Office 2007 Colors Scheme

[C. Moya]

I use XP's Silver scheme. Why do some Office 2007 apps use a BLUE color
scheme while others like (Publisher) use the right scheme (XP Silver). It
looks horrible and contrasts with everything. Why the disparity?!!!

 

[Bob Buckland ?:-\)]

Hi C.,

For the 2007 Office System, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, parts of Outlook and MS Access received the new 'Ribboned' interface. Those
apps use the 2007 Office theme for the Ribbon element and for their 'old style' dialog boxes, they pickup the Windows color
settings.

For the apps that stayed with the 'traditional' menus, such as MS Publisher 2007, the 'old rules' still apply as to what coloring
they follow. For backround and specifics on the User Interface changes you may want to visit the Office UI team blog at
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh

================
I use XP's Silver scheme. Why do some Office 2007 apps use a BLUE color
scheme while others like (Publisher) use the right scheme (XP Silver). It
looks horrible and contrasts with everything. Why the disparity?!!!

-C. Moya >>
--

Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP

*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*

 

[C. Moya]

I'm not going to tell all my users to visit a blog. This is UI 101. I guess
they'll have to contend with an increasingly inconsistent and
headache-inducing UI... or not upgrade to Office 2007 at all.

 

[Patrick Schmid [MVP]]

Bob didn't mean that your users should read the blog. He meant that you
should go to the blog and read about how Office picks the color scheme.
The short is that the non-Ribbon apps pick a color scheme automatically
based on what the Windows setting is while the Ribbon apps have a
setting you can change. That setting is in Options, Popular and is
labeled "Color Scheme".
To read the explanation of how the color scheme stuff works in 2007 and
when Office picks what, read these two blog posts:
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/archive/2006/08/10/694577.aspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/archive/2006/08/14/699304.aspx

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
--------------
http://pschmid.net
***
Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80
Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh (B2TR):
http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/09/18/43
***
Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize
OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote
***
Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed

 

[C. Moya]

I don't really think normal users care about the technical differences
between Ribbon and Non-ribbon apps. None of what Jensen said (and I've read
it before) explains why some Office 2007 apps on my desktop are BLUE and
others Silver.

Horrible, inconsistent, UI if you ask me. Just plain bad.

--
-C. Moya
www.cmoya.com

Bob didn't mean that your users should read the blog. He meant that you
should go to the blog and read about how Office picks the color scheme.
The short is that the non-Ribbon apps pick a color scheme automatically
based on what the Windows setting is while the Ribbon apps have a setting
you can change. That setting is in Options, Popular and is labeled "Color
Scheme".
To read the explanation of how the color scheme stuff works in 2007 and
when Office picks what, read these two blog posts:
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/archive/2006/08/10/694577.aspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/archive/2006/08/14/699304.aspx

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
--------------
http://pschmid.net
***
Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80
Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh (B2TR):
http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/09/18/43
***
Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize
OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote
***
Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed

I'm not going to tell all my users to visit a blog. This is UI 101. I
guess
they'll have to contend with an increasingly inconsistent and
headache-inducing UI... or not upgrade to Office 2007 at all.

--
-C. Moya
www.cmoya.com

"Bob Buckland ?" <75214.226(At Beautiful Downtown)compuserve.com>
wrote
in message news:[email protected]...

 

[Patrick Schmid [MVP]]

Yes, it does explain it. Which ones are blue and which ones are silver?

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
--------------
http://pschmid.net
***
Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80
Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh (B2TR):
http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/09/18/43
***
Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize
OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote
***
Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed

I don't really think normal users care about the technical differences
between Ribbon and Non-ribbon apps. None of what Jensen said (and I've read
it before) explains why some Office 2007 apps on my desktop are BLUE and
others Silver.

Horrible, inconsistent, UI if you ask me. Just plain bad.

