1

Microsoft Word 2011 is Worth the Journey ............. 1

Microsoft Word 14, Office 2011 (Microsoft) .......... 2
Installation ...................................................... 2
Installation ...................................................... 3
Warning: Quit Safari ........................................ 3
Whats New ..................................................... 4
Document Gallery ............................................ 4
The OmiGod Ribbon ......................................... 4
The Ribbon managed with tabs ...................... 5
Words New Features ........................................ 5
The equation editor (new) ................................. 6
The Big Questions ............................................ 6
Compatibility ................................................... 6
Documentation ................................................ 6
Word 2011 Help ............................................... 7
Summary ........................................................ 7
System Requirements ...................................... 7
Pricing ............................................................ 8
Upgrade.......................................................... 8
Microsoft Word 2011 is Worth the
Journey
In-Depth Review

Figure 1
JOHN MARTELLARO
There has never been a Macintosh program that has been so loved, so
reviled, so controversial, so often purchased, so written about, and so often
taken as a signpost for the health and well being of the Microsoft Macintosh
Business Unit as MS Word. A program of this scope, almost like a public
figure, has responsibilities, flaws, advocates and detractors. The key to
understanding and using Microsoft Word version 14 as part of the Microsoft
Office 2011 suite is to leave the attitude behind and try to understand what the
users want and what Microsoft tries to deliver.
Another way to approach MS Word is to apFigure 5preciate what Microsoft
has done even as we recognize that such a monster program will have flaws. For
example, we in the Macintosh community have come to recognize certain UI
elements, certain Core Graphics technologies, certain ways of doing things as
either hip or backwards. For a long time, the MacBU went its own way, and
while modern Mac OS X apps leaped into the future, embracing all that Apple
advocated, Word 2008 seemed, at times, antediluvian. Worse, the Macintosh
version always seemed a little less capable, a little less business oriented than its
corresponding app on the Windows side.
Word 2011 (v.14) changes all that. First, even though its fundamentally a 32-bit
Carbon app, it has both the look and feel of its Windows counterpart while
simultaneously making dramatic steps to be more Mac enabled.

Luxme Nirmalan
2

Figure 2
Microsoft Word 14, Office 2011
(Microsoft)
Microsofts Jake Hoelter with the Mac BU explained: In Office 2011, weve
made investments in better compatibility between Office for Mac and Windows
Office, which is the largest request we receive from customers. Our work to
increase compatibility means we havent completed the transition of moving the
entire user interface over to Cocoa yet. And because Apples frameworks require
us to complete the move to Cocoa before we can build a 64-bit version, Office
2011 will be 32-bit only. However, the new Outlook program in the MS Office
2011 suite is written in Cocoa.
All this, of course, is a grand scheme. Some customers wont like the new UI, but
whats important is that Microsoft has recognized that the Mac is moving into
the enterprise. Therefore, Word on the Mac must cater to the needs of enterprise
users. This specific design goal supersedes the traditional notion, in our
community, that a Word processor should be ultimately simple, elegant and
hyper-intuitive, like Nisus Writer. In my own case, when I have a major writing
task to tackle, its likely going to be with Nisus Writer Pro. However, for those
who dont want to risk conversion issues with a publisher, those who are making
a living in the workplace with MS Word, and those who need the ultimate in
scope and power, MS Word is the standard. Again, once we understand that,
were ready to dig in.
As an aside, I normally compose my articles in BBEdit and then copy and paste
into our publishing engine. In this case, however, I wrote the entire review in
Word 14 itself.
Installation
The first thing I noticed is that Microsoft, like Apple, is getting away from glitzy,
retro-cartoonish looks and more down to business. The installer has a low key,
professional look.

Luxme Nirmalan
3

Figure 3
Installation
During the install, youll be asked to quit Safari if its running. At first, I
suspected, the installer is adding Sliverlight to /Library/Internet Plug-ins.
(Silverlight is Microsofts answer to Adobe Flash and is required, for example, to
watch streamed Netflix movies on a Mac.) UPDATE: Microsoft later passed on to
me that Silverlight is not installed, but Im still waiting to hear from them why
this particular warning occurs.

