Office 12 Gets New Look

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When Office 12 comes down the pike in a year or so, it will have a new look and feel aimed at exposing a user's favorite features. Specifically, Microsoft is working on a "ribbon" concept in which the user would get a different strip or ribbon of icons depending on the task at hand—whether it's a simple note, a fancy document, a graphical presentation, multimedia or a spreadsheet, said a source familiar with the plans. That ribbon would expose only the tools relevant to the current job.

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates alluded to this work, without using the "R word," at the company's CEO Summit in May. To ease the creation of professional-looking documents, he said: "We're making some changes in our user interface in Office to expose, make it easy to find the functionality, make it far more visual, [so] that you get all the power that's there in the tool."

News source: CRN | News

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(4 replies) #1 SIG on 11 Jul 2005 - 22:37

What's the "R word"?

#1.1 Betaz on 11 Jul 2005 - 22:44

Did you even try to read the whole article?

#1.2 Porp on 11 Jul 2005 - 22:44

'xactly. What is the "R word".. Ohhh, Ribbon?

#1.3 Betaz on 11 Jul 2005 - 23:26

Uhh...

#1.4 TheSarge on 12 Jul 2005 - 13:29

Now now, boys. Be nice. It's not SIGs fault if he's a little slow.

#2 EduardValencia on 11 Jul 2005 - 22:49

great, expecting office 12

(1 reply) #3 LTD on 11 Jul 2005 - 23:14

Actually, the word is "Release" . . . a word that's been causng alot of moaning and groaning lately.

Since the author of the article already used the word "ribbon", it would be pointless to allude to it indirectly by saying "R word" two sentences later.

Further, "Release" fits the author's intention to make a tongue-in-cheek comment.

Good article.

#3.1 TheSarge on 12 Jul 2005 - 13:31

Oh sure, come right out and tell them what the "R" word is, why don't you.

#4 Raptor on 12 Jul 2005 - 00:55

This sounds an awful lot like "tool bar usage data". The feature that I metaphorically RUN to shut off every time I install Office.

#5 khaos34 on 12 Jul 2005 - 01:32

Is this similar to how Office 2004 (Mac) has the dynamic toolbar that only shows the tools that relate to the task at hand?

#6 VikingStorm on 12 Jul 2005 - 02:16

I keep thinking of Wordperfect Office 12, when I see "Office 12"

#7 Co_Co on 12 Jul 2005 - 02:32

they better do a good job because to me it looks like they're trying to fix what ain't broke.

#8 Galley on 12 Jul 2005 - 03:45

"Ribbon" concept. Yeah, something GoBeProductive has been doing since the late 90's. Not only that, but it does documents, spreadsheets, vector graphics, 3D-charting and layout design, all in a single interface and single file format.

#9 sixnine:design on 12 Jul 2005 - 06:14

How can you make Office different?? Different colours and thats about it.

(1 reply) #10 Thorpe on 12 Jul 2005 - 06:57

Will this cost a bomb still?

#10.1 TheSarge on 12 Jul 2005 - 13:37

Yes, but if you turn in your suicde bombs and renounce violence, Microsoft will give you a coupon for $100 off any MS product.

Just kidding.

Please don't bomb my house.

#11 Gooey on 12 Jul 2005 - 07:26

Why would they chnage a pricing model that has worked so far?

#12 Hanz™ on 12 Jul 2005 - 10:24

THe pricing model only works when it has been bundled with your PC, otherwise it seems so expensive.

#13 edgefield on 12 Jul 2005 - 10:30

OOo > MS office

(1 reply) #14 joeydoo on 12 Jul 2005 - 10:34

Getting rid of all the usless buttons everywhere. The number of times the average user uses them all is .....well .. never. As long as you can tailor it for your own uses its fine. I don't want any buttons disappearing when I want to use them.

#14.1 travisowens on 12 Jul 2005 - 13:26

No button will "dissapear" when you might want it. The point of this ribbon technology is to hide buttons you wouldn't use at this very moment. In a way Office does this in a toolbar basis, when you are in image editing mode, the image toolbar shows up. Now MS is going to impliment this within the toolbar and disable buttons you wouldn't use right this minute.

(4 replies) #15 superrcat on 12 Jul 2005 - 11:54

QUOTE

Specifically, Microsoft is working on a "ribbon" concept in which the user would get a different strip or ribbon of icons depending on the task at hand—whether it's a simple note, a fancy document, a graphical presentation, multimedia or a spreadsheet, said a source familiar with the plans. That ribbon would expose only the tools relevant to the current job.

Clippy -> Task Panes -> "Ribbons"

#15.1 TheSarge on 12 Jul 2005 - 13:42

http://www.aerojockey.com/fark/clippy.jpg

#15.2 Sticktron on 12 Jul 2005 - 13:53

lol @ ^^^

#15.3 Sticktron on 12 Jul 2005 - 14:24

#15.4 ev0| on 12 Jul 2005 - 19:39

looks more like clippy the towel than clippy the ribbon....

#16 lbmouse on 12 Jul 2005 - 13:57

"Office Ribbons"... great, another annoyance in MSO.

#17 jivemastert on 12 Jul 2005 - 20:39

yeah, sounds like crap to me.

#18 Devon_Spencer on 13 Jul 2005 - 08:31

The new office will be great like it already is, it easily smokes openoffice, I'm with Bill on office!

#19 UKer on 13 Jul 2005 - 14:12

I'm personally still on office 10, can't justify forking out for an office suite when I have one that works great now. Plus, I don't pirate software like that as I like to update it to help remedy bugs and security flaws.

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