I’m happy to announce the latest release of my word processing book, Word 2010 For Dummies. Please buy several copies at once.

Superficially, Word 2010 looks and feels a lot like Word 2007.

That’s nothing new for Word: From Word 97 through Word 2003, aside from a few new or missing commands, all the releases looked alike.

Rumor has it that Bill Gates looked at Word 2003 and noticed its similarities to older versions of Word. (Which begs the question of how often Bill actually uses Word — or any word processor for that matter.) Seems that Bill was annoyed that Microsoft hadn’t broken the menu/toolbar/command button theme for over a dozen years.

Word 2007 was a break with tradition in that it offered a Ribbon interface.

A lot of people really don’t like the Ribbon interface. I attribute that to the theory that people don’t like change. That’s probably why there are silly computer owners out there who still use floppy disks.

I like the Ribbon interface. It gives you access to more features more easily than the menu/toolbar paradigm. As you get comfortable using the Ribbon interface, you find out that the older menu/toolbar method is actually kind of clunky. Anyway.

Word 2010 doesn’t really add any new features that I noticed right away. Microsoft cleaned up the interface a tad. And, most importantly, the got rid of the stupid Office button, which never made sense to me.

Replacing the Office button is the File tab. It contains the commands you use for working with Files, which is a logical addition.

Gone is Print Preview. In is place is an expanded Print window, where you can see the full-page preview before you print. It took Microsoft too many versions of Word to figure out that welcome change.

They’ve changed Mail Merge. Again. Actually, I found it more logical than the Word 2007 version of Mail Merge, though it’s still similar. Yet mail merge in Word isn’t as easy as it was back in Word 95 and earlier.

Regarding my book, as I do with all my updates, I manage to re-write about 80 percent of the thing. I eliminate what didn’t work and add in new stuff I think people need. One of my new additions is a full chapter on Word for Writers. It covers details such as outlining, organizing chapters, and other tools for people who, like me, write for a living.

On the whole, I see Word 2010 as a good thing. In fact, it’s new customization features make me want to upgrade my main writing computer.

If you’ve been reluctant to dip your big toe in the Word 2007 waters, then Word 2010 could change your mind. Regardless, I think big companies will be upgrading to Word 2010 en masse soon. Either that, or you’ll be blessed with Word 2010 on your new computer. And, boy, do I have a good book for you!