Microsoft Office Professional 2010

Microsoft Office 2010 Professional is a suite of tools aimed at extending user-productivity. Created in 1990, it was designed to bring together the different tools used in an office setting. The suite has become the defacto tool used with many major corporations. This entry in the long-running series shows that Microsoft has an eye on the future but isn’t quite ready to change everything.

The User Interface

The UI for Microsoft Office continues to use the Ribbon interface first introduced in Office 2007. This seems to be something people either love or hate. Regardless, the Ribbon is now across all applications within the Office Suite. While this does help making the transition between applications easier, it also can irritate long time users that are used to how things are laid out. Having to relearn how to use a program every few years can be a bit bothersome.

Embracing new technology

One of the main reasons that Microsoft released a new version of Office is to help combat the increasing presence of other office products on the market. These include Google Docs, Open Office and other free word-processing tools. Microsoft goes a long way to make their product something that can be used over a wide variety of devices. However, there are a few anachronistic approaches that keep the software from feeling modern. These include how the applications handle saving and transferring of data. Microsoft wants to be in control of everything, instead of letting the file formats free. This doesn’t fly in the modern world.

Format Wars

Longtime Word users will understand the frustration of Microsoft’s auto-formatting tools. These still exist in 2010, despite the pleas of many. These tools assume the person using the product knows nothing and tries to help in many ways. These bits of help aren’t easy to turn off and only work to make the user experience worse.

Office in a Box

Microsoft Office 2010 isn’t a bad program. There are many new and exciting features to be found within the applications. However, long-time users might find the transition to be less than pleasing. Microsoft seems to like putting roadblocks to transitioning users at every opportunity. Those that persist and learn how to use the new applications will find a robust set of tools. Microsoft can make a good product, even if they forget about the user experience from time to time.

Pros

- The new software takes advantage of the power and flexibility of modern systems.

- For those that take the time to relearn the basics, it is a program that is much more powerful than any previous version of Office.

- The New Ribbon interface makes integration with all Office Products a breeze

- Graphic options easily make all documents multimedia

Cons

- Microsoft still hasn’t fixed the issue with Word wanting to format everything a person writes.

- Customizing the product is hidden beneath many layers.

- Printer options don’t seem to be stored

- Too many quirks for certain Office Applications