Reading through the release, most of which is reprinted in this article, the software says it will bring back the classic menus that Office 2007 lacks. So, I downloaded it and tried it out for myself… and… it does what it says on the tin!

I now have a new ‘tab’ in the ribbon called ‘Menu’. It sits on the left of ‘Home’ and is the first tab in the ribbon. When you click on this tab, you see the old Office menu structure and icons staring you in the face.

Apparently, the software costs US $29.95 if you want to be a ‘licensed customer’ and get updates and technical support for two years, but the download is free, and the software doesn’t appear to have any time outs, nor are any mentioned. I didn’t buy the software so I’ve no idea if it will simply stop working in 30 days or something like that, although I’m sure they’d prefer that if you decided to use it, they’ll be hoping that you support them by buying it.

Anyway, here’s what the release says: “The Microsoft Office team has done a wonderful job designing the new Office Fluent interface that has replaced the system of layered menus, toolbars, and task panes with the so-called Ribbon. For all its great looks, there are still many users who find the new interface difficult to get used to it, wishing it could look the same as in earlier versions of Microsoft Office”.

The release continues that: “Following the requests from many users, Addintools has introduced Classic Menu for Office 2007 v.2.08, an innovative application that will bring back the classic look to new Microsoft Office, allowing users to work in their usual manner without changing their habits. It lets users retrieve and show the main menu bar, standard toolbar, and formatting toolbar that are hidden or moved away from the direct view. The program works with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. All new Office 2007 features remain accessible in the classic menu and toolbars”.

Next they say that: “Classic Menu for Office 2007 also lets users add the menus and toolbars to Quick Access Toolbar, so that it becomes possible to minimize the Ribbon and finish all operations without having to open it again. The program has been optimized for complete compatibility with Microsoft Office 2007 and supports all major languages, including English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Arabic, Korean, and Chinese”.

They conclude by saying that: “The new Office look doesn't sit well with you? Download Classic Menu from Addintools!”

So, while I’m not normally in the habit of re-printing press releases, this is a very intriguing piece of software that fills the need some people have of restoring the classic menus to Microsoft’s latest Office 2007.

For some people, this will be fantastic news. For others, it’s yet another reason to try Open Office, Google Apps, ThinkFree Office, Zoho Office or some other Office clone or compatible software.

Either way, if this software really becomes popular with users, it’ll certainly send a message to Microsoft, who may be forced to release something like this themselves.

As for me, I’ve quickly gotten used to the Office 2007 ribbon, so it’s kinda weird to see the old menus in action. Still, I’m going to leave it there for a while and see what it’s like using it, and if I come across any Office 2007 users who aren’t happy with the ribbon or just wish they could have the old menus back, I’ll certainly be telling them about this software.
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