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Microsoft Word 2011 is Worth the Journey ............. 1

Microsoft Word 14, Office 2011 (Microsoft) .................... 1
Installation ................................................................ 2
Installation ................................................................ 2
Warning: Quit Safari ................................................... 1
Whats New ............................................................... 3
Document Gallery ...................................................... 3
The OmiGod Ribbon .................................................... 3
The Ribbon managed with tabs ................................ 3
Sort Button in the Ribbon ............................................ 4
Words New Features .................................................. 4
The equation editor (new) ........................................... 4
The Big Questions ...................................................... 4
Compatibility ............................................................. 5
Documentation .......................................................... 1
Summary .................................................................. 6
Pricing ...................................................................... 6
Upgrade .................................................................... 6

Microsoft Word 2011 is Worth the Journey
In-Depth Review
JOHN MARTELLARO
There has never been a
Macintosh program
that has been so loved,
so reviled, so
controversial, so often
purchased, so written
about, and so often taken as a signpost for the health and well being
of the Microsoft Macintosh Business Unit as MS Word. A program of
this scope, almost like a public figure, has responsibilities, flaws,
advocates and detractors. The key to understanding and using
Microsoft Word version 14 as part of the Microsoft Office 2011 suite
is to leave the attitude behind and try to understand what the users
want and what Microsoft tries to deliver.
Another way to approach MS Word is to appreciate what Microsoft has
done even as we recognize that such a monster program will have flaws.
For example, we in the Macintosh community have come to recognize
certain UI elements, certain Core Graphics technologies, certain ways of
doing things as either hip or backwards. For a long time, the MacBU went
its own way, and while modern Mac OS X apps leaped into the future,
embracing all that Apple advocated, Word 2008 seemed, at times,
antediluvian. Worse, the Macintosh version always seemed a little less
capable, a little less business oriented than its corresponding app on the
Windows side.
Word 2011 (v.14) changes all that. First, even though its fundamentally a
32-bit Carbon app, it has both the look and feel of its Windows
counterpart while simultaneously making dramatic steps to be more Mac
enabled.

Microsoft Word 14, Office 2011 (Microsoft)
(to seeFigure 3)Microsofts Jake Hoelter with the Mac BU explained:
In Office
2011, weve
made
investments in
better
compatibility
between Office for Mac and Windows Office, which is the largest request
we receive from customers. Our work to increase compatibility means we
havent completed the transition of moving the entire user interface over
to Cocoa yet. And because Apples frameworks require us to complete
the move to Cocoa before we can build a 64-bit version, Office 2011 will
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be 32-bit only. However, the new Outlook program in the MS Office
2011 suite is written in Cocoa.
All this, of course, is a grand scheme. Some customers wont like the new
UI, but whats important is that Microsoft has recognized that the Mac is
moving into the enterprise. Therefore, Word on the Mac must cater to the
needs of enterprise users. This specific design goal supersedes the
traditional notion, in our community, that a Word processor should be
ultimately simple, elegant and hyper-intuitive, like Nisus Writer. In my
own case, when I have a major writing task to tackle, its likely going to
be with Nisus Writer Pro. However, for those who dont want to risk
conversion issues with a publisher, those who are making a living in the
workplace with MS Word, and those who need the ultimate in scope and
power, MS Word is the standard. Again, once we understand that, were
ready to dig in.
As an aside, I normally compose my articles in BBEdit and then copy and
paste into our publishing engine. In this case, however, I wrote the entire
review in Word 14 itself.
Installation
The first thing I noticed is that Microsoft, like Apple, is getting away
from glitzy, retro-cartoonish looks and more down to business. The
installer has a low key, professional look.

Installation
During the install, youll be asked to quit Safari if its running. At first, I
suspected, the installer is adding Sliverlight to /Library/Internet Plug-ins.
(Silverlight is Microsofts answer to Adobe Flash and is required, for
example, to watch streamed Netflix movies on a Mac.) UPDATE:
Microsoft later passed on to me that Silverlight is not installed, but Im
still waiting to hear from them why this particular warning occurs.

