found drama

Via Slashdot: a quickie round-up on Microsoft’s beta release of Office 12, including screenshots, a link to the PC Magazine review and more.

…Office 12 introduces a new interface based on tabs that organize sets of functions under headings such as ‘Write,’ ‘Page Layout,’ and ‘Review,’ plus a combination toolbar-and-menu called the ribbon, which displays a different set of icons and menu items depending on the tab selected, and displays different sets of icons depending on whether you’re working with text, graphics, tables, or other kinds of data.

Anyone whose been using Adobe apps recently (Photoshop 7+, Illustrator 10+, etc.) is already familiar with the UI concept on which this is based. Question: will Microsoft have a lawsuit on their hands? (F_D says: Doubtful based on the screenshots…)

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