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Should I Upgrade to Office® 2007? |
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December 2007 - As many people are now discovering, if you need to purchase new Microsoft Office® software (Word®, Excel®, Outlook®, PowerPoint®, etc.), all you can get is the 2007 version. This comes as a shock when you start it for the first time, and discover that all your familiar menus and buttons are gone, gone, gone! Many new users find the new layout easier to navigate, but for seasoned users, frustration mounts quickly during the search for basic tools like Save, New, and Print. And 2007 uses a new document format that isn't readable by earlier versions. So is it worthwhile to upgrade? Here's what you need to know: If you have Office® 2003, you can download a compatibility patch from the Microsoft website, to allow 2003 to read the new 2007 document format. So if you have Office® 2003, there's absolutely no reason to upgrade unless you want to. If you have an earlier version of Office®, there's no need to upgrade unless you need to be able to open Office® 2007 documents. Even if you do have to exchange documents with someone who has 2007, you can request that they save the document as a 97-2003 format so that you can read it. The one caveat with this process is that if you are using the Track Changes feature, you may experience problems if the document is saved back and forth between versions. But if it turns out that you have to buy the new software, you'll end up searching all the new ribbons (Microsoft's new term for toolbars) for the tools you need. Here are a few hints to make the transition a little easier: One of the biggest differences in 2007 is that all the basic commands like New, Save, and Print are located under the new Office Button, which is a round button labelled with the Microsoft colours up in the top left corner of the ribbons. If you're used to clicking on the Tools menu to find Options, you'll also want to know that the Options are now hidden under the Office Button as well, in an unobtrusive spot at the bottom right of the popup menu. Another main difference is that the ribbons are now context-sensitive, which means that you may not be able to find a tool or command unless you've placed your cursor in exactly the right place for the tool to be applicable. For example, you won't find table formatting information on any of the ribbons, unless you've first created a table and placed your cursor inside the table. The last main difference is the semi-transparent toolbar that fades in above your cursor after you perform certain operations like cutting, pasting, highlighting text, and so on. This almost-invisible toolbar contains useful formatting tools like font size, style, and colour, as well as underline, bold, and other items that may vary depending on what operation you've just performed. If you move your mouse over the toolbar, it will become fully visible, and you can select tools from it just like the old toolbars. There are some very neat new features in Office®
2007. Once you get used to the new layout, you'll have fun with them.
Also, some people prefer the new ribbon format, because all the tools
are visible and labelled in text on nice big buttons. So if you're
forced to upgrade - don't despair! Office® still does what you
need it to do; it's just a matter of getting used to it. By: Diane Henders, Bright Ideas Personalized Learning Inc. For more information or computer training services, please call Bright Ideas Personalized Learning at (403) 692-2255. |
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