I originally posted this at http://www.318.com/TechJournal Microsoft has released the beta version of Microsoft Office, version 12. This new version is packed with new features and of course, a new look for documents. Office 12 no longer has drop down menus. This has been a hallmark of Microsoft Office since the first version. Nearly every other productivity suite has been built around drop down menus on every platform since the days before point-and-click. Microsoft has replaced drop down menus with a new concept that they are calling the ribbon. When you click on what were once drop down menus, the toolbars change to include only the features relevant to that…