Any comments on Word 2007?

[Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca>]

Liz Vela wondered: <<Has anyone upgraded to Word 2007?>>

We poor Mac folks won't have the opportunity until mid- to late 2008,  
so... nope. With that caveat in mind, here's some of what I've heard  
from reviewers and others who have had a chance to play with it:

<<If so, do you recommend it? I'm able to choose Office 2007 if I  
want it, but I'm afraid to convert from Word 2000.>>

It's been getting good reviews, but the first question to ask  
yourself before upgrading is the following: "What problem am I trying  
to solve?" If you don't have a pressing problem, you might just want  
to wait a bit. Microsoft has traditionally taken 3 tries to "get it  
right", and since Word 2003 represents that third try from the last  
round of version upgrades, Word 2007 is back at the start of the  
iteration cycle. Historically, that means you probably don't want to  
be an early adopter unless you want to be one of the unofficial beta  
testers. Wait until at least service release 1, and if you're  
conservative like me, consider waiting for the second full service  
release.

The second question to ask is: "What are the consequences of  
upgrading?" One immediate consequence is that you'll have to ensure  
that you set the default document format to .doc; the new .docx  
format is not yet widely supported (and won't be supported for Mac  
users until late 2008), and you can bet on some version 1 bugs in the  
format too. You'll also have to teach your collaborators how to  
install the .docx compatibility update for earlier versions of Office  
(check the Microsoft Office downloads site). Another consequence is  
that many of your keyboard customizations and custom toolbars will  
disappear. I don't have 2007 running, but early reports are that  
Microsoft has badly damaged the customization feature in an attempt  
to reduce its tech support costs -- but sugarcoats this with the  
official word that they're only doing this to make your life easier.  
Yeah, right. If you keep a copy of your old Normal.dot, this will get  
you around some of the problems, since toolbars created with older  
versions _supposedly_ can be transferred to 2007 in this way.

Last but not least, prepare for a learning curve. The changes to the  
new version are supposed to be quite significant, and though many  
reviewers seem to like them, all have admitted a significant learning  
curve and significant frustration before they figured out what they  
were doing.


----------------------------------------------------
-- Geoff Hart
ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca / geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com
www.geoff-hart.com
--------------------------------------------------
Coming soon:  _Effective onscreen editing_ (http://www.geoff-hart.com/ 
home/onscreen-book.htm)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or 
printed documentation. Features include single source authoring, team authoring,
Web-based technology, and PDF output. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

Now shipping: Help &amp; Manual 4 with RoboHelp(r) import! New editor,
full Unicode support. Create help files, web-based help and PDF in up
to 106 languages with Help &amp; Manual: http://www.helpandmanual.com

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- infoinfocus -dot- com -dot- 

To unsubscribe send a blank email to 
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40infoinfocus.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.