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Office 365 Home Premium en University nu verkrijgbaar bij slim.nl

“Kun je voor mij nog een pakketje Office regelen?” is een vraag die medewerkers van Microsoft veel krijgen uit hun vrienden en kennissenkring. Begrijpelijk,  soms ook niet zo eenvoudig als het lijkt …

Wat veel mensen niet weten is dat iedereen met schoolgaande / studerende kinderen tegen gereduceerde kosten bijna alle software producten kan bestellen. Zo ook Microsoft software.

Sinds eind januari is de nieuwste Office versie, Office2013 op de markt en sinds deze week kan dit ook in de nieuwe Office365 Home Premium versie worden besteld.

Het komt er op neer dat je voor het gebruik van Office een jaarabonnement afsluit. En voor dit jaarbedrag kun je Office2013 op je maximaal 5 PCs/MACs installeren. Via Slim.nl is dit zo’n 12% goedkoper … op naar slim.nl dus …

Wat als Microsoft Office een eeuw eerder beschikbaar was …

Leuke Videos van het Microsoft Office team die de kracht van het Microsoft platform goed laten zien .. Wat als ze een eeuw eerder beschikbaar waren ..

 

Er zijn nog meer leuke voorbeelden met Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote …

Office Web Apps nu ook in het Nederlands beschikbaar

Vers van de pers … Office Web Apps (word, Excel, PowerPoint en Onenote in de browser) zijn beschikbaar via www.skydrive.nl ; nu ook in het Nederlands :

Today the Office Web Apps (on Windows Live SkyDrive and Hotmail) became available in 15 new countries including China, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, and Turkey.

These additions bring the total number of countries to 26 – making the Web Apps available to more than 1/3 of all earthlings.

1. Australia
2. Austria
3. Belgium
4. Canada
5. China (new)
6. Denmark (new)
7. Finland (new)
8. France
9. Germany
10. Hong Kong (new)
11. Ireland
12. Italy (new)
13. Japan (new)
14. Netherlands (new)
15. New Zealand (new)
16. Norway (new)
17. Portugal (new)
18. Russia
19. South Korea (new)
20. Spain (new)
21. Sweden (new)
22. Switzerland
23. Taiwan (new)
24. Turkey (new)
25. United Kingdom
26. United States

So what does this mean for the 15 new countries? It means that, starting today, people in these countries can use the Web Apps to view, edit, and share Office documents from anywhere with a browser and an internet connection. This includes viewing, editing, and sharing Office document attachments in Hotmail.

Bron : Office Web Apps Blog

Wired Magazine reviews Microsoft Office Web Apps #windowslive #live@edu

If you haven’t seen or used Office Web Apps you can check it out at http.office.live.com

Microsoft's New Web Apps Will Have Your Head in the Cloud

With Office 2010, Microsoft has taken an important (and inevitable) step into internet-stored media. That's right; MS is all up in the cloud now.

In addition to releasing its new native Office suite, which gives you the option to save your files on the Intertubes, Microsoft has rolled out free, lightweight web versions of Office apps accessible through Windows Live.

We took several Office apps for a test ride: Word, PowerPoint and Excel. The verdict? For the most part, this is a decent web suite that works well with the native Office apps, though it's still a little unrefined. …

Continue at source: Wired Magazine

Several Universities abandoning Google Apps for Education #live@edu

Yale University delayed its decision to move to Google Apps :

Yale Delays Switch to Google Apps, Cites Security Concerns

Yale University was set to switch over its campus from using Horde Webmail to Gmail and its complement of services included in the Google Apps for Education package, but officials in the Information Technology Services division have announced they’re putting that move on hold. The gradual transition to Gmail would have been ongoing through the year and completed by next spring.

According to the Yale Daily News, the original decision to switch over to Gmail() was met with concerns and reservations from the faculty and administration. Several felt the decision had been made too hastily and without proper University approval.

Source : Mashable.com

University of California stopped using Google Apps / Gmail because of security concerns and pulled back its 30.000 users :

Major University Dumps Gmail Over Security Concerns

The University of California, Davis has stopped using Gmail for its 30,000-member staff and faculty body. The university was trying Gmail for faculty and staff with plans to roll out service to the entire campus. But school officials say the e-mail system isn’t secure or private enough to meet their standards.

CIO Peter Siegel, Academic Senate IT Chair Niels Jensen and Campus Council IT Chair Joe Kiskis said the plug was pulled on Gmail() because members of the faculty were concerned that it wouldn’t keep their correspondence private enough. Many privacy experts also say that Gmail’s social component, Google Buzz(), is a source of privacy and security vulnerabilities.

School officials also noted that “outsourcing e-mail may not be in compliance with the University of California Electronic Communications Policy.”

