The chaps over at Bit-tech.net have posted an interesting editorial on MS Office 2007. Here's a slice:

Those of you still nodding your heads know exactly where I'm heading with this: Office 2007 is completely different from what came before, at least as far as a user interface. It's so different, in fact, that it's bound to create a hitch in your workflow. Those of you who use the software on a daily working basis will probably feel very "out of touch" with the changes. Many will immediately look to turn it back to the old Office 2003 (and previous) interface - the one that's been a comfortable, steadfast workhorse since MS Word v5.0.

That's not to say the new interface is worthless. Given a bit of time and patience, I think it's safe to say that the changes will truly increase productivity. Rather than being buried six menus deep, things are where you would want to find them - most features are accessible with only two clicks. As a whole, the change is a big step forward for software that hasn't dared to be different in well over a decade.

The hard part, of course, is finding those two clicks - where's that undo button now? The ribbon concept and the lack of your typical File, Edit, etc. menus create a real mix of user feelings. The entire experience feels much more intuitive in many respects, but there is one glaring problem: It's intuitive to someone who's never used the software before, not someone who thinks he or she knows Office.