Why did they do that?

While it is easy, to the point of being commonplace, to bash Microsoft, I generally tend to shy away from it. Mostly because it is too easy, and for the most part it is not deserved. Folks like to talk about how the best way to fix Windows is to turn it off and then back on again, complain about the old "blue screen of death" or talk about how they are the evil empire. While some of it is true, being one more voice in that chorus is really not the interesting or worthwhile.

While any corporation can be picked apart for what they have done, with the possible exception of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, MSFT has by it's shear size driven standardization. The exchange of documents and other information among businesses, or within a business, has been greatly facilitated by Microsoft, and for that, they could not be nearly compensated enough.

Today, however, I find myself in somewhat of an outrage at the company from Redmond. What the F* did they do to the Office suite of applications. I just started a new job, where my new computer is equipped with Vista and Office 2007. What a flippin disaster 2007 has turned out to be. There is an entirely new paradigm for all commands. There is some ridiculous picture bar at the top, with functionality that is "logically grouped" according to the MSFT site. Logically for whom? Having used Office for over 12 years now, I have become quite comfortable, if not proficient with the old paradigm, now I am spending a crazy amount of time trying to figure out where the simplest of commands are. In time, I may learn the new methodology, but why should I have to? What was the driver that made MSFT say, gee, people are getting to good at using our products, we need to add value by taking away, or at least hiding, functionality.

Clearly there is some Mac OS X influence here. Not that Office copied it, but it looks like they have been scared into trying something new, even if it does suck. I find it difficult to believe that adequate usability testing was performed on this suite of applications. The general rule is that the first action should be the correct action, when evaluating UI's, that criteria has not been met. Clearly Bill, Balmer, and the boys missed out on this one. Maybe this is MSFT's "New Coke" moment. Perhaps they will re-release 2003 and call it the "Office Classic"


Today's fly of the day is a mainstay in Boulder Creek: The Pheasant Tail Nymph:
http://www.westfly.com/fly-pattern-recipe/wet/pheasanttail.shtml

Tight Lines,

Dave