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© 2007 KnowWare
International, Inc. DBA LifeStar
2253 S. Oneida St., Ste 3D
Denver, CO 80224
Jay Arthur
888-468-1537
303-756-9144
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In the January
9th, 2007 issue of BusinessWeek, the Tech & You editor Stephen
Wildstrom suggests that Office 2007 is not a must have.
Here's why:
- Learning
Curve:
The new ribbon interface moved functions around, which means that "many
of us will have to relearn what we already know." Microsoft says
that it will take several hours for existing users to "get up to
speed" on the new interface. I don't know about you, but I don't
have several hours to spend. Here's the current and 2007 versions of
the menu. Try to find "File Open or Save" on the new menu...(hint:
it's hidden behind the circular Office Icon at top left).
Excel 95-2003
Menu
Excel 2007
Menu
- Functionality:
Excel still has way more functionality than most users ever tap. Even
Jay, who considers himself a superuser, hasn't found or used all of
the functions in Excel. Wildstrom says: "Since earlier versions
of Office already contain just about every bell and whistle you could
imagine, there aren't a lot of new features in Office 2007. "
- Compatibility and Sharing: To work with XML (the new standard
for sharing data), Office programs create files named ".docx"
for Word or ".xlsx" for Excel. These cannot be read by earlier
versions of Excel without a translator that you can download from Excel.
This makes it hard to share the results of your work. You can set an
option to save files in ".xls" however.
- Bugs: I've been working on the changes to the QI Macros to
work with Office 2007 (see upgrade policy below). They will be complete
by 1/31/2007, but I've struggled with the beta releases of Excel. The
first beta was missing functionality. The second beta wouldn't let me
open files because of some conflict with Norton Antivirus. It was months
before I could find any tech support on how to work around it (turn
off the Office Plugin in Norton which is hidden quite well).
I've spent the last 30 years developing software. One thing I know for
sure: software doesn't release, it escapes. Major new releases
of any software are filled with bugs. I don't care how good you are
at development or testing, something always slips through. Every day
of the year I get messages from Microsoft that "updates are ready
for my computer." I'd spend 30 minutes a day installing changes
if it was up to them. Even automatic install makes me reboot which takes
time.
If my business didn't depend on supporting all versions of Excel, I
wouldn't upgrade for at least a year. Give Microsoft time to work out
the kinks in their new interface before you bet your business on it.
Information Technologies departments are salivating over the opportunity
to spend money to upgrade Office because it will look good on their accomplishments
for 2007, but no one knows how much it will cost in lost productivity to
retrain everyone on the new interface. Based on my own experience, the personnel
costs will be more than the software, but this won't be booked back to IT.
It will be hidden in the day-to-day workings of your business.
Here's
The Point
Wildstrom sums it up nicely: " If you are happy with your current
version of Office, there's no compelling reason to rush out and buy Office
2007."
And I will add, if you do install Office 2007, keep the current version
of Excel on your computer for backup.
QI Macros
Upgrade Policy for Excel 2007 Compatibility
Microsoft released Office 2007 to commerical customers on November 30,
2006 and will release it to the general public on Jan 30, 2007. We are
currently working on making the QI Macros compatible with this new version
of Excel. Our expected completion date is January 31, 2007. You can upgrade
your copy of the QI Macros to be compatible with Excel 2007 as follows:
|
QI Macros or Upgrade Purchase Date
|
Excel 2007 Upgrade Price
|
| On or after November 30, 2006 |
Free |
| July 1, 2006 to November 29, 2006 |
$29 plus S&H |
| Prior to July 1, 2006 |
$89 plus S&H |
We will notifiy you in this ezine and through various other means when
and how to place your orders.
To purchase the QI Macros go to https://www.qimacros.com/orderform.html.
If you already own the QI Macros, you can purchase an upgrade at https://www.qimacros.com/orderup.html
. You must purchase one upgrade for each license you own.
QI Macros Excel SPC Software for Histograms and Control Charts $139 Plus S&H
© 2007 KnowWare International Inc. (888) 468-1537
knowwareman@qimacros.com
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The QI Macros for Excel $139,
is an inexpensive easy to use set of Excel add-ins for statistical process control
and Lean Six Sigma. It draws line, pie, bar, pareto, box whisker, histogram (Cp,
Cpk), scatter and control charts (with stability analysis).
It contains over 70 fill in the blank templates such as the Ishikawa diagram,
QFD, DOE, FMEA, PPAP, and Gage R&R for MSA. Performs ANOVA, t-test, F-test,
and regression analysis.
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