Source : Mashable.com

University of Massachusetts also is discontinuing because the Google Apps service of :fered at the beginning of the school year has failed to catch on with students

Google: UMass discontinuing Google Apps service potentially unprecedented

It’s not often to hear Google has failed at anything, but according to the Office of Information Technology (OIT), the Google Apps service offered at the beginning of the school year has failed to catch on with students.

University of Massachusetts officials sent a campus-wide e-mail in early April announcing undergraduate students can no longer sign up for Google Apps and that the service will eventually be phased out completely – an exceedingly rare and potentially unprecedented move, according to Google.

The reason for discontinuing Google Apps, according to OIT, is the low adoption and usage rates among undergraduate students since the service was introduced in September 2009. In the eight months since Google Apps became available on campus, around 7 percent of the University’s 20,000 undergrads have switched from the traditional University-provided e-mail service, UMail, to Google Apps, and “only a small number” of that 7 percent log in frequently, OIT said in the e-mail.

Source : Dailycollegian.com

Microsoft Outlook gets social – Linked In for Outlook

Linked In integration with Microsoft Outlook 2010, 2007 and 2003  is now a fact :

http://www.linkedin.com/outlook 

 

Why Microsoft isn't afraid of Google or cloud computing – Interview with Steven Elop

InfoWorld published an Interview with Microsoft Business Division president Stephen Elop on Office2010, Office Web Applications and Microsoft Online Services. Although the title of the article may trigger other perceptions it’s clear that Microsoft is executing on a strategy, software + services, which is much broader than bringing Office to the web …

… Microsoft's Business Division oversees one of its most successful products, the Office productivity suite, as well as the company's lucrative server and enterprise software businesses. However, like the rest of the company, the division has not been immune to the pressure of the recession, and revenue fell 13 percent in the quarter ending in June.

Business Division president Stephen Elop, however, said in an interview with the IDG News Service that he's confident the unit can overcome the pressures that face the business. These include not only the economy but also competition in the productivity and collaboration software market from Web-based applications from Google and others. To answer this challenge, Microsoft is set to offer Web-based versions of its Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote software as part of the Office 2010 launch early next year.

Those applications are part of Microsoft's general transition to "software plus services" with its Business Productivity Online Suite -- which includes Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Office Live Meeting, and Office Communications Online -- a product and transition Elop's division also oversees. …

Continue at Source: Why Microsoft isn't afraid of Google or cloud computing

10 Reasons You'll Love Office 2010

Microsoft “10”  gives you 10 good reasons why Office 2010 is worthwhile ..

 

… By now, you’ve probably heard the big news announced at Microsoft’s Wordwide Partner Conference in New Orleans: Office 2010 is now available as a “Technical Preview.” Starting today, the company is opening up the beta program to a larger number of users, all of whom will get to try the new, improved applications and their online counterparts. Yes, Office Web Applications will become available too, starting next month!

So why will you want to replace your Office installation with the latest version? Here are ten of the best reasons why this is the version of Office that can’t be missed: …

1. Office Web Applications

2. Collaboration Features

3. Instant Sharing with PowerPoint

4. Video & Image Editing

5. Excel Sparklines and Slicers

6. Search & Navigation in Word

7. Outlook 2010 – More Social, Smarter, and Efficient

8. “Office Backstage

9. Paste Preview

10. SharePoint Workspace

Check them all out at source : 10 Reasons You'll Love Office 2010

Microsoft Launches Office Web Apps and Office 2010 in Limited Beta

Today Microsoft officially announced The next phase of Office Web Applications. Very good to have this in to the hands (browsers) of beta testers out there.

Today at its Wordwide Partner Conference in New Orleans, Microsoft announced that the Microsoft Office suite has reached the 'technical preview' milestone, and that starting today the company will open up the Office beta program to a larger number of users. While a new version of Office is obviously big news for a lot of users, the really interesting part of the announcement is that Microsoft is also releasing more details about the Office Web applications - which are lightweight, browser-based versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote (Microsoft's note-taking tool). Beta testers can expect invites for the Office Web applications to go out in August ….

…

Enterprise: Office Web Behind the Firewall

For enterprises, Microsoft will offer two solutions. One will be hosted as part of Microsoft's Online Services. Another version, however, will be available for companies to host on their own servers on top of SharePoint. For enterprises, especially those that have long felt that cloud computing wasn't for them, this self-hosted version of the browser-based Office suite is going to be a very attractive solution, especially considering that all of Microsoft's 90 million Office annuity customers will get access to this version as a regular part of the updates that come with these volume licenses.

As Numoto told us, Microsoft believes that this will allow the company to differentiate itself from other companies that offer office solutions in the cloud. While Takeshi was careful not to mention any competitors by name, it is obvious that this is aimed at Google (and perhaps less so, startups like Zoho and ThinkFree).

Clearly, this release will be a major deal for consumers and enterprises. A free version of the browser-based Office application that easily syncs with the desktop version and allows collaboration between users on both systems is going to be a big deal.

