Irritated Chinese Hackers Destroy New Windows Office "Ribbon"

For everyone who thinks the new MS Office "Ribbon" is as annoying as the allegedly helpful Clippie, a group of Chinese hackers with Addintools is saving the day. They've written a program called Classic Menu that reverts Office back to its older, less irritating design. One of the best parts about Classic Menu is the strangely sarcastic press release from Addintools:

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 newinterface difficult to get used to it, wishing it could look the sameas in earlier versions of Microsoft Office.

"So-called Ribbon" -- nice touch, guys. The press release goes on to explain all the nifty things you can have back with Classic Menu -- such as, you know, a comprehensible interface. My favorite bit, though, is when Addintools offers another bit of understated, wry humor related to many users' urge to SMASH THE RIBBON:

Classic Menu for Office 2007 also lets users add the menus and toolbars to Quick Access Toolbar, so that it becomes possible to minimize the Ribbon and finish all operations without having to open it again.

Ah yes, "minimize the Ribbon . . . without having to open it again." In other words, KILL THE RIBBON KILL KILL KILL.

Classic Menu for Word 2007 [via Addintools]