Microsoft Office 2007

Microsoft Office 2007 , in the past named Office 12 , is probably one of the largest evolutions of the office automation Suite of Microsoft since its creation. Its exit took place the January 30th 2007 to replace Microsoft Office 2003.

Among the innovations, the total applications remain the same ones (Word, Excel, Outlook, Access, InfoPath, PowerPoint, Publisher, Project, OneNote, Visio), others come to be added, it is the case of: Office " 12" Server, Microsoft Expression Web (succeeding FrontPage), and Groove' S Virtual Office continuation with Groove Management Services, Groove Dated Bridge, and Groove Relay Server let us add-ons.

This software, has a new graphical interface based on a tape of buttons named Ruban , whose functions change according to the actions of the user.

SharePoint, directed by Bill Gates itself, should normally incorporate several technologies of stations in stations while in particular following the recruiting of the founder of the Groove company and the software Lotus Notes: Ray Ozzie .

An altered graphical interface

The baptized interface “Ribbon” (Ribbon) is altered for the core of the applications of Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and the customer of Outlook e-mail. These are of course the programs that the users use more. The objective is to dissolve the usual bar of tools (New/Couper/Copier/Coller…) in order to return a tool much closer to logical and usual handling of the users, with an improvement of user-friendliness, including pull-down menus, but also a strong personalization of the graphical interface. This modularity will also profit in very great part with the developers (see tutorial simple on the extension of the interface in 15 minutes: ). Before it was difficult to add proliferating functionalities with the overloaded menus and the bar of tools, without counting the dialog boxes. The reduction of the workspace and the optimization of the functionalities allow the reverse. Thus the user will be able to concentrate more on his work.

However, the user who was accustomed to optimizing his work by using the personal toolbars, in which it could integrate orders but also macros, without knowledge of the programming, is seen thus private of a tool of productivity and risk to see in the new interface, an unquestionable regression. One can wonder about the legitimacy of this removal of the toolbars personalized, of which the use could remain optional, without disturbing the users who prefer the " ruban".

The suppression of these functions of personalization is largely explained by Microsoft: the investigations carried out by the editor show that only 1% of the users used the personalized bars of the previous models of Microsoft Office. The choice was thus made not renew these functions. On the basis of 450 million paying users of Microsoft Office, they are thus nearly 1 million of them, among most expert, which are thus given up by the developers of Microsoft. One can however be delighted that the new interface brings an undeniable simplification for the very great majority.

Open XML

Microsoft will offer (Royalty-free) with this continuation the format XML standard which will allow the development of specific tools for the developers.

The format Microsoft Office XML (OOXML) uses technologies of compression (ZIP) to include files XML and the other types of files describing the documents. This format gives smaller files and simplifies the exchange of the data between the Office applications and the systems trade of company: it is thus possible to modify information of an Office document or to create an entirely new document using tools and of technologies standards. It is not necessary to reach the Microsoft Office applications.

This new format was validated in December 2006 by ECMA, international agency of standardization and subjected to the ISO (International Organization for Standardization), whose opinion is very followed by the administrations. The initiative aims at reassuring: “If the standard becomes open, the public will consider technology worthy of confidence”, explains Microsoft.

Then, to incite the developers to work with its formats of files, Microsoft will modify the license, thus committing itself not attacking the developers.

The firm of Redmond proposes already free the specifications of formats of files XML for Office 2003; what makes it possible to the users to be sure that their documents can be open by various software.

The editor also hopes to counter the rival formats, in particular Open Document, supported by IBM, Sun Microsystems, Novell, Adobe Systems and Google.

Formats of the files in XML

Old the .doc and .xls, become .docx and .xlsx (even if the old formats remain usable). And due, Microsoft Office uses the XML as format by defect. The unquestionable advantage is that this reduced format once compressed of 75% the size of the current files. A PowerPoint document of 1.3 Mo passes to 200 KB in XML, it is the same for all the other provisions of the continuation, like Word, Access, etc

Native support of the format pdf

It is undoubtedly what obstructed more the users who needed to transform their documents, that it is word processing or spreadsheet, in order to very quickly publish them on Internet. Obliged to circumvent the problem either by using a printer pdf, or by choosing OpenOffice which provided these plug-in by defect. The pressure of MVP (Most Valuable Professional) is certainly not alleviating with this “partnership” with Adobe, which provided the macro one before to integrate to record in pdf under Office. Microsoft will keep also its format XPS, resulting from Subway. Following the reserves of Adobe, these two formats are not included in the continuation but must be downloaded by the users to be available in all the applications of the continuation.

Continuity

Microsoft Office 12 develops on the basis of asset of Office 2003. Completely integrating a batch of programs, waiters, and services intended to help the users to obtain better results. Compatibility with the documents Office antecedents to 12 will be done to the version of Microsoft Office 2000; this reassuring in oneself, but risk to pose problem for the administrations or SME always using the good old man Access 97, which was not converted in Access 2000.

New functionalities

The basic engine of data of Microsoft Access opens to the beginner and tends to facilitate their task of analysis and design with: multi-valués fields.

Translations

Microsoft Office 2007 is translated into 100 languages, of which regional languages like the Alsacien or the Breton.

Notes and references of the article

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