Is Office 2007 really that different from previous versions?

unfortunately office 2007 is very different from previous versions, and i don’t mean that in any positive sense of the phrase.

The visual side is different. Once this is learnt it is very similar. It works in pretty much the same way but the places you need to click are in a different location. If you know office well at 2000 and above I would not bother with the book unless you are expected to do anywork in access.

Chances are though is thast they are still using 2003 as many companies are slow on the uptake of the new office due to the file conversion between )e.g.) .doc and docx. This is a pain when emailing word docum,ents to thers that are not on as newer version as you.

Visual appeal and very subtle differences like easier to find things. but not worth upgrading. Go download the free trial!

The layout of the toolbars are completely different. The basic functions of the program are the same. It is how you get to certain features that is different.

If you have not used Office much I would check with them on what version they are using.

Office 97, 2000, XP, 2003 are basically the same. Yes some new features but same basic layout. Office 2007 has a different layout.

It is like going to VISTA from XP. same Windows but how you get to certain features and functions is different.

It is definitely quite different than other versions. However, unlike the other answerer - I prefer Office 2007.

However, it has too many compatibility issues to be used reliably with Office 2003 and earlier. Even using the compatability mode, 07 displays formatting differently than older versions, and users using other versions will see documents you produce differently (margins, paragraphs, etc will be off). When trying to use 2007 in a 2003 office, I got numerous complaints about messed up formatting that was 100% on my side.

So, to answer your question of whether you should try to use the same program as them…yes.

I do agree that the Office 2007 is quite different than it’s previous versions. I would highly recommend that you get the appropriate book as the interface is not at all the same. For example, there isn’t a “file menu” but an office button and a ribbon housing tabs so following the book’s directions when trying to accomplish a task will be much more difficult for you if you don’t have the correct manual.

Office 2007 is just different from its previous versions in the looks. It has a little look of office 2003.
Default format of office 2007 is (.—-x), where —-is the previous format e.g. word has now .docx format whereas the previous versions had .doc format.
You should not change to previous version because it supports all the previous format plus it adds new benefit

At first glance, 2007 does seem very, very different but in reality, once you get used to not seeing all the familiar icons of standard and formatting toolbars there all the time, but click on the relevant menu to display the block of icons under that item, it is pretty much the same. You have the quick access toolbar to which you can easily add extra buttons, like theprint, print preview, open, etc. icons, in other words customise the area just as you probably did the old toolbars. Then of course, you can always use right button of mouse instead of moving up to that area in any case. Once you get used to it you will see it is not really much different and far more logical in the way things are displayed.