>Hi Jim,
>
>Is there another worldwide distributed product you can think of which allows you to set the default output format to an older format? I can't think of one...

Maybe that's because, to date, none such was required.

Office stuck with the "DOC" and Excel to "XLS" and warned if there might be incompatiblities that could distort the presentation.

Microsoft surely anticipated the new situation and chose the path it did. In my opinion it is a mistake, and in fact I anticipate that customers will tell them so and they will relent and provide such an option.
It just shouldn't have come to that.


>
>
>
>>SNIP>
>>>Having written that, XML is a standard format and kudos to MSFT to switching Office to it. Foxpro will not open a VFP table. VFP can read Foxpro tables. I do not expect MSFT to automatically program for older versions to read the structure of newer versions. Office 2007 reads the older versions fine. I see absolutely no fault with MSFT on this. Besides, other than the new features and UI (which I think are really cool), how will MSFT get users to upgrade? How do you get your users to upgrade? They have incorporated a standard format, allowed for size reduction, and added cool ui.
>>>
>>>I seldom give kudos to MSFT, but in this case, MSFT deserves it.
>>
>>First of all, the new UI should have little or nothing to do with what Office outputs by default.
>>
>>Most importantly, what you seem to be saying above is that Microsoft NEEDS some way to induce users to upgrade and this technique is a perfectly acceptable one. (note, I don't have Office 2007 so I'm really talking through my hat here)...
>>
>>I disagree. Microsoft ought to give users a way to set the 'standard default output format' for each of the tools in the package and definitely NOT require that a user set this every single time they save a document. That is an onerous requirement easily forgotten, probably resulting in disgruntlement in those people inadvertently sent the wrong format. Which can hurt *MY* business and *MY* credibility.
>>Microsoft apparently experienced difficulties getting customers off of Office 97 despite newer fancier GUIs and extended capabilities/features. So now they've adopted this technique, which can only give *me* added pain. Having to do it EVERY TIME is painful, and forgetting to do so can cause even greater harm.
>>
>>If Microsoft *NEEDS* users to upgrade to Office 2007 the proper way to do it is to make the product so valuable compared to the older ones that users clearly see the benefits and jump to the new one. Inflicting pain on users is NOT the way to generate upgrades... at least in my opinion.
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>>>
>>SNIP