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What’s New in Excel 2007?
I f you’ve used a previous version of Excel, this chapter is for you. Here you’ll IN THIS CHAPTER
find a quick overview of what’s new and what’s changed in Excel 2007.
The new features in Excel 2007
A New User Interface
The first thing you notice about Excel 2007 is its new look. The time-honored
menu-and-toolbar user interface has been scrapped and replaced with a new
“tab-and-ribbon” interface. Although the new interface kind of resembles menus
and toolbars, you’ll find that it’s radically different.
Long-time Excel users have probably noticed that, with each new version, the
menu system has gotten increasingly complicated. In addition, the number of
toolbars had become almost overwhelming. After all, every new feature must
have a way to be accessed. In the past, access meant adding more items to the
menus and building new toolbars. The Microsoft designers set out to solve the
problem, and the new Ribbon interface is their solution.
Time will tell how users will accept the new Ribbon interface. As I write this
book, the reaction can best be described as “mixed.” As with anything new, some
people love it, others hate it.

CROSS-REF Chapter 1 contains more information about the new Ribbon
CROSS-REF
interface, including a description of its components.
I think many experienced Excel users will suffer from a mild case of bewilder-
ment as they realize that all their familiar command sequences no longer work.
Beginning users, on the other hand, will be able to get up to speed much more
quickly because they won’t be overwhelmed with irrelevant menus and toolbars.

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