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”.