Per Char Jackson:
Couldn't you collapse the ribbon unless/until you actually need it?
It has 3 display settings:
Auto-Hide
Show tabs
Show Tabs and Commands

I think the issue with my bond traders was more that MS had (as usual) moved
the furniture around and they did not feel like they had the time to deal
with it when they could play Excel 2003 like Yitzhak Pearlman plays the
violin.
--
Pete Cresswell