A number of years ago Corel or Novell put out a stripped-down version of WordPerfect for home use, but it didn't catch on. One of the major problems with Office is "feature bloat". MS should offer a "simplicity mode" interface option with only the major features.
For instance, the majority of Word users don't usually use more than justification, bold/italics/underline/normal, select front face and size, margins, page numbering, first-line indent and a handful of other features. Even power users don't routinely use all the bells and whistles.
Related to that, put back the Classic Menus as an option. The problem with the "Office fluent" ribbon concept is that nobody routinely uses all the features. Having to hunt through a bunch of hieroglyphics is a pain in the butt. It's also a HUGE pain when trying to write out step-by-step instructions. (Luckily, we still use Office 2003 at work, so that hasn't been a problem there.)
I know all the whiners about "people need to leave archaic interfaces". But that's just not realistic. Reality is that most companies--especially SMALL businesses--provide little or no training. And whether "techies" like it or not, employers don't want staff spending hours on company time exploring all the features. And they're just not gonna do it at home. What makes an interface obsolete is that it can't perform its function reasonably well, not whether it uses icons or ribbons or text or menus. Plenty of programs have used toolbars for over a decade. But they add them as options, not replacements for traditional menus.
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