I use Ubuntu myself but I will not say Ubuntu is better. HWA in the browsers is still a major problem. Most latest software available can be install by every awkwardly methods but not double click.

And this discussion is over when I say so.

And this is the end of this discussion.

Let’s see. Wasted space issues. 2007 in average wasted a strip of 850×90 pixels of my screen with NOTHING. And it cut off 1920×90 from my workspace in general compared to my 2003, giving me basically less functionality, because I couldn’t even edit those damn ribbons. Which was also the first and foremost reason why I uninstalled it asap. Then, large buttons. Huge buttons. Everything is trying to take up as much space as only possible. It looks as if made for people with an IQ below 80 and bad eyesight. And the only way to get that space back was to hide the menus completely, which means I’d be constantly toggling them on and off. My patience only goes so far. Then, the program was significantly bigger and bloated, while at the same time doing the exact same thing word has done for ages. Is it really that goddamn hard to comprehend why I wan not exactly pleased with it back then?

Ok, 2010 brings some ribbon editing, but it feels even heavier and I still see no reason to switch over. And I don’t have the desire to do so, because Office 2007 and Win7 made me positively detest ribbons. I hate them with the intensity of a thousand suns, and no matter how much they improve them, I will not be impressed, because I still am of the firm opinion that they are unnecessary, annoying and ugly.

>>Why can’t you use keyboard shortcuts
because I can’t be bothered with remembering 50-something key combinations for a program that I use once every two or three weeks

>> you should absolutely NOT have a menu called “Tools” on a word processor
>fart fart faaaaart
that’s what I heard here

>>you find it under 2 seconds
you have to unhide the right ribbon, go click the button. meanwhile I just click the button.

>> think it is only change that has bothered you
well, it is kinda bothering when you throw out 15 years of good logic and organization out the window, come up with some annoying new crap and not give your users the option to choose and expect people to not be upset. And it’s a horrible trend. now with this new metro thing and the removal of the classic theme they are doing it again.

>>if the change hadn’t brought much to the table
lots of gimmicks

>>That doesn’t mean we should ditch all graphical UI
>>classic toolbars are not ui
what, I don’t even…

Doing what I do at work involves heavy use of Excel and Word collaborating with other users over a sharepoint site.
And there is absolutely no open source product that can offer the powerful review, tracking and version-control features of MS-Office.

But the same me, uses OpenOffice at home because I don’t need those features at home.

Why can’t you understand that?

From a usability standpoint, you should absolutely NOT have a menu called “Tools” on a word processor. What does it mean? What “tools” are in there?
Just look at that picture, and tell me – without using prior knowledge and “tips and tricks” that the majority can’t master – how can I see the document’s layout options? Or how can I track the changes I make to someone else’s document? In 2007 and 2010, I’d know it has to be under “Review” and bam, there it is.

I told you: in Office 2007, when you think of something, you find it under 2 seconds. No mastery required. This is called user friendliness and usability.
The Picture tools become available and highlighted when you actually work with a picture. Table tools too. You wouldn’t get confused with additional menus that are useless to your current activity.

If you can remember menus, you can remember items on the ribbon. You can minimize the ribbon and get it out of your way. You can also learn the shortcuts – as an advanced user – and be as efficient as before.

I think it is only change that has bothered you. I would have been with you if the change hadn’t brought much to the table; but here, there is an immense positive difference that addresses the issues Office has had for years for the majority of its users.

P.S. I am a developer but an average Office user. In my view – as a developer again – a piece of software has to be intuitive and easy to use for an average user. This is one of the most emphasized points in software engineering.
I’ve seen people do magic with command-line tools. That doesn’t mean we should ditch all graphical UI because they “constantly get in the way”.