLE AND PRODUCTIVE.
I like many of the new tools and features that have been added since 2003, but none of them need a Ribbon interface.
The ribbon is like making all wheels square so we have to redesign all out roads to be saw-tooth shaped to accommodate them.
Regards: Terry
With Office 2010, I can improve it out of the box, but I can never get it to work the way I want. It takes longer. It isn't intuitive.
Office 2003 was WAY MORE CUSTOMISABLE AND PRODUCTIVE.
I like many of the new tools and features that have been added since 2003, but none of them need a Ribbon interface.
The ribbon is like making all wheels square so we have to redesign all out roads to be saw-tooth shaped to accommodate them.
Regards: Terry
AnotherHiggins
Technical User
First: Holy crap that's cool, strongm! I've added another star, even if it won't show up. This is the kind of situation where I like being proven wrong.
I hated it when we first moved to 2007. But I've come to like it more than the old style. It's different, but I don't think it's regressive.
As for customization, I still use custom toolbars in Excel 2007. Here's an example I posted in a thread a while back:
[tt][blue]-John[/blue][/tt]
[tab][red]The plural of anecdote is not data[/red]
Help us help you. Please read FAQ 181-2886 before posting.
I hated it when we first moved to 2007. But I've come to like it more than the old style. It's different, but I don't think it's regressive.
As for customization, I still use custom toolbars in Excel 2007. Here's an example I posted in a thread a while back:
[tt][blue]-John[/blue][/tt]
[tab][red]The plural of anecdote is not data[/red]
Help us help you. Please read FAQ 181-2886 before posting.
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