--
-C. Moya
www.cmoya.com

Bob didn't mean that your users should read the blog. He meant that you
should go to the blog and read about how Office picks the color scheme.
The short is that the non-Ribbon apps pick a color scheme automatically
based on what the Windows setting is while the Ribbon apps have a setting
you can change. That setting is in Options, Popular and is labeled "Color
Scheme".
To read the explanation of how the color scheme stuff works in 2007 and
when Office picks what, read these two blog posts:
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/archive/2006/08/10/694577.aspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/archive/2006/08/14/699304.aspx

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
--------------
http://pschmid.net
***
Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80
Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh (B2TR):
http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/09/18/43
***
Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize
OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote
***
Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed

I'm not going to tell all my users to visit a blog. This is UI 101. I
guess
they'll have to contend with an increasingly inconsistent and
headache-inducing UI... or not upgrade to Office 2007 at all.

--
-C. Moya
www.cmoya.com

"Bob Buckland ?" <75214.226(At Beautiful Downtown)compuserve.com>
wrote
in message Hi C.,

For the 2007 Office System, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, parts of Outlook
and
MS Access received the new 'Ribboned' interface. Those
apps use the 2007 Office theme for the Ribbon element and for their
'old
style' dialog boxes, they pickup the Windows color
settings.

For the apps that stayed with the 'traditional' menus, such as MS
Publisher 2007, the 'old rules' still apply as to what coloring
they follow. For backround and specifics on the User Interface changes
you may want to visit the Office UI team blog at
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh

================
I use XP's Silver scheme. Why do some Office 2007 apps use a BLUE color
scheme while others like (Publisher) use the right scheme (XP Silver).
It
looks horrible and contrasts with everything. Why the disparity?!!!

-C. Moya >>
--

Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP

*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*

 

[C. Moya]

It might "explain" it to you and me... technical people. It doesn't REALLY
explain why- aside from technical difficulties- Office 2007 installs with a
BLUE a theme on a WinXP set up to use XP Silver's scheme.

In other words, what I mean is that it doesn't JUSTIFY this totally
against-UI-conventions decision.

--
-C. Moya
www.cmoya.com

Yes, it does explain it. Which ones are blue and which ones are silver?

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
--------------
http://pschmid.net
***
Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80
Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh (B2TR):
http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/09/18/43
***
Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize
OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote
***
Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed

I don't really think normal users care about the technical differences
between Ribbon and Non-ribbon apps. None of what Jensen said (and I've
read
it before) explains why some Office 2007 apps on my desktop are BLUE and
others Silver.

Horrible, inconsistent, UI if you ask me. Just plain bad.

--
-C. Moya
www.cmoya.com

Bob didn't mean that your users should read the blog. He meant that you
should go to the blog and read about how Office picks the color scheme.
The short is that the non-Ribbon apps pick a color scheme automatically
based on what the Windows setting is while the Ribbon apps have a
setting
you can change. That setting is in Options, Popular and is labeled
"Color
Scheme".
To read the explanation of how the color scheme stuff works in 2007 and
when Office picks what, read these two blog posts:
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/archive/2006/08/10/694577.aspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/archive/2006/08/14/699304.aspx

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
--------------
http://pschmid.net
***
Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80
Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh (B2TR):
http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/09/18/43
***
Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize
OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote
***
Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed


I'm not going to tell all my users to visit a blog. This is UI 101. I
guess
they'll have to contend with an increasingly inconsistent and
headache-inducing UI... or not upgrade to Office 2007 at all.

--
-C. Moya
www.cmoya.com

"Bob Buckland ?" <75214.226(At Beautiful Downtown)compuserve.com>
wrote
in message Hi C.,

For the 2007 Office System, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, parts of
Outlook
and
MS Access received the new 'Ribboned' interface. Those
apps use the 2007 Office theme for the Ribbon element and for their
'old
style' dialog boxes, they pickup the Windows color
settings.