What About the Desktop?

The desktop apps obviously also got a make-over. But compared to the shift to Office 2007, the current release features only minor cosmetic updates from what we have seen so far. The integration of the web apps looks like the most exciting addition, as well as the ribbon interface becoming standard across all the applications. Also, Microsoft is putting a lot of emphasis on real-time collaboration, and different users can now edit documents simultaneously. Alhough Numote emphasized that all edits can be reversed.

See What's New in Microsoft Word 2010

Numoto also stressed the Office team focused on improving some of the most often used features. As an example, he told us that cut and paste is obviously one of the most popular features in Office, but that Microsoft found that after pasting something into a document, the key that was used the most often afterward was 'delete.' In order to improve the cut and paste process, Office will now feature a 'cut and paste preview,' similar to the feature that Office 2007 already offers for changing styles and fonts, for example.

Outlook aficionados will also be happy to hear that the email client will now feature an option to 'ignore' unwanted threads.

While the Technical Preview, which was announced today, will only be available for a limited number of users, the beta program will be open to everybody. Microsoft expects to ship the final version of Office 2010 in the first half of 2010.

So far, we haven't had a chance to actually test-drive the desktop or web apps ourselves, but you can expect an in-depth review from us once we get access to the beta. …

Source: Microsoft Launches Office Web Apps and Office 2010 in Limited Beta

Everyone talks about Webbased Office Suites very few actually use them

This Forrester report confirms my findings when it comes to webbased Office functionality. Everyone talks about it but very little people actually use it as their primary Office tools. Because everyone talks about it, there is also the general perception that webbased Office tools are widely used. Well they’re not according to this Forrester Poll.

This research shows that only 3% of the users interviewed use Google Premier Apps. I doubt if this is truely the replacement for their Office Suite or if they use Google Apps alongside it.

In many cases where people talk about webbased Office suites or have questions in that direction I find that it is not actually the editiing functions they like / desire, its the ability to share documents; often with people outside their own department / organisation. Something we used to call groupware. Hence in the same research the requirement for Collaboration functionality.

I do agree with the conclusion that the demand for webbased office tools will grow. Not because the browser is the ideal UI but because users want the ability to choose. Rich functions and offline capability when running Office locally and browser / mobile functions when they are not behind their own PC.

Functionality in the browser is the ideal companion next to my PC based apps, basically this is the way I use Outlook Web Access today. I access email through OWA whenever and wherever I am not behind my PC and when my mobile phone doesn’t help me process emails fast enough.

Microsoft Office Web Applications will be part of the next release of Microsoft Office; Microsoft Office 2010.

…. Forrester is set to release a new report about Web Office, which ReadWriteWeb got a sneak peak at. The report offers new data on office productivity innovation and cloud productivity suite adoption. The full data will be presented at Forrester's IT Forum, to be held in Las Vegas May 19-22, 2009. The data shows that while enterprises are looking forward to innovation in web access and collaboration, they're not so forward-looking when it comes to data integration. Also we discover that the vast majority of IT departments still support Microsoft Office, but very few support Google Premier Apps right now. …

In another slide, Forrester concluded that cloud computing adoption within enterprises is still low. 80% of respondants still support crusty old Microsoft Office, while just 3% claim to support Google Premier Apps. It really does seem like the whole enterprise industry is sitting back and waiting on Microsoft to roll out their long-awaited Web Office offerings. By these figures, it doesn't appear like Google is making too much of a dent in the market. However we're sure it is just a matter of time before Web Office suites are common in the workplace - even Microsoft has acknowledged that cloud computing will be an important driver for enterprise software. …

Source: Report: Web Office Support, Expectations Still Low in Enterprises

Microsoft Unveils Exchange 2010 With Public Beta

The news is already all over the internet the last 24 hours but I thought it would be appropriate to wait until the official press release .. here it is the next generation Exchange.

The quote that cought my attention is : “Exchange 2010 ushers in the next generation of Microsoft unified communications software as the first server designed from inception to work both on-premises and as an online service,”

On-premise, hosted by partner or hosted by Microsoft (BPOS) or a combination of these options. No other solution has that breadth of choice in a single solution.

Next Fiscal Year (starting July 1st promises to be yet another very exciting year full of innivative new productreleases …

…First in the next wave of Office-related products, Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 will help lower communications costs, improve user productivity and transform e-mail archiving…

… Microsoft Corp. today released a public beta of Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, part of Microsoft’s unified communications family (http://www.microsoft.com/uc).

Exchange 2010 is part of the next wave of Microsoft Office-related products and is the first server in a new generation of Microsoft server technology built from the ground up to work on-premises and as an online service. This release of Exchange 2010 introduces a new integrated e-mail archive and features to help reduce costs and improve the user experience. A public beta of the server is available for download starting today at http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/2010.