Figure 4
Warning: Quit Safari
The first thing youll see when you launch Word is a nicely laid out Whats
New page that looks like something Apple would do. Ill go so far as to guess
that Microsoft has paid close attention to how Apple approaches the customer
with iLife and iWork. That Whats New page can be brought up at any time
from Words Help menu.

Luxme Nirmalan
4

Figure 5
Whats New
Evidence of Apples influence appears right away in an improved Document
Gallery that allows the user to select from several different kinds of templates,
focused just on Word, and resizable with a slider. Mac Word 2008 had a glimmer
of this, called the Project Gallery, but it had neither the clarity of purpose nor
clarity of presentation this new one has. In addition, the old Project Gallery had a
less than ideal combination of tabs, popup, and a source list, so items werent as
discoverable. I turned the old one off right away, but I think Ill leave the new
one enabled. In general, clarity of purpose and discoverability is a design theme
that permeates Word 2011.

Figure 6
Document Gallery
In terms of launch speed, Word 14 has made great strides. I remember Word 6
back in 1994 that, in a disastrous attempt to have a common code base with the
Windows version, required all of eternity to launch on my Quadra 700 and was
met with howls and scorn by the Macintosh community. (That was the fastest
Mac money could buy at the time.) Word 14 for the Mac launches the first time in
a few seconds. The second time you load the same document, it launches in
under two seconds, and I have a 2.4 GHz (C2D) MacBook Pro, which isnt all that
fast by modern standards. No matter how you look at it, Microsoft deserves
props here.

The OmiGod Ribbon

Luxme Nirmalan
5
The most significant and controversial change to Word in MS Office 2011 for the
Mac is the Ribbon. While Microsoft may have been coerced (or seduced) into
simplifying Word for the Mac in the past, making no one very happy, the
company has to be given credit for having the courage to introduce the Ribbon.
In fact, tabs of ribbons. That is, select Home, Layout, Document Elements, etc. to
roll in a different ribbon. Its a nice way to manage things in a hierarchy.

Figure 7
The Ribbon managed with tabs
Its absolutely not for everyone, but the design is a concession to the idea that
pull down menus are so yesteryear when it comes to editing a document.
Modern users want to make changes right now, this instant, not go fishing
around the main menu for just the right menu item. For example, if you have a
list of names, and you want to sort it right now, just select the text and click the
sort button, (highlighted in red by the author). Which I just did here in Word.

Figure 8
Sort Button in the Ribbon

Andrew Cynthia Jimmy Susan

If youre only an occasional creator of large, complex documents, youll probably
hate the visual clutter. If you live in Word every day, and after all thats the
target audience, I think youll be very pleased. As for me, Im growing to like it
more and more.
Words New Features
Heres an overview of the most significant new features in Word 14.
1. The Ribbon
2. A New Word Document Gallery (formerly Project Gallery)
3. A full screen view like that found in some dedicated novel and screenplay
writing programs like Scrivener and Storyist, for example
Dynamic Reordering, 3-D visualization of all layers in your
Publishing Layout view document. This lets you see and rearrange
ordering for all of the objects on the page by simply dragging
Picture compression on save for easier sharing of documents
Equation Editor
Information Rights Management helps to better set permissions for
individuals or groups
At-a-glance Document Compare