For the apps that stayed with the 'traditional' menus, such as MS
Publisher 2007, the 'old rules' still apply as to what coloring
they follow. For backround and specifics on the User Interface
changes
you may want to visit the Office UI team blog at
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh

================
I use XP's Silver scheme. Why do some Office 2007 apps use a BLUE
color
scheme while others like (Publisher) use the right scheme (XP
Silver).
It
looks horrible and contrasts with everything. Why the disparity?!!!

-C. Moya >>
--

Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP

*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*

 

[Patrick Schmid [MVP]]

It gives the user the choice to pick whatever scheme they prefer for
their Office ribbon apps. Doesn't sound like a complicated technical
explanation to me.

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
--------------
http://pschmid.net
***
Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80
Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh (B2TR):
http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/09/18/43
***
Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize
OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote
***
Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed

It might "explain" it to you and me... technical people. It doesn't REALLY
explain why- aside from technical difficulties- Office 2007 installs with a
BLUE a theme on a WinXP set up to use XP Silver's scheme.

In other words, what I mean is that it doesn't JUSTIFY this totally
against-UI-conventions decision.

--
-C. Moya
www.cmoya.com

Yes, it does explain it. Which ones are blue and which ones are silver?

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
--------------
http://pschmid.net
***
Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80
Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh (B2TR):
http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/09/18/43
***
Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize
OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote
***
Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed

I don't really think normal users care about the technical differences
between Ribbon and Non-ribbon apps. None of what Jensen said (and I've
read
it before) explains why some Office 2007 apps on my desktop are BLUE and
others Silver.

Horrible, inconsistent, UI if you ask me. Just plain bad.

--
-C. Moya
www.cmoya.com
Bob didn't mean that your users should read the blog. He meant that you
should go to the blog and read about how Office picks the color scheme.
The short is that the non-Ribbon apps pick a color scheme automatically
based on what the Windows setting is while the Ribbon apps have a
setting
you can change. That setting is in Options, Popular and is labeled
"Color
Scheme".
To read the explanation of how the color scheme stuff works in 2007 and
when Office picks what, read these two blog posts:
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/archive/2006/08/10/694577.aspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/archive/2006/08/14/699304.aspx

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
--------------
http://pschmid.net
***
Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80
Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh (B2TR):
http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/09/18/43
***
Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize
OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote
***
Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed


I'm not going to tell all my users to visit a blog. This is UI 101. I
guess
they'll have to contend with an increasingly inconsistent and
headache-inducing UI... or not upgrade to Office 2007 at all.

--
-C. Moya
www.cmoya.com

"Bob Buckland ?" <75214.226(At Beautiful Downtown)compuserve.com>
wrote
in message Hi C.,

For the 2007 Office System, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, parts of
Outlook
and
MS Access received the new 'Ribboned' interface. Those
apps use the 2007 Office theme for the Ribbon element and for their
'old
style' dialog boxes, they pickup the Windows color
settings.

For the apps that stayed with the 'traditional' menus, such as MS
Publisher 2007, the 'old rules' still apply as to what coloring
they follow. For backround and specifics on the User Interface
changes
you may want to visit the Office UI team blog at
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh

================
I use XP's Silver scheme. Why do some Office 2007 apps use a BLUE
color
scheme while others like (Publisher) use the right scheme (XP
Silver).
It
looks horrible and contrasts with everything. Why the disparity?!!!

-C. Moya >>
--

Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP

*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*

 

[C. Moya]

Really? I wasn't presented with "the choice" at any time. I had to dig
around for the option. Sure I found it... but still. And it still doesn't
justify the anti-conventions thing. I guess (taking IE7 as an example) long
established norms, UI conventions and explicit guidelines are out the
window.

This is exactly what many of us spent the last 10 years telling our freshman
VB colleague programmers NOT to do. Enter the huge magenta buttons and
yellow background windows that don't use any of Windows' color definitions.
Oooh I can't wait.

--
-C. Moya
www.cmoya.com

It gives the user the choice to pick whatever scheme they prefer for their
Office ribbon apps. Doesn't sound like a complicated technical explanation
to me.

