Microsoft Word Turns 25

These days, Word faces renewed competition from free, open-source alternatives like Sun's OpenOffice.org (and even online threats from Google with Google Docs).

In its latest Windows release, Office Word 2007, our familiar word cruncher has undergone a dramatic facelift. Gone are the traditional menu bar and toolbars: Both have been replaced by the "Ribbon"--an interface strip that places related functions in the same, easy-to-find place. Clippy's gone for good, too, with nary an Office Assistant in sight.

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