The UI isn't moded as severely as you seem to have interpreted. The application runs the same way as before regardless of what's showing on the ribbon. The UI responds to changes in focus, selection, or whatever - the selection you point out on the "Write" tab just means that those options are currently showing. If you need to insert a hyperlink, you hit the Insert tab and then "Hyperlink". There's no reason to switch back to Write unless you need to get to the commands on the Write tab (meaning that you can type all you want, you just need to switch to hit the bold button).
The "titled" style of tabs represent toolbars that are only available in certain contexts. Picture Tools only are available with a picture selected. It's just another toolbar that you can activate by clicking on another tab.
There is a little mixing going on here - you still have a File menu for whole-file types of operations. Then you have a small toolbar which can be docked either next to the File menu or under the whole ribbon that is very easily customizable, but by default includes undo and some other stuff. So there's still a single menu and toolbar, then the big ol' ribbon.
There is a new version of OneNote in Office 12. That could hardly be up for grabs at this point, since Office 12 is getting close to its first beta. You are correct, though, that it will have no ribbon.
There is still keyboard navigation. In fact, you can even turn on legacy keyboard navigation (for those of you that used Alt+E,C for copy instead of Ctrl+C), but there is no visual menu for that.
Cut/Paste is on Write (in Word). In general, any command that is used better than 80% of the time that the average person uses the application is on the first tab (whatever it happens to be named), and Cut and Paste fall in that category for any app.
It's true, the new Office UI requires more or bigger "pictures" to really look good.
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some answers...
Because Microsoft found that people couldn't find new features (or find features at all). This way is supposed to be better for "discoverability".
No.
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook (possibly to a smaller degree).
The UI isn't moded as severely as you seem to have interpreted. The application runs the same way as before regardless of what's showing on the ribbon. The UI responds to changes in focus, selection, or whatever - the selection you point out on the "Write" tab just means that those options are currently showing. If you need to insert a hyperlink, you hit the Insert tab and then "Hyperlink". There's no reason to switch back to Write unless you need to get to the commands on the Write tab (meaning that you can type all you want, you just need to switch to hit the bold button). The "titled" style of tabs represent toolbars that are only available in certain contexts. Picture Tools only are available with a picture selected. It's just another toolbar that you can activate by clicking on another tab. There is a little mixing going on here - you still have a File menu for whole-file types of operations. Then you have a small toolbar which can be docked either next to the File menu or under the whole ribbon that is very easily customizable, but by default includes undo and some other stuff. So there's still a single menu and toolbar, then the big ol' ribbon.
There is a new version of OneNote in Office 12. That could hardly be up for grabs at this point, since Office 12 is getting close to its first beta. You are correct, though, that it will have no ribbon.
Let it be affirmed:
These are almost all icons *with* text.
There is still keyboard navigation. In fact, you can even turn on legacy keyboard navigation (for those of you that used Alt+E,C for copy instead of Ctrl+C), but there is no visual menu for that.
Cut/Paste is on Write (in Word). In general, any command that is used better than 80% of the time that the average person uses the application is on the first tab (whatever it happens to be named), and Cut and Paste fall in that category for any app.
It's true, the new Office UI requires more or bigger "pictures" to really look good.