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
--------------
http://pschmid.net
***
Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80
Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh (B2TR):
http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/09/18/43
***
Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize
OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote
***
Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed

It might "explain" it to you and me... technical people. It doesn't
REALLY
explain why- aside from technical difficulties- Office 2007 installs with
a
BLUE a theme on a WinXP set up to use XP Silver's scheme.

In other words, what I mean is that it doesn't JUSTIFY this totally
against-UI-conventions decision.

--
-C. Moya
www.cmoya.com

Yes, it does explain it. Which ones are blue and which ones are silver?

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
--------------
http://pschmid.net
***
Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80
Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh (B2TR):
http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/09/18/43
***
Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize
OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote
***
Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed


I don't really think normal users care about the technical differences
between Ribbon and Non-ribbon apps. None of what Jensen said (and I've
read
it before) explains why some Office 2007 apps on my desktop are BLUE
and
others Silver.

Horrible, inconsistent, UI if you ask me. Just plain bad.

--
-C. Moya
www.cmoya.com
Bob didn't mean that your users should read the blog. He meant that
you
should go to the blog and read about how Office picks the color
scheme.
The short is that the non-Ribbon apps pick a color scheme
automatically
based on what the Windows setting is while the Ribbon apps have a
setting
you can change. That setting is in Options, Popular and is labeled
"Color
Scheme".
To read the explanation of how the color scheme stuff works in 2007
and
when Office picks what, read these two blog posts:
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/archive/2006/08/10/694577.aspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/archive/2006/08/14/699304.aspx

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
--------------
http://pschmid.net
***
Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80
Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh (B2TR):
http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/09/18/43
***
Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize
OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote
***
Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed


I'm not going to tell all my users to visit a blog. This is UI 101.
I
guess
they'll have to contend with an increasingly inconsistent and
headache-inducing UI... or not upgrade to Office 2007 at all.

--
-C. Moya
www.cmoya.com

"Bob Buckland ?" <75214.226(At Beautiful
Downtown)compuserve.com>
wrote
in message Hi C.,

For the 2007 Office System, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, parts of
Outlook
and
MS Access received the new 'Ribboned' interface. Those
apps use the 2007 Office theme for the Ribbon element and for
their
'old
style' dialog boxes, they pickup the Windows color
settings.

For the apps that stayed with the 'traditional' menus, such as MS
Publisher 2007, the 'old rules' still apply as to what coloring
they follow. For backround and specifics on the User Interface
changes
you may want to visit the Office UI team blog at
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh

================
I use XP's Silver scheme. Why do some Office 2007 apps use a BLUE
color
scheme while others like (Publisher) use the right scheme (XP
Silver).
It
looks horrible and contrasts with everything. Why the
disparity?!!!

-C. Moya >>
--

Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP

*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*

 

[Patrick Schmid [MVP]]

Really? I wasn't presented with "the choice" at any time. I had to dig

around for the option. Sure I found it... but still. And it still doesn't

You can't call seeing it on the first option screen digging around.

justify the anti-conventions thing. I guess (taking IE7 as an example) long
established norms, UI conventions and explicit guidelines are out the
window.

If you come up with a completely new UI methodology (the ribbon) which
is the first real new thing in UI design since the 1970s (menus and
toolbars were invented back then), then why should you follow some
established norms, conventions and guidelines that are much younger than
that?
The Ribbon breaks the most fundamental UI concepts that are decades old.
If I had to design it, I could have also cared less for some 5-10 year
old less fundamental conventions.

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
--------------
http://pschmid.net
***
Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80
Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh (B2TR):
http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/09/18/43
***
Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize
OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote
***
Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed

--
-C. Moya
www.cmoya.com

It gives the user the choice to pick whatever scheme they prefer for their
Office ribbon apps. Doesn't sound like a complicated technical explanation
to me.