Exchange Server 2010 will become available in the second half of 2009. Microsoft Office 2010 and related products will enter technical preview in the third quarter of 2009 and become available in the first half of 2010.

“Exchange 2010 ushers in the next generation of Microsoft unified communications software as the first server designed from inception to work both on-premises and as an online service,” said Rajesh Jha, corporate vice president of Exchange at Microsoft. “This release raises the bar with new archiving and end-user innovations that will help companies save money and employees save time.”

Exchange 2010 will help organizations reduce costs, protect communications and delight e-mail users with capabilities to do the following:

• Lower costs with more flexible deployment and management options. Exchange 2010 provides organizations with the same enterprise-grade capabilities whether deployed on-premises or as a service from Microsoft or partners — or as a mix of both. Further, for customers deploying the server, the new release simplifies the way organizations provide always-on communications and disaster recovery, meaning administrators spend less time managing their e-mail system. Exchange 2010 further improves performance running on lower-cost direct-attached storage, enabling organizations to dramatically reduce storage costs by up to 85 percent without sacrificing performance or reliability.
  
• Protect information and meet compliance requirements with the new e-mail archive. As e-mail volume grows, companies must address increasing compliance, legal and e-discovery concerns, but today, according to Osterman Research, only 28 percent of organizations currently archive their e-mail content (Osterman Research, 2008). Exchange 2010 introduces an integrated e-mail archive. The new solution makes it easier to store and query e-mail across the organization using the Exchange software that organizations already know and use.
  
• Improve user productivity with the ultimate inbox experience. Basex Inc. recently estimated that the average number of corporate e-mail messages received per person per day is expected to reach more than 93 by 2010. In addition, businesses lose $650 billion annually in productivity due to unnecessary interruptions including those from e-mail (Basex, 2008). Exchange 2010, together with Microsoft Outlook 2010, will give people more control over their communications with features such as these:
• MailTips. Warn users before they commit an e-mail faux pas such as sending mail to large distribution groups, to recipients who are out of the office or to recipients outside the organization, helping protect against information leaks and reduce unnecessary e-mail messages.
• Voice Mail Preview. See text previews of voice mail directly in Outlook.
• Ignore Conversation. This e-mail “mute button” allows people to remove themselves from an irrelevant e-mail string, reducing unwanted e-mail and runaway reply-all threads.
• Conversation View. Combine related e-mail messages in a single conversation to reduce inbox clutter.
• Call Answering Rules. Create customized “Press 1 for …” call-routing menus with Exchange voice mail.
• Consistent Experience. Use Outlook on the PC, a mobile phone or a browser for the same experience with enhancements in Outlook Mobile and Outlook Web Access.

Source : Microsoft PressPass

Exchange 2010 Beta Web site

OpenXML … this is what it’s all about …

There are some things  you don’t notice when comparing functions and features in Office Suites and Document Formats. Accessibility is such a thing. How do people who are for example visually handicapped use Office and how do they access document or consume information.

Accessibility is a very important “feature” in Microsoft Office. The capabilities of OpenXML enhance that even further. A great example is the fact that the DAISY consortium has now created a save to DAISY add-in for Microsoft Word.

I do wish that the ODF lobby would stop their politics and start focussing more on making Open Standards work, not for shareholders and politics but for end users, yes meaningfull stuff for end users …

In association with Microsoft, the Digital Accessible Information SYstem (DAISY) Consortium has announced the second version of the Save as DAISY add-in for Microsoft Office Word, available for download over at openxmlcommunity.org. With the integration of DAISY Pipeline Lite, version 2 of the add-in produces a full DAISY multimedia publication with synchronized text and MP3 audio (instead of converting to just a DAISY XML file).

This means it is possible to transform Word documents into accessible multimedia formats for people unable to read print due to a visual, physical, perceptual, developmental, cognitive, or learning disabilities. It generates full text and audio books using the Text-to-Speech service on your PC. DAISY XML files can be read natively by some DAISY players, and the DAISY Pipeline is still available for processing those XML files. A more complete description of the DAISY standards and Word-to-DAISY conversion is available on daisy.org.

Version 1.0 of the add-in was released in May 2008 for Microsoft Office Word 2007, Word 2003, and Word XP. Since the project is open source, the Open XML to DAISY XML Translator source code is also available for download on SourceForge.net.

Source: ArsTechnica.com

BeetTV: Microsoft to Take on Google Docs, Zoho this Year with "Seamless" Web Apps

A public beta this calender year !

… When Microsoft Office releases its web applications into beta this year, it has a good shot of surpassing Google Docs right off the bat: The mainstream reliance on Microsoft Office makes Microsoft web apps a natural extension.

