Friday, May 29, 2009

Word 2007: Am I the Only Hater?

Change is hard, right? This week my work computer crashed. I was due for a new one, anyway, so overnight the IT fairy set me up with a brand new Dell. What they didn't tell me was that it came with Word 2007 installed. I've been using various word-processing programs for 23 years now, and rarely have I been so stumped by a new version as I am with this one.

Oh yeah, it's supposed to be easier to use. But I think that they've dumbed it down too much for my purposes. How do I attach a template? (I figured out a work-around that will probably cause production foul-ups down the line.) It even took me way too long to figure out the purpose of the "Office Button," which is really just a glorified File menu.

I'm biting my quivering lower lip and resisting the urge to go fetal. I know that in a few days it will feel like I've been using this version forever. I just wasn't prepared to have to retool this week.

6 comments:

Katharine O'Moore-Klopf said...

I still use Word 2003 because I just don't want to go near Word 2007. I love all my templates and my macros, and I don't want to give them up. Plus, I've seen much written moaning and groaning about 2007 on editors' and freelancers' e-mail lists. I'm hoping to wait out upgrading until 2007's successor comes along.

Laurence Shatkin said...

My wife, Nancy, was also inflicted with Word 2007 where she works. Like you, she finds it confusing.

Michael Cunningham said...

I'm still on Word 2003 but have had to try to use PowerPoint 2007 at home for various projects for work and school. It too is so much more difficult to use than version 2003!

Heather said...

No lie, companywide we have all been given Word 2007 but have been told to not use it yet because it's too confusing, so we're clinging to Word 2003. My husband offered to upgrade my home laptop to 2007, and I said he'd better not touch my Word 2003 program or I was coming after him.

Lori Cates Hand said...

By the end of the day yesterday, I was feeling a little better about Word 2007. I figured out how to do most of the things I need to do and it's starting to feel more natural. But the template problem and the backwards-compatibility issues still loom!

Rachel said...

I love Word 2007 now -- although it took a LOT of getting used to. You can set it to default to saving in Word-2003-compatible mode, which is really helpful in not having to remember who you have to switch backwards for :).