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
--------------
http://pschmid.net
***
Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80
Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh (B2TR):
http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/09/18/43
***
Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize
OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote
***
Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed

It might "explain" it to you and me... technical people. It doesn't
REALLY
explain why- aside from technical difficulties- Office 2007 installs with
a
BLUE a theme on a WinXP set up to use XP Silver's scheme.

In other words, what I mean is that it doesn't JUSTIFY this totally
against-UI-conventions decision.

--
-C. Moya
www.cmoya.com

Yes, it does explain it. Which ones are blue and which ones are silver?

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
--------------
http://pschmid.net
***
Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80
Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh (B2TR):
http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/09/18/43
***
Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize
OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote
***
Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed


I don't really think normal users care about the technical differences
between Ribbon and Non-ribbon apps. None of what Jensen said (and I've
read
it before) explains why some Office 2007 apps on my desktop are BLUE
and
others Silver.

Horrible, inconsistent, UI if you ask me. Just plain bad.

--
-C. Moya
www.cmoya.com
Bob didn't mean that your users should read the blog. He meant that
you
should go to the blog and read about how Office picks the color
scheme.
The short is that the non-Ribbon apps pick a color scheme
automatically
based on what the Windows setting is while the Ribbon apps have a
setting
you can change. That setting is in Options, Popular and is labeled
"Color
Scheme".
To read the explanation of how the color scheme stuff works in 2007
and
when Office picks what, read these two blog posts:
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/archive/2006/08/10/694577.aspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/archive/2006/08/14/699304.aspx

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
--------------
http://pschmid.net
***
Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80
Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh (B2TR):
http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/09/18/43
***
Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize
OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote
***
Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed


I'm not going to tell all my users to visit a blog. This is UI 101.
I
guess
they'll have to contend with an increasingly inconsistent and
headache-inducing UI... or not upgrade to Office 2007 at all.

--
-C. Moya
www.cmoya.com

"Bob Buckland ?" <75214.226(At Beautiful
Downtown)compuserve.com>
wrote
in message Hi C.,

For the 2007 Office System, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, parts of
Outlook
and
MS Access received the new 'Ribboned' interface. Those
apps use the 2007 Office theme for the Ribbon element and for
their
'old
style' dialog boxes, they pickup the Windows color
settings.

For the apps that stayed with the 'traditional' menus, such as MS
Publisher 2007, the 'old rules' still apply as to what coloring
they follow. For backround and specifics on the User Interface
changes
you may want to visit the Office UI team blog at
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh

================
I use XP's Silver scheme. Why do some Office 2007 apps use a BLUE
color
scheme while others like (Publisher) use the right scheme (XP
Silver).
It
looks horrible and contrasts with everything. Why the
disparity?!!!

-C. Moya >>
--

Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP

*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*

 

[C. Moya]

Really? I wasn't presented with "the choice" at any time. I had to dig
around for the option. Sure I found it... but still. And it still doesn't

You can't call seeing it on the first option screen digging around.

justify the anti-conventions thing. I guess (taking IE7 as an example)
long
established norms, UI conventions and explicit guidelines are out the
window.

If you come up with a completely new UI methodology (the ribbon) which is
the first real new thing in UI design since the 1970s (menus and toolbars
were invented back then), then why should you follow some established
norms, conventions and guidelines that are much younger than that?
The Ribbon breaks the most fundamental UI concepts that are decades old.
If I had to design it, I could have also cared less for some 5-10 year old
less fundamental conventions.

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]

I like the Ribbon. But you are giving it way way way too much credit. It's a
pallete. Jasc Paint Shop Pro has done it for the last 4 years (see this
screenshot http://www.cflashsoft.com/temp/psp8sc1.jpg). Even old the old
PhotoDraw orphan did it (remember him?). Office 2007's implementation of
this idea isn't even highly contextual (you have to flip the tabs around a
lot). It is a *SIMPLE* exploded menu. Sit down and think about it. They took
the old long vertical menus... and stretched them horizontally. Come on now.

What does the Ribbon have to with Office installing with a BLUE scheme on a
Windows XP set up with XP Silver anyway?

