Microsoftbbecker222 thank you very much for finding and linking to this FAQ, this was a highly interesting read. (I’ll re-link to it just for convenience https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/using-modern-comments-in-word-edc6ae71-0a2d-49fe-8faa-986 )
This is insightful not so much for the “help” MS provides on this support page than as an embarrassing testament to the unfolding train wreck and damage control they now seem intent to come out of looking stellar without any signs of shame, apology or even acknowledging that maybe this was disruptive.
I mean, I am still straining to keep it civil and constructive, but are MS [just imagine some extensive swearing here] kidding me? This adds insult to injury.
I really love the recurring “If [such and such] in the default comment cards is essential to your workflow, let us know using the in-app feedback, so we can prioritize future improvements to modern comments.” Maybe not take it away in the first place?!? Get specific feedback before you do??? I can spend all day (and practically have) writing “feedback” probably no one will ever read, when the damage is already done. On this note: screw your in-App feedback system! How about giving your feedback writers more than a tiny textbox to describe often complex issues and contexts, and if you have to enforce a character limit (I counted it at 1000), maybe provide a live counter or at least previous warning so I don’t suddenly hit the restriction half-way through my unfinished feedback.
Ok, interesting, so you actually can still format and insert in comments... Good to know. All you need to do is open the comment, then open the error-prone reviewing pane, YET ANOTHER ----ING PANE TAKING UP ADDITIONAL SPACE (Someone at MS sure seems to like those fancy cinemascope ultrawide screens), and edit in there. If you had somehow still managed to keep track of where in the document you are or the content in the jumpy comment bubbles is anchored to, feel free to get lost in the reviewing pane, and god help you if THAT thing decides to jump. And of course, unless you suspect hidden content in the comment while viewing rather than writing them and open the reviewing pane to check, you will never know.
Here is a constructive idea: improve the reviewing pane, then you can keep your modern comments for those who need them to communicate in live contexts. Give the reviewing pane a filter (including the distinction between solved/resolved comments) and make it more navigable, and I just might not need to interact with the new comment bubbles at all.
Another constructive idea, that could solve at least some issues at once. Implement an “Editor mode”. If I am working alone on a document, anyway, I do not need to be afraid who can see my comments as I type them, now do I? If you need to, lock the entire document for other users while it is in this editor mode; fine by me. Just add comments live as you type or "post" them collectively when you leave the mode or save the document (I suggest the former because of crashs).
Or add an “annotations” function. No need to re-invent the wheel, just use the previous comments system under a different name. Personally, I do not even need to be able to “answer” an annotation as long as I can edit it and mark or unmark it as resolved. That way, those of us who work alone and offline on local documents can use that instead of what seems to be billed as a “messenger app” within Word.
Or, you know, you could just let users choose in the program options which commenting system they want to work in.
