Comments on: Mossberg calls Office 2007 an improvement with steep learning curve

By: darkmoon

darkmoon — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 14:15:15 +0000

The ribbon is easier to spot? For whom? Maybe for people that have had experience with computers, but you try telling my mother that after being conditioned to see a File Menu. I can tell you that every single person I’ve shown Office to that is not a techie, had issues with trying to figure that out. Period. Not one single person went… oh… that replaced the file menu.

It just doesn’t work that way.

Just as I learned to write software at an early age, first rule of writing software: “Write for most simple user in the world and you will succeed.” This doesn’t follow that rule. You’re in essence, confusing that simple user.

By: TDavid

TDavid — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 13:47:23 +0000

My primary interest in a Live OneNote is for real time collaboration, Mary, which wouldn’t be served by an .mhtm file, but that is a good suggestion, thanks. And the number of people using IE is shrinking (fortunately or unfortunately, depending on one’s perspective).

By: Mary Branscombe

Mary Branscombe — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 13:09:34 +0000

darkmoon - the Orb is the file menu - it’s in the same place, does the same thing, just mroe colourful and easier to spot.

TD - a Live interface would be nice but you can already share OneNote with anyone who uses IE. Save as a Web page and you get an MHTM file that’s all the images and the rest in a single file you can mail around or drop on a server. I seem to remember a viewer for non IE users too.

By: OneNote Extensibility & More..

OneNote Extensibility & More.. — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 08:40:45 +0000

Blog roundup, January

Wow, another month has already passed? I can’t believe we are 1/12 th done with 2007 already. In either

By: darkmoon

darkmoon — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 18:08:13 +0000

I looked at the Partner edition of Office 2007 a while ago, and my opinion is: The ribbon thing? Going to confuse most users. The fact is, they made it prettier, but they didn’t make it easier on functionality because they moved a lot of the things that most common Windows users are now accustomed to seeing.

For instance. Where’s the File menu? You show that to my mom, and she’ll look at you with a blank look. Save icon? Not very easily noticed.

For the geekier types, it doesn’t take too long to master it. But to convert the rest of the semi-computer literate world? Good luck. The learning curve is going to kill sales just like trying to learn Lightwave with no manual.