 

[Patrick Schmid [MVP]]

I like the Ribbon. But you are giving it way way way too much credit.
It's a

pallete. Jasc Paint Shop Pro has done it for the last 4 years (see this
screenshot http://www.cflashsoft.com/temp/psp8sc1.jpg). Even old the old

That's a palette or at best a fancier toolbar.

PhotoDraw orphan did it (remember him?). Office 2007's implementation of
this idea isn't even highly contextual (you have to flip the tabs around a
lot). It is a *SIMPLE* exploded menu. Sit down and think about it. They took
the old long vertical menus... and stretched them horizontally. Come on now.

After someone came up with a great idea, it's always the case that
someone says "oh, it's just that, simply"...Yet, no one else came up
with doing it that way

What does the Ribbon have to with Office installing with a BLUE scheme on a
Windows XP set up with XP Silver anyway?

They designed the color scheme method with the new Ribbon UI.

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
--------------
http://pschmid.net
***
Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80
Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh (B2TR):
http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/09/18/43
***
Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize
OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote
***
Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed

 

[C. Moya]

That's a palette or at best a fancier toolbar.


After someone came up with a great idea, it's always the case that someone
says "oh, it's just that, simply"...Yet, no one else came up with doing it
that way

Again, I like the Ribbon... and I think the Office Team did a great job in
implementing it (after all, it's the meat of what they've done for the last
3 or 4 years... at the expense of lots of other things). I just don't see it
as "revolutionary" as you or the MS Marketing Team would like to think. From
my POV it's kinda like "Duh!!! You guys should have revamped the UI 5 years
ago!).

They designed the color scheme method with the new Ribbon UI.

Again, why doesn't Office 2007 install with its Silver scheme when it
detects that it's installing on a WindowsXP machine with the XP Silver
scheme? Isn't that logical?

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]

 

[Patrick Schmid [MVP]]

I stopped wondering about why's half-way through the beta. It's better
for my health that way...

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
--------------
http://pschmid.net
***
Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80
Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh (B2TR):
http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/09/18/43
***
Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize
OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote
***
Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed

That's a palette or at best a fancier toolbar.


After someone came up with a great idea, it's always the case that someone
says "oh, it's just that, simply"...Yet, no one else came up with doing it
that way

Again, I like the Ribbon... and I think the Office Team did a great job in
implementing it (after all, it's the meat of what they've done for the last
3 or 4 years... at the expense of lots of other things). I just don't see it
as "revolutionary" as you or the MS Marketing Team would like to think. From
my POV it's kinda like "Duh!!! You guys should have revamped the UI 5 years
ago!).

They designed the color scheme method with the new Ribbon UI.

Again, why doesn't Office 2007 install with its Silver scheme when it
detects that it's installing on a WindowsXP machine with the XP Silver
scheme? Isn't that logical?

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]

 

[Jeff]

Patrick;
I think they messed up; personally.
I have to agree with C. Moya; who stated,

"I don't really think normal users care about the technical differences
between Ribbon and Non-ribbon apps. None of what Jensen said (and I've read
it before) explains why some Office 2007 apps on my desktop are BLUE and
others Silver.

Horrible, inconsistent, UI if you ask me. Just plain bad."

I totally agree; about the background color issue.
As a "normal" user,
I careless how it's technically done; people are paid extremely well to
figure that stuff out; and I pay good money for the product.
If I change a color; it should change in every app; not just some; and
some keep that disgusting blue.
Personally LOVE the black /charcoal one; and it's more than annoying that
apps like Publisher or, Microsoft Office Picture Manager- another app that
won't change; insist on that UGLY blue; with no way to change them. I don't
care about their excuses/rationales; they messed up. I hope they come up
with a patch for it . If they can get most to follow the color
guidelines;what's up with this picture? I'm sure ALL those creative
developer minds can figure out how to get the applications to behave in a
consistent manner. Saying it's too hard; or saying; technically "we couldn't
do it" is rationalizing it away, and is an excuse. MY GOD it's background
color we are talking about here;not retooling the entire application.
Laziness?
Don't know; but I bugged it back in beta 2 and I see it wasn't fixed.
The rest of it; I can deal with, but that color issue; really is an
annoyance.

Jeff

I like the Ribbon. But you are giving it way way way too much credit. It's a
pallete. Jasc Paint Shop Pro has done it for the last 4 years (see this
screenshot http://www.cflashsoft.com/temp/psp8sc1.jpg). Even old the old

That's a palette or at best a fancier toolbar.

PhotoDraw orphan did it (remember him?). Office 2007's implementation of
this idea isn't even highly contextual (you have to flip the tabs around
a
lot). It is a *SIMPLE* exploded menu. Sit down and think about it. They
took
the old long vertical menus... and stretched them horizontally. Come on
now.

After someone came up with a great idea, it's always the case that someone
says "oh, it's just that, simply"...Yet, no one else came up with doing it
that way

What does the Ribbon have to with Office installing with a BLUE scheme on
a
Windows XP set up with XP Silver anyway?

They designed the color scheme method with the new Ribbon UI.

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
--------------
http://pschmid.net
***
Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80
Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh (B2TR):
http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/09/18/43
***
Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize
OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote
***
Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed

 

[greatriverdesign]

I have to agree with C. Moya.

I realize that the 'ribbon' is unconventional and a complete departure
from what has gone before.

However, so was Windows XP a radical departure from normal Windows in
that you can change the theme to your liking.

Microsoft added that feature. All apps should respect our color
schemes and themes.

And now they come along and give us 3 horribly lousy, completely ugly
colors to select and expect us to be happy with it?

As a designer, I spent a lot of time finding a theme and color scheme
I'm comfortable with.

Not following their own scheme rules by forcing us to use these colors
is just backwards and completely wrong.

-KingSky

 

[Nick Hodge]

KingSky

Unfortunately, the major money earners for MS (Windows and Office) could not
be guaranteed to release on the same time schedule, so Office 2007 was not
built around the new presentation features of Windows Vista.

You can be sure it will on the next release. Although MS give huge sway to
backward-compatibility, this stretches only to the actual application,
rather than whether it works with their 'old' XP operating system.

--
HTH
Nick Hodge
Microsoft MVP - Excel
Southampton, England
(e-mail address removed)
www.nickhodge.co.uk

 

[C. Moya]

That's not an excuse. I've read Jensen's long blog on "color tables" and all
the work that went into creating the canned color schemes and why they HAVE
to be "canned" and not system derived (the way Office 2003 and the "non
ribbon" 2007 apps). bla bla bla. I SWEAR I am seriously hardpressed to see
just what impact any of that had in the final product. Office 2007's silver
scheme (dead grey is a better word) for instance is downright ugly. It's
doesn't even use smooth gradients but rather harsh TWO tone highlights.

I'm at a loss.

 

[Nick Hodge]

We'll have to agree to disagree... the themes come way down my list of stuff
that has been added.

Name Manager
CF improvements
Charts (Although a long way to go)
Added functions (still more to come)
Connection string management
PT Improvements

Themes wouldn't even register on this list (IMO)

Additionally, I suspect the issue lies with the UI team, not Excel, Word,
etc and they have enough hurdles to overcome ;-)

--
HTH
Nick Hodge
Microsoft MVP - Excel
Southampton, England
(e-mail address removed)
www.nickhodge.co.uk

 

[C. Moya]

Well, I'm not saying Office 2007 doesn't contain improvements. I like the
ribbon (a lot). And Outlook 2007 fixed every single anamoly with cached
exchange mode and disconnected-from-VPN situations. Outlook 2007 *alone*
(for me) is well worth the upgrade. But as a developer that concentrates on
end-user UI's, Office 2007 is just jarring and grating to me in many ways in
terms of overall presentation and consistency.