I'll repeat below my post from another section of the site...
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I too absolutely detest the new 2007 user interface. I find it extremely
rigid and un-customizable. In 2000 Excel, I used to have about 5 different
toolbars with a total of about 45 command icons. About 25 of these icons I
used regularly, and the other 20 or so were occasionally used. The rest of
the excel commands I didn't need, but I knew where to look for them in the
menus if I ever did need them. I had every toolbar and icon exactly how I
wanted it, and exactly where I wanted it.
In the 2007 system I'm just starting to use, there is only one toolbar, the
"quick access" bar, that I can't put wherever I want, and can only handle one
icon after another, after another. I can't split thing up into multiple
toolbars or drag different toolbars to different parts of the screen.

For the menu-based commands, and let's face it, the "ribbon" is the same
system as the old menus, the menus are now cluttered, and I have to sort
through dozens of options to find the one I wanted.

To Autofit a cell's column width for example, Instead of the 2000 method of
going to the format menu, scanning a short list of 7 options, picking column,
and picking autofit from another short sublist of 5 items, in the 2007 method
I now have to go to "home" (a mashing together of edit and format commands?
Why name it "home" instead of "edit"? to confuse people like me who've been
loyal customers for 15 years? And same goes for changing the "file" menu to
an un-named graphical symbol... as practical to users as trying to find a
Prince album in the store after he renamed himself with a symbol in the 90's)
look at a ribbon that has about 42 icons on it (none of which can be
customized as far as I can tell), navigate my eyes through the 42 icon
cluster to the "cells" area, pick "format" from 3 options, and then pick
autofit from a sub-menu list of 12 options. Every menu, from home to insert
to view is a cluster-bomb of icons, most of which I'll never need, that I
have to navigate through to get to the commands I do need.

I feel like I'm having to learn a more complicated 2nd language, when I was
already extremely happy with and fluent in the 1st language that I spoke for
15 years. Not good for efficiency. Are they daring me to try a macintosh for
the 1st time in my life? I have a feeling I'll either ask my IT guy to
install an older version of Office or try one of the add-ons that gives the
old-style feel.

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"Bob Umlas, Excel MVP" wrote:

The Insert Tab is to insert charts, pivot tables, tables, shapes, etc. The
Insert command in the Cells group of the Home tab is about inserting in
cells. 1) I don't see the confusion; 2) ALL of us, including other MVP's
hated the ribbon at first, now we love it. Hang in there, you will love it.
Some day.

"ion" wrote:

There's an 'insert' command, and an 'insert', um, subribbon. The
insert command is not on the insert subribbon. How does that even get
through UAT?