 

"I think that one of the things that makes us a little different is that we're really trying to make the experience between going offline to online and online to offline as seamless as possible," Michael Schultz, the Director of Microsoft Office Live, told me in a Skype interview from his office in Redmond, Wash. earlier this month. The merging last week of Windows Live and Office Live reflects into a single online portal reflects that.  …

I asked him about the alpha testing of Microsoft Office 14, but Microsoft is still tight-lipped about the new improvements. "When the time comes when we can talk a little bit more about that, I'm sure folks like you will be some of the first to know, and we'd be excited to come back and talk about it," he said. You can read CNET's article on Office 14's alpha testing here.

Source: BeetTV

Google Apps no longer free ‘if users=>50’ ?

Google made an announcement yesterday that they will limit the free Google Apps offering (Standard Edition) to 50 users. All in all some major changes to the Google Apps business model and channel this week.

… Today we're making a change to better align the versions of Google Apps with the interests of business customers and resellers. Starting today, Standard Edition will support a maximum of 50 users for new customers. Existing Standard Edition customers with more than 50 users can continue their current service at no charge, and schools and non-profits of all sizes still have access to the free Education Edition. …

Source : Google Enterprise Blog

The Google Apps Revenue Myth: $10mm In 2009

Siliccon Alley Insider reports on the revenue objectives of Google Apps for 2009. According to a source the Google Enterprise target is $ 10 Million …

… Two years after launching Apps, the source says, Google's Enterprise division is targeting revenue of $10 million in 2009 (200,000 paid subscribers at $50 a pop).  The same source says that, privately, some Google executives hope the company might hit $40 million of revenue in 2009 (800,000 subs at $50 a pop).  Both of these numbers are a joke.

Why so little revenue? The source says Google is having a devil of a time persuading free Google Apps users to sign up for the paid version.

That said, the fact that Google is apparently having trouble building Apps into a real business does NOT mean that Apps isn't a big threat to Microsoft. …

Source : Alley Insider

Ferris: IBM’s Open Collaboration Client Solution Saves Money?

Very good article by Ferris. An objective analysis of IBM’s approach in the ‘Anything But Microsoft’ strategy. This turn out to be a very costly exercise which brings organisations no rela benefits.

IBM recently presented its Open Collaboration Client Solution (OCCS), in conjunction with Virtual Bridges, to Ferris. IBM proposes that OCCS presents substantial cost savings over the equivalent Microsoft approach. We’re skeptics. …

…  IBM claims that the first saving ($75 per user per annum) is achieved by only purchasing Microsoft software licenses under a Microsoft Select Agreement when installing new Microsoft software (every 3-5 years), rather than entering into an Microsoft Enterprise Agreement and paying an annual license fee. This analysis is based on list prices. This is a false argument. In practice, organizations are able to negotiate Microsoft Enterprise Agreements that eliminate this $75 per user per annum differential. …

This is the case in many of these type of comparisons. Comparing the list prices against an optimised scenario.

For many years, competitors (Corel Office, Lotus SmartSuite) have offered productivity suites at significantly lower price points than Microsoft Office. For some time, Star Office-derived offerings (Open Office from Sun, and more recently, Symphony from IBM/Lotus) have been available at zero cost. We accept that there are users who do not need the power (and attendant complexity) of Microsoft Office. However, these alternative offerings have had little impact on Microsoft’s Office market share.

IBM’s approach also involves a hidden cost. Lotus Symphony is written in Java and runs atop Lotus Expediter and open-source Eclipse, also written in Java. Under Windows and Linux, Java JAR files are treated as data, which considerably increases the memory footprint of these applications. In fact, Lotus recommends at least 1GB of memory to run Symphony effectively. Business users who wish to migrate desktop PCs from Microsoft Office to Lotus Symphony may find that they will need to upgrade (replace?) these PCs at significant cost. In fairness to IBM, users who wish to upgrade to Windows Vista will also require a significant PC upgrade.

Exactly .. “free” in purchasing terms is not free in practice. Migration cost the lack of or limited ISV eco system (so no or little 3rd party solutions), a limited partner eco system (fewer partners providing support often means support is more expensive and scarce).

… Ferris is very dubious about any cost savings that accrue from replacing Microsoft Exchange + SharePoint + OCS with Lotus Domino + Quickr + Sametime, or vice versa. In both cases, Ferris data indicates that migration costs swamp any putative savings. In addition, as with IBM productivity applications (see above), upgrading to Notes 8.x, which is Java/Expediter/Eclipse-based, introduces a 1GB PC desktop RAM requirement. This is a requirement that is not satisfied by the vast majority of currently deployed business desktop PCs (see above). In addition, Ferris believes that any organizations that are willing to allow Microsoft to host their collaboration data will be able to realize considerable cost savings by switching to Microsoft’s Online offering (see MS Exchange Online Pricing) of which Exchange Online + SharePoint Online + Office Communication Online + Live Meeting can be purchased for $15 per user per month. …

