Ok I've just found out that Microsoft is developing the brand new interface for Office 2007. This version will be unique unlike other of the previous Office versions, in terms of workability. Users of current Microsoft Office may need to re-adapt to this interface as working on it may be slightly different.

Check it out the screenshots..

Microsoft Office Word 2007


Microsoft Office Excel 2007


Microsoft Office Powerpoint 2007


You may like to view this video on the new workability and interface
http://www.microsoft.com/office/preview/as...ficeUIIntro.asx
mms://wm.microsoft.com/ms/msnse/0509/25408/new_julie_larson_green_office12_ui_2005_mbr.wmv

Likewise to the Microsoft Vista operating system, the Microsoft Office 2007 will come in 7 different versions.

• Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007
• Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007
• Microsoft Office Professional 2007
• Microsoft Office Small Business 2007
• Microsoft Office Standard 2007
• Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007
• Microsoft Office Basic 2007

The detailed differences between the 7 versions can be found here
http://www.microsoft.com/office/preview/suites.mspx

Thanks to Paul Thurrott, a great someone from Microsoft, posted more screenshots of this new office interface, They can be viewed here
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/offic...1_galleries.asp

Unfortunately, I'm unable to find for a beta download link for it to test it out. I assume Microsoft didn't realease it.

The background of microsoft word looks like mac osx.

All three applications look like windows vista.

Now we know what they look like, I wonder how fast your computer needs to be in order to run this thing. Also, I wonder how fast the applications would run on your computer. Let's hope that it's not anything like yahoo! mail beta.

I really do not like this new version of Micrsoft Office. Many Microsoft Office users including myself have been using office since its early versions. In every new version the interface has remained somewhat the same. This new version completely changed it. I see no need to have to fix something that is not broken. The fact there are seven different versions available is also kind of annoying just make one version to keep people from being confused.

Wow, Microsoft really have made that look more like a Mac than Windows. I'm sure they said the key to their software was that everything looked the same, so you could use any application easily? Although it does look clean and modern, a lot of people are going to need to relearn how to use the Office system, especially if they are not exactly computer-savvy.

I also noticed that from their comparison table of the plethora of different versions, FrontPage seems to have been dropped from the lineup, along with Visio, so I presume these are only available separately. I am currently doing my GCSEs, and soon I'll be starting my A Levels, and I am going to need the Professional Plus version to get the software I need. Surely Microsoft didn't think this through properly, as no student is going to be able to afford the versions they need, so more people are just going to switch to OpenOffice or some other cheaper version.

Microsoft is ditching Frontpage, but I can't remember what it's being replaced with. With regards to your point, there is no need for anyone to upgrade to this new version, as the one which is currently available will do everything. There is a special Student and Teacher copy, at a reduced price, albeit with less programs.

The interface looks really different, and the first time I saw it, I thought to myself, I'm gonna get confused, but I'm sure when it's delievered, within an hour we'll all get the hang of it. pretty Classy UI as well, I suppose Microsoft is trying to lessen the differences in terms of looks, between Office on Windows and Office on a Macintosh

Microsoft has done it again: They made a new program that (seems to me from the ss's to be) is bulky and complex. What they're doing is exactly why all the other companies like Google and stuff are "winning." They're not being simple enough. Users today don't want to configure everything and make it exactly how they dreamed, they want to be able to open up the program and start typing away without changing anything, and without having to stop and look-up how to change something (rather than literally stopping, looking up, and instantly seeing what to do in most other pieces of software). It's stupid. And they're spending way to much time making the user interface look "cool," instead of making the application work properly and efficiently. That background will probably make it take a noticeable amount of time longer to load for every person to load it. Not to mention it costs money to use... Stick with Open Office -.-

Ive never heard of microsoft ditching frontpage. Frontpage is the most used microsoft unit on my computer. Why would microsoft stop this product? Also, the frontpage product has made microsoft the most money (besides operating systems) on single sold applications. My bet is that they will make a new Frontpage with Office 2007.

And about office 2007 it looks to me like it will be a reliable program, but compared to Office 2003 it will probably be almost the same. If you have heard of what all the beta testers (for Microsoft Windows Vista) the oporating system is just eye-candy. This program will probably take do alot of that. It will also probably take more RAM and space for the program.
All these opinons are coming from some one that dosent see much diference from Office 2002 and 2003. Because, all i see in comparing these programs is shadow and dimentions for the tool bas are added. But i do think that Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 is a better performing software then 2002.