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Queen's University
 

Spring 2011 Newsletter


Office 2010: Don't Be Afraid!

Available for purchase since the June 2010, you may be wondering when (or if!) you should upgrade to this latest version of the Office suite. If you're wary of another mind-staggering visual change like the Ribbon, fear not. If you were hoping for the return of a menu bar, well you might be a little disappointed.

 

The 2010 ribbon is slimmer and sleeker than its 2007 counterpart. The biggest visual change you'll notice will be a File tab, which replaces the Office Orb of 2007. 

image of the Office Orb and Home tab in Office 2007

Office 2007
image of the File and Home tabs in Office 2010

Office 2010
The File tab brings you to the Backstage, an area that provides you with document overview and options. Simply put, the Backstage contains everything you do to a file (print, save, etc.) whereas the rest of the ribbon contains things you do in a file (add or modify content).

 

backstage view

Backstage in Office 2010

 

In Office 2010, the ribbon is completely customizable. However, this is a double edged sword. You have the ability to create your own groupings and tabs in the ribbon, which means easy access to commands that you frequently use. However, be careful! Customize too much and you run the risk of discovering that the default ribbon layout is suddenly unfamiliar, should you ever need to work on another computer or reimage your machine. Luckily, the ribbon can be reset to its default layout with just a few clicks.

 

There are a variety of licensing options available for Office 2010. The Campus Computer Store has negotiated an agreement with Microsoft to sell Office 2010 Professional Plus to faculty, staff and students for home use at a cost of $99.99. In comparison, this same product would cost you over $450 at a popular big-box store.

 

Are you a PeopleSoft user? Don't worry! Office 2010 is supported in PeopleSoft.

 

Still not sure? Visit the Emerging Technology Centre and try out Office 2010 for yourself! Or, if you have a Windows Live ID, free basic versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote are available online.

 

 

 

 

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