Microsoft is actually expanding the choice for clients. Not only how they procure software or services but also how they deploy the solution. Microsoft Online Services is the better solution, simply because it represents an evolutionary model which over IBM’s revolution …

… We cannot help but feel that IBM is today, as it has been for many years, interested in the idea of reducing Microsoft’s desktop revenue. It has tried with mainframe-based offerings, with Java-based Network Computers, and now with its Linux-based Open Collaboration Client Solution. IBM has not succeeded in the past, nor do we expect it to be any more successful with this offering. In our opinion, the greatest threat to Microsoft’s desktop hegemony comes from the cloud (e.g., Google Apps, etc.). We believe that Microsoft’s rapidly emerging Live and Online offerings mean that Microsoft is already well positioned to benefit from any move to the cloud, just as it did with an earlier move to the browser and Web server.

… Nick Shelness

Source: IBM’s Open Collaboration Client Solution Saves Money?

Microsoft Office 2008 gets Mac-Windows collaboration capabilities

Very good move to bridge the MAC OS and Windows platforms …

January 6, 2009 (Computerworld) Microsoft Corp. today said it would launch new Macintosh software later this year that will let Office 2008 for Mac users collaborate with people running the Windows version of the application suite.

The company made the announcement at the Macworld Conference & Expo, where Apple Inc. delivered the keynote for the last time, without CEO Steve Jobs, a longtime fixture at the event.

Document Collaboration Companion will be released to a small number of beta testers next month, said a Microsoft spokeswoman in an e-mail today. However, Microsoft would not commit to a definitive final release timetable, saying only that it would deliver the software "later this year."

The spokeswoman said that the program will make it easier for users to download and upload documents to enterprise servers running SharePoint, Microsoft's browser-based collaboration platform, or to Office Live Workspace, the free online service that offers similar functionality. Document Collaboration Companion also will provide Mac-based tools to let Office users check shared documents in and out.

Microsoft touted the upcoming software and a planned makeover of Entourage -- the e-mail client for Office 2008 for Mac -- as its first moves toward providing some of the same kind of services to its Mac customers that those running Windows already enjoy.

The SlideShare Ribbon for PowerPoint

I am big fan of Slideshare and also of Office 2007. It is great to see these two come together. I’ve been using the add-in for a couple of weeks now. This is what Microsoft Office is all about … it not just a suite with Word, Excel PowerPoint , it is a platform that allows people to build intergration with other solutions and services :

The SlideShare Ribbon for PowerPoint

The SlideShare Ribbon for PowerPoint 2007 lets you use most features of SlideShare from within PowerPoint. You can download and upload files, search, view usage metrics for presentations, and lots more.

Meet the SlideShare ribbon for PowerPoint

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: powerpoint microsoft)

OpenOffice .. UI overhaul in xx Years ??

Aparently a lot of users of OpenOffice see a need for an overhaul of the UI :

source: http://marketing.openoffice.org/ooocon2008/programme/friday_1447.pdf

So OpenOffice.org is starting project Renaissance :

The problem statement

As you all might know, OpenOffice.org users complain about its cumbersome and outdated user interface (UI). A great deal of functionality is hidden in many overstuffed toolbars, poorly structured menus and complex dialogs. Functions are thus difficult to access for novice users or too inefficient to use for expert users. In addition, the UI offers an antiquated look & feel which is hardly capable to communicate innovation and to create joy of use.

Since recently, office productivity vendors started to seek for experience-based differentiation by focusing on usage efficiency and a visually appealing interface. With an inefficient and visually unattractive graphical user interface, it will be hard for us to motivate more users of competitive offerings to switch to our product. In addition, we will face difficulties entering and growing in market segments with users who value a fresh look & feel and an easy to access and to use functionality.

Are you an OpenOffice user .. be patient; its a long term project…

OpenOffice's UI will be getting a refurb

In a long-term project, the OpenOffice team wants to thoroughly rework the free office software's user interface. This was already widely expected to happen with version 3.0, which no longer looks contemporary in many users' eyes. In addition, the office suite's menus have become so cluttered and badly structured that users find it impossible to locate certain functions – a problem Microsoft addressed with the ribbon feature in Office 2007. Ribbons have replaced the classic menus of Word, Excel, Access and Powerpoint in the latest Office, and will come to Paint and Wordpad in Windows 7.

Project Renaissance is now acting on the criticism and hopes to attract widespread user participation. In a first phase, the project wants to collect users' opinions and experiences – an online questionnaire is already available, and will be followed by an extension to OpenOffice that collects application usage data and forwards it to the project team in anonymous form.

Strong recognition for Microsoft Office and the ribbon. Which as also this clipping suggests will be in almost all Microsoft Apps in the Office 14 wave (next version).