Figure 9

Luxme Nirmalan
6
The equation editor (new)
Other features carried over from Word 2008 have been improved. Heres a
sampling of the notable ones.
Media Browser includes access to iPhoto library and iTunes playlists
Sidebar (formerly the navigation Panel) helps with large document
management
Publishing Layout View adds, for example, dynamic layout guides.
Very cool
Picture Editing, including a remove background tool and filters
Charts adds additional tools
Text effects are applied directly so they can be edited and spellchecked.
Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is back
The Big Questions
A full description and analysis of the new and improved features of Word 2011
(v. 14) would easily run 10,000 words. (The Microsoft Reviewers Guide runs 84
pages.) Youll get all the details and more in the books that support this new
version, but the supplied documentation is darn good. (See below.) For the
purposes of this review, I want to focus on two things:
1. Is it worth upgrading? As is often the case, new features are added to an
application just to generate a buzz and lure customers into upgrading. Then they
find that the new features arent so often used, but theyre stuck with an even
bigger, more bloated version of the app. I didnt get that feeling with Word 2011.
The new features are well thought out and worthy additions, especially the
Ribbon, the Full Screen View, and (in my opinion) the Equation Editor. Word
2008 was just a warm up while Office 2011 is, well, essential.
2. Whats the consensus on the new design and features? Word 2011 is more
Mac-like than ever, despite its commonality in appearance with the Windows
version. Many of the new page layout, composition and editing features seem to
be inspired by Apples Pages app. Little things, the UI elements reveal that
Microsoft skillfully exercised many more of the Macintosh APIs at its disposal.
For example, the Ribbon interface was written in Cocoa.
For the first time since Word 5.1, I had fun. I think thats because in
experimenting with all the functions, like the media browser interface to iPhoto, I
found that things worked as expected. In the past, prior to Word 2008, youd
try something perfectly obvious, like selecting a picture and hitting return,
expecting the insertion point to appear below and to the left of the image. In the
dark days of Office for the Mac, that didnt happen, and youd get frustrated.
(Also, Ive learned the hard way to immediately turn off most of the auto-
complete functions in order to avoid perplexing, unauthorized auto changes to
my text.) The approach by Microsoft was that you, as a professional were
expected to learn these UI nuances and instill them through daily use. Lately, it
seems to me, Microsoft has come around to the idea that things should just work
as expected in a modern UI kind of way. In Word 2011, I have yet to feel
surprised or frustrated.
If that changes, Ill have plenty to say about it.
Compatibility
Microsoft says that MS Word 2011 can open all versions of Word documents
since Word 5.1. If you elect to save your documents in the new .docx format, then
realize you need to share them with users of an older version, you can either use
a converter program, the Open XML format converter, or resave in the Save As
dialog box in an older format.
I created an equation in a 2011 document, saved as .doc, and loaded it in Word
2008. It came through as an image and looked fine.
Oddly, given this compatibility, the installer leaves the old version of MS Office
on the Mac. I have asked Microsoft about that.
Heres some helpful commentary on the .doc/.docx situation.
Documentation
You get everything but a printed manual, and thats customary. The Help menu,
in addition to a thorough table of contents, points to a wealth of resources, for

Luxme Nirmalan
7
example, whats new. Theres also a link to resources for getting started. You
wont feel that Microsoft has skimped on providing resources to you.

Figure 10
Word 2011 Help
Summary
This is a major, major application with a boatload of features. I will take any
mortal months to discover its nuances. Accordingly, my provisional rating
is Solid plus. The question here is, do you want to bother? My answer is yes.
From the install to the launch speed to the new features, to the increasing Mac
focus, Microsoft has shown that it understands that the Mac is insanely popular,
on the rise in business, and needs a flagship, business standard word processor that is feature complete, easy to learn and fun to use. (I never thought I would say that.) The
Ribbon helps there by making functions more discoverable. The full screen mode and equation editor, I think, will be very welcome to book writers and scientists.
That all said, despite the Full Screen View, if I were writing a novel, Id still use a more focused app like Storyist.
Time will tell, as the app gets into widespread use, if there are gotchas and bugs. I predict some will be major and lead to the usual condemnation of Word on the Mac.
History has proven that we get through those somehow. But if you never take the journey, youll never gain the rewards.
I think Word 2011 is worth the journey.
System Requirements

Luxme Nirmalan
8

Figure 11
System Requirements
Pricing
Microsoft Office for Mac 2011, Home and Student edition is priced at
US$149.99. It comes with Word, Excel and PowerPoint and 90 days of technical
support. Microsoft Office for Mac 2011, Home and Business edition is priced at
US$279.99. It adds Outlook, and provides technical support for a year.
Upgrade
If you purchased Office 2008, either version, between August 1, 2010 and
November 30, 2010, you are eligible to download the corresponding version for
free.

Figure 12


Luxme Nirmalan
9

A
Apple See pg 5
C
compatibility See pg 5
I
Installation See pg 2
M
Mac See pg 7
Microsoft See pg 1
Microsoft Word 1, 2
P
Pricing See pg 7
R
Ribbon See pg 4
S
Safari See pg 3
Storyist See pg 7
Storyist. 7
System See pg 6
U
Upgrading See pg 5

Installation. See pg 2