Microsoft Office 2007: Free for 60 Days
If you want to check out the brand new Microsoft Office 2007, go to the Microsoft Office Online Web site and download one of the free 60-day trials. These aren't Microsoft's normal browser-based demos (called Test Drives) but fully functional software programs that you can try out for 60 days. After that period, the software will become crippled; you won't be able to create, save, or print files.
You can try out four versions of the 2007 Office suite--Home and Student, Standard, Small Business, and Professional. You can also try out seven 2007 programs--such as Groove, OneNote, and Publisher--on their own.
We have just published our review of Office 2007. In a nutshell: we found it a worthy upgrade with a great, new interface and a powerful new file format called Open XML. Warning: it will take you a while to get used to the new suite and not all applications are upgraded equally. Plus, users of the older versions of Office (and that's mostly everyone for now) will need a freely downloadable compatibility pack to work with your new 2007 files.
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I spent some time this summer using (or rather trying to use) the new Excel 2007 beta version. I felt like I needed to go back to school to relearn how to use a tool I've been using daily for 15 years. Yes, there are some flashy new graphs and the data filtering has some neat features, but nearly every task I did in prior versions by memory and I had to relearn.
I use the keyboard for a great deal (ie, ALT-dfa to to establish an autofilter). Although those old keystrokes still work, you get a little pop-up bubble while typing those keystrokes, thus adding an extra keystroke to all the old ones. VERY frustrating.
The context sensitive ribbon rarely had the tool I needed when I needed it, forcing me to go searching for the tool.
I didn't use it long enough to determine if there was a "classic interface" option. Without that option, I will avoid upgrading until the last possible moment.
I know what you mean mpanger.
It wasn't until the advent of Windows 98 that my fingers were finally free of my DOS "habit."
I know what you mean mpanger.
It wasn't until the advent of Windows 98 that my fingers were finally free of my DOS "habit."