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Under the Hood of Office 12

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the more-xls-with-unusable-macros dept.

An anonymous reader writes "ZDNet has posted an FAQ on Office 12, plus a quick preview of Office 12 pre-Beta 1. From the review: Microsoft Office 12.0 pre-Beta 1 drastically revamps the interface layouts of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access. More than a year before the final product will hit the shelves, a pre-beta version of Microsoft Office 12.0 is revealing radical interface changes and user paradigm shifts that recall the overly ambitious Microsoft Office 97 update of the past."

12 of 348 comments (clear)

  1. Clippy? by Pichu0102 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Clippy? What have they done to you, Clippy? Clippy? Clippy? CLIPPY! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!

    1. Re:Clippy? by mrjb · · Score: 5, Funny

      Unlike the late Clippy, a ghostly text-formatting toolbar hovers near your cursor; it fades or darkens in response to your mouse movements. Right-clicking a mouse will reveal the same task-specific menu choices as offered in the masthead banner. (cues creepy music) I see dead Clippies...

      --
      Visit http://ringbreak.dnd.utwente.nl/~mrjb/growingbettersoftware to download your free copy of the book
    2. Re:Clippy? by EddieBurkett · · Score: 3, Funny

      BALLMER: Where is Clippy? Is he safe, is he all right?

      GATES: I'm afraid he died. ... it seems in your anger, you killed him.

      BALLMER: I couldn't have! He was alive! I felt him! He was alive! It's impossible! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

      --
      The only thing I hate more than hypocrites are people who hate hypocrites.
    3. Re:Clippy? by hrm · · Score: 5, Funny

      So now Clippy will give birth to two children (staples?), one of which will cause Ballmer to turn on Gates and restore balance to the source?

      Interesting times ahead...

    4. Re:Clippy? by xs650 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Right, Chessy

  2. Awesome new feature!! by coolGuyZak · · Score: 5, Funny
    You'll be able to make changes to attributes such as font style and watch your document transform in real time

    This has got to be the most innovative thing to come out of Microsoft in years.

  3. Whooosh! by Coimhad+fearg+fhear · · Score: 5, Funny

    As long as the new version of Office allows you to use that cool "Whoooshing" noise between slides in Powerpoint I'll be happy.
    Not that I ever use Powerpoint, honest...

  4. Re:RIP by Alranor · · Score: 5, Funny

    Personally I don't want clippy to RIP.

    I want it to suffer eternal torment in the fires of silicon hell, where daemons will flay it continally until the end of time.

    "It looks like you're trying to inflict agonies beyond belief on me, would you like so.... aaargh, no, no, stop with the poker! Anything but the poker, pleeeaase!"

    But that's just me.

  5. Re:Why exactly is it called Office 12? by timster121 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe someone should point out to them that missing 13 doesn't make it any less Office 13.

    Obligatory Mitch Hedburg:

    "My hotel doesn't have a 13th floor because of superstition. But people on the 14th floor, you know what floor you're really on.!"

    "If 13 is an unlucky number, then 12 and 14 are guilty by association."

  6. Upgrade Cost by saddino · · Score: 5, Funny

    What will it cost?
    Microsoft hasn't yet specified.

    Translation: prepared to be raked over the coals for failing to upgrade from Office 97 for all these years. You don't think those dinosaur ads pay for themselves do you?

  7. Pushing Vista by Murgatroyd · · Score: 5, Funny
    My favorite part of the FAQ:
    Will Office 12 require Windows Vista?
    No. Although there were some initial plans to more tightly couple the new products, they will work independently of one another. There may be some features that "light up" only when a user is running Vista, however.
    Like... oh, maybe, "Save Document"?
  8. Re:RIP by Jozer99 · · Score: 3, Funny

    With the new plugin architecture, you could create a tab who's only purpose is to show a flash movie of clippy burning in hell, being sodomized be devils, ect... Isn't office 12 great?