New 'Word' Frustrates Users

Microsoft’s revamped Word program is leaving some students griping about the new bells and whistles.

Some users complain that Word 2007, which is installed in Harvard’s computer labs, has created incompatibility problems and is difficult to navigate.

Documents are now saved as “.docx” files instead of the traditional “.doc” format, making it difficult to open newer files on older versions of the software.

Chioma J. Madubata ’11 said she found it frustrating that her freshman seminar professor was unable to open a paper she had written in Word 2007 because the professor’s version of the program was incompatible with the new version’s saved files.

Microsoft recently released a compatibility update that converts Word 2007 documents into a format that can be opened in older versions.

Madubata also complained about the program’s new interface, which includes the font Calibri instead of the traditional Times New Roman.

“When I opened [Word] I was just really surprised—why do they have to change it like this?” Madubata said.

Tina Y. Tanhehco ’05, a representative for Microsoft, said that Word 2007 underwent a dramatic facelift to accommodate the program’s 1,500 commands, up from 100 in the first version of Word.

Kathryn A. Chadbourne, an Expository Writing preceptor, said that the new Word presents only a minor inconvenience.

Chadbourne said her class focuses on content rather than form, but that she was concerned about readability issues with fonts other than Times New Roman.

“I do ask for Times New Roman in my syllabus,” she said, “but people disregard that sometimes, and it’s the last thing I want to fuss about.”

Chadbourne also raised another concern about the new Word font, recalling that one of her students submitted an essay in Calibri size 11, but saw the paper become two pages longer when the font was changed to Times New Roman size 12.

“I don’t want to be a stickler, but I do believe that tailoring an essay’s length to the assignment is a skill in itself,” she said. “It’s good for all of us to keep in mind the ways technology affects our work.”