Telegraaf: Slechts één procent van kantoormedewerkers gebruikt Google Docs

De Telegraaf schrijft vandaag over een onderzoek dat ClickStream Technologies in de VS heeft gedaan onder de gebruikers van Office Applicaties. In tegenstelling tot wat het artikel meldt gaat het volgens mij niet om kantoormedewerkers, maar om internetgebruikers. Feit is wel dat het onderzoek hele andere cijfers laat zien dan dat Google ons wil laten geloven ..

Slechts één procent van kantoormedewerkers gebruikt Google Docs, de productiviteitssoftware van Google. Dat blijkt uit onderzoek van Clickstream Technologies.

De mensen die wel Google Docs gebruiken, doen dit meestal in combinatie met ofwel Office van Microsoft, ofwel het gratis OpenOffice. Deze laatste wordt overigens slechts door vijf procent van de kantoormedewerkers gebruikt, terwijl dit percentage voor Office maar liefst 50 is.

Google Docs is een online variant van het bekende Office, waarbij documenten op servers van Google worden opgeslagen. Deze functionaliteit wordt dus echter vaak gecombineerd met het traditionele gebruik van Office.

Tijdens het gebruik van Docs worden daarnaast ook nog eens minder acties uitgevoerd dan in OpenOffice of Word. Bij de Google-variant worden gemiddeld slechts 40 acties ondernomen, terwijl dit voor OpenOffice en Word respectievelijk 548 en 1.797 waren.

In september meldde Google nog dat een miljoen bedrijven wereldwijd Google Apps, de commerciële variant van Google Docs, gebruiken. Zij doen dat blijkbaar dus niet exclusief.

Bron: Telegraaf

Op de weblog van Matt Cutts staat een zeer uitgebreide analyse waarin hij ook meerdere bronnen aanhaalt. Deze geven een soortgelijke conclusie :

Microsoft Office Web Applications = Multiplatform

Interoperability, or in this context Office for the web available to all users on all platforms. Just one of the examples of Software + Services. An article on ComputerWorl clarifies some details in the platform that Office Web Application will support. Just consider the potential of this …

November 13, 2008 (Computerworld) Microsoft Corp. clarified this week that the upcoming Office Web -- a lightweight version of its Office suite that runs as an online service -- will be available to users running Mac OS X and Linux, as well as from Apple's iPhone.

In a post to the Microsoft-run Channel 10 blog, someone identified as Sarah Perez spelled out system requirements for Office Web. According to Perez, the online versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote will be accessible not only from Microsoft's own Internet Explorer (IE) and within Windows, but also from Mozilla's Firefox and Apple's Safari browsers running on Mac OS X and Linux.

Firefox comes in versions for Mac OS X, Linux and Windows, while Safari has editions for both Mac OS X and Windows. Together, Firefox and Safari accounted for more than 26% of all browsers used during October, Web metrics firm Net Applications reported earlier this month. Microsoft's own IE, meanwhile, owned 71% of the browser usage share in October. ….

Source: ComputerWorldhttp://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9120143&intsrc=hm_list

Microsoft Office Web Applications: Your Burning Questions Answered

A bit more background on Office Web Applications :

… We already told you Microsoft Office will be extended to the browser. There has been a lot of excitement about this new service, but Sarah from on10 found there’s also quite a bit of misinformation around it. Therefore she decided to create a special Q&A, to answer some of those burning questions people have about the new web applications. …

… For the full list please read Sarah's Q&A. Besides Sarah’s Q&A there’s also a FAQ about Office Live Workspace available at the Office Live Workspace website. If you are not familiar with Workspace you can read this to orientate. It doesn’t tell much about the web apps, besides that they are lightweight apps and to sign up for Office Live Workspace if you wish to get more information and updates about any beta product availability. …

Source: Microsoft Office Web Applications: Your Burning Questions Answered

BlackBerry and Documents to Go

Dataviz has unveiled a new version of its Documents To Go suite for the BlackBerry which enables users to work with Microsoft Office files on their mobile handset.

Documents To Go Premium edition for BlackBerry is available immediately in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish versions, and supports the viewing, creating and editing of Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents, including the newer Office 2007 file formats.

Source: http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2230003/blackberry-gets-documents

Viewing and editting Office 2007 documents on the road. Gets you thinking with all these “SaaS” Office solutions out there doesn’t it. The ability to send / receive documents, having them locally on your device to view / edit / present is a very strong and compelling solution. The power of software and the power of devices (even BlackBerry :-) ) …

AC/DC Rock N Roll Train - ASCII music video in Excel

The unlimited potential of Microsoft Excel :-)

ZDnet: CommBank chooses Office 2007 over Google Apps

Commonwealth Bank of Australia is a good example of a company that not judges Microsoft Office on it covers, but rather sees it for what it is : the cornerstone of a platform and not just a bundle of a text editor, presentation app and calculator …

… The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has completed a deployment of Microsoft's new Office 2007 suite to 38,000 desktops — a year after giving Google Apps the thumbs down.

The Office 2007 Professional roll-out had covered CommBank's 38,000 desktops at its headquarters and 1,000-plus branches, Mark Griffith, executive manager of the bank's workplace technologies group told Microsoft's Tech.Ed conference in Sydney today.

Microsoft's latest Office suite has replaced Office 2003 on CommBank's Windows XP desktop environment, which currently supports around 2,000 applications, including the bank's internally developed CRM system, CommSee. Integration with CommSee was critical, according to Griffith. …

… Upgrading its collaboration capabilities make the next step for CommBank, which is eyeing Sharepoint 2007 for a central repository and a collaboration back end for its Office suite.

The bank last year vetted Google's office productivity suite, Google Apps, but gave it the thumbs down, claiming the suite had "insufficient product capability". …

Source : ZDnet

AG: Office Live Workspace nu ook in het Nederlands

Office Live Workspace is nu in het nederlands beschikbaar. AG berichtte daar vorige week al over :

… Microsoft introduceert volgende week de Nederlandse versie van Office Live Workspace. Met deze ‘virtuele werkomgeving’ kunnen gebruikers op internet bestanden opslaan, bekijken en bewerken en met anderen delen.

De Amerikaanse versie van Office Live Workspace heeft wereldwijd een miljoen gebruikers, waaronder bijna zesduizend in Nederland. Nu vanaf woensdag 13 augustus ook een Nederlandstalige versie beschikbaar is, verwacht Microsoft dat het aantal gebruikers hier snel zal toenemen.

Met Office Live Workspace heeft de gebruiker vanaf iedere internet-pc ter wereld toegang tot zijn gegevens, die centraal op servers van Microsoft worden opgeslagen. De technologie heeft veel weg van Skydrive, de eerder dit jaar door Microsoft geïntroduceerde ‘harde schijf op internet’ waar de gebruiker ook foto’s, documenten en andere bestanden kan opslaan en eventueel delen met anderen. …

Bron: Automatiseringgids

Je kunt je aan melden op de Office Live Workspace site en direct aan de slag.

Docsyncer is no more

It’s very hard for companies in such a ‘narrow niche’. Maybe Docsyncer was hoping to be acquired by Google …

Thank you for your interest in DocSyncer. Our service will be shutting down on June 20th, 2008. All current users can continue to access and use the service until that time.

Source: http://www.docsyncer.com

 

DocSyncer – the company that allowed users to sync desktop documents with Google Docs has closed its doors

On the surface this appears surprising - DocSyncer had established a strong user base, having accumulated over 6 million documents since its launch last October. It had become the web’s largest contributor to Google Docs.

So what was the cause of death? DocSyncer CEO Cliff Shaw says that the company simply couldn’t find a viable business model – a point that became obvious when the company presented at the Under the Radar conference earlier this year.

Furthermore – and likely more lethal - the company also faced the looming threat of Google creating its own syncing service. This is one of the biggest risks faced by companies wanting to developed tools or services on Google Apps/Docs.

The management team has begun work on a new photo site called picstreem, and is currently seeking funding.

Microsoft Expands List of Formats Supported in Microsoft Office

Microsoft will include the support of ODF 1.1 in Microsoft Office. Good move showing that Microsoft is serious about interoperability ...

... Microsoft Corp. is offering customers greater choice and more flexibility among document formats, as well as creating additional opportunities for developer and competitors, by expanding the range of document formats supported in its flagship Office productivity suite.

The 2007 Microsoft Office system already provides support for 20 different document formats within Microsoft Office Word, Office Excel and Office PowerPoint. With the release of Microsoft Office 2007 Service Pack 2 (SP2) scheduled for the first half of 2009, the list will grow to include support for XML Paper Specification (XPS), Portable Document Format (PDF) 1.5, PDF/A and Open Document Format (ODF) v1.1.

When using SP2, customers will be able to open, edit and save documents using ODF and save documents into the XPS and PDF fixed formats from directly within the application without having to install any other code. It will also allow customers to set ODF as the default file format for Office 2007. To also provide ODF support for users of earlier versions of Microsoft Office (Office XP and Office 2003), Microsoft will continue to collaborate with the open source community in the ongoing development of the Open XML-ODF translator project on SourceForge.net.

In addition, Microsoft has defined a road map for its implementation of the newly ratified International Standard ISO/IEC 29500 (Office Open XML). IS29500, which was approved by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in March, is already substantially supported in Office 2007, and the company plans to update that support in the next major version release of the Microsoft Office system, code-named “Office 14.”

Consistent with its interoperability principles, in which the company committed to work with others toward robust, consistent and interoperable implementations across a broad range of widely deployed products, the company has also announced it will be an active participant in the future evolution of ODF, Open XML, XPS and PDF standards. ...

Source: Microsoft Expands List of Formats Supported in Microsoft Office