Warning: Quit Safari
The first thing youll see when you launch Word is a nicely laid out
Whats New page that looks like something Apple would do. Ill go so
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far as to guess that Microsoft has paid close attention to how Apple
approaches the customer with iLife and iWork. That Whats New page
can be brought up at any time from Words Help menu.

Whats New
Evidence of Apples influence appears right away in an improved
Document Gallery that allows the user to select from several different
kinds of templates, focused just on Word, and resizable with a slider. Mac
Word 2008 had a glimmer of this, called the Project Gallery, but it had
neither the clarity of purpose nor clarity of presentation this new one has.
In addition, the old Project Gallery had a less than ideal combination of
tabs, popup, and a source list, so items werent as discoverable. I turned
the old one off right away, but I think Ill leave the new one enabled. In
general, clarity of purpose and discoverability is a design theme that
permeates Word 2011.

Document Gallery
In terms of launch speed, Word 14 has made great strides. I remember
Word 6 back in 1994 that, in a disastrous attempt to have a common code
base with the Windows version, required all of eternity to launch on
my Quadra 700 and was met with howls and scorn by the Macintosh
community. (That was the fastest Mac money could buy at the time.)
Word 14 for the Mac launches the first time in a few seconds. The second
time you load the same document, it launches in under two seconds, and I
have a 2.4 GHz (C2D) MacBook Pro, which isnt all that fast by modern
standards. No matter how you look at it, Microsoft deserves props here.

The OmiGod Ribbon
The most significant and controversial change to Word in MS Office
2011 for the Mac is the Ribbon. While Microsoft may have been coerced
(or seduced) into simplifying Word for the Mac in the past, making no
one very happy, the company has to be given credit for having the
courage to introduce the Ribbon. In fact, tabs of ribbons. That is, select
Home, Layout, Document Elements, etc. to roll in a different ribbon. Its
a nice way to manage things in a hierarchy.

The Ribbon managed with tabs
Its absolutely not for everyone, but the design is a concession to the idea
that pull down menus are so yesteryear when it comes to editing a
document. Modern users want to make changes right now, this instant,
not go fishing around the main menu for just the right menu item. For
example, if you have a list of names, and you want to sort it right now,
just select the text and click the sort button, (highlighted in red by the
author). Which I just did here in Word.

Figure 7
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Sort Button in the Ribbon

Andrew Cynthia Jimmy Susan

If youre only an occasional creator of large, complex documents, youll
probably hate the visual clutter. If you live in Word every day, and after
all thats the target audience, I think youll be very pleased. As for me,
Im growing to like it more and more.
Words New Features
Heres an overview of the most significant new features in Word 14.
The Ribbon
A New Word Document Gallery (formerly Project Gallery)
A full screen view like that found in some dedicated novel and
screenplay writing programs like Scrivener and Storyist, for example
Dynamic Reordering, 3-D visualization of all layers in your
Publishing Layout view document. This lets you see and rearrange
ordering for all of the objects on the page by simply dragging
Picture compression on save for easier sharing of documents
Equation Editor
Information Rights Management helps to better set permissions for
individuals or groups
At-a-glance Document Compare

The equation editor (new)
Other features carried over from Word 2008 have been improved. Heres
a sampling of the notable ones.
Media Browser includes access to iPhoto library and iTunes playlists
Sidebar (formerly the navigation Panel) helps with large document
management
Publishing Layout View adds, for example, dynamic layout guides.
Very cool
Picture Editing, including a remove background tool and filters
Charts adds additional tools
Text effects are applied directly so they can be edited and
spellchecked.
Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is back
The Big Questions
A full description and analysis of the new and improved features of Word
2011 (v. 14) would easily run 10,000 words. (The Microsoft Reviewers
Guide runs 84 pages.) Youll get all the details and more in the books that
support this new version, but the supplied documentation is darn good.
(See below.) For the purposes of this review, I want to focus on two
things:
1. Is it worth upgrading? As is often the case, new features
are added to an application just to generate a buzz and lure customers into
upgrading. Then they find that the new features arent so often used, but
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theyre stuck with an even bigger, more bloated version of the app. I
didnt get that feeling with Word 2011. The new features are well thought
out and worthy additions, especially the Ribbon, the Full Screen View,
and (in my opinion) the Equation Editor. Word 2008 was just a warm up
while Office 2011 is, well, essential.
2. Whats the consensus on the new design and
features? Word 2011 is more Mac-like than ever, despite its
commonality in appearance with the Windows version. Many of the new
page layout, composition and editing features seem to be inspired by
Apples Pages app. Little things, the UI elements reveal that Microsoft
skillfully exercised many more of the Macintosh APIs at its disposal. For
example, the Ribbon interface was written in Cocoa.
For the first time since Word 5.1, I had fun. I think thats because in
experimenting with all the functions, like the media browser interface to
iPhoto, I found that things worked as expected. In the past, prior to
Word 2008, youd try something perfectly obvious, like selecting a
picture and hitting return, expecting the insertion point to appear below
and to the left of the image. In the dark days of Office for the Mac, that
didnt happen, and youd get frustrated. (Also, Ive learned the hard way
to immediately turn off most of the auto-complete functions in order to
avoid perplexing, unauthorized auto changes to my text.) The approach
by Microsoft was that you, as a professional were expected to learn these
UI nuances and instill them through daily use. Lately, it seems to me,
Microsoft has come around to the idea that things should just work as
expected in a modern UI kind of way. In Word 2011, I have yet to feel
surprised or frustrated.
If that changes, Ill have plenty to say about it.
Compatibility
Microsoft says that MS Word 2011 can open all versions of Word
documents since Word 5.1. If you elect to save your documents in the
new .docx format, then realize you need to share them with users of an
older version, you can either use a converter program, the Open XML
format converter, or resave in the Save As dialog box in an older
format.
I created an equation in a 2011 document, saved as .doc, and loaded it in
Word 2008. It came through as an image and looked fine.
Oddly, given this compatibility, the installer leaves the old version of MS
Office on the Mac. I have asked Microsoft about that.
Heres some helpful commentary on the .doc/.docx situation.
Documentation
You get everything but a printed manual, and thats customary. The Help
menu, in addition to a thorough table of contents, points to a wealth of
resources, for example, whats new. Theres also a link to resources for
getting started. You wont feel that Microsoft has skimped on providing
resources to you.

Figure 9
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Summary
This is a major, major application with a boatload of features. I will take
any mortal months to discover its nuances. Accordingly, my provisional
rating is Solid plus. The question here is, do you want to bother? My
answer is yes. From the install to the launch speed to the new features,
to the increasing Mac focus, Microsoft has shown that it understands that
the Mac is insanely popular, on the rise in business, and needs a flagship,
business standard word processor that is feature complete, easy to learn
and fun to use. (I never thought I would say that.) The Ribbon helps there
by making functions more discoverable. The full screen mode and
equation editor, I think, will be very welcome to book writers and
scientists.
That all said, despite the Full Screen View, if I were writing a novel, Id
still use a more focused app like Storyist.
Time will tell, as the app gets into widespread use, if there are gotchas
and bugs. I predict some will be major and lead to the usual
condemnation of Word on the Mac. History has proven that we get
through those somehow. But if you never take the journey, youll never
gain the rewards.
I think Word 2011 is worth the journey.
Pricing
Microsoft Office for Mac 2011, Home and Student edition is priced at US$149.99. It comes with Word, Excel and PowerPoint and 90 days of technical
support. Microsoft Office for Mac 2011, Home and Business edition is priced at US$279.99. It adds Outlook, and provides technical support for a year.

Upgrade
If you purchased Office 2008, either version, between August 1, 2010 and November 30, 2010, you are eligible to download the corresponding version
for free.

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Daniel
Index
E
easily, 7
H
Home and Student, 6
L
launch, 7
layout, 7
M
mac, 7
Media, 7
microsoft, 7
Microsoft, 6
O
Outlook, 2
P
Picture, 7
printed, 7
publishing, 7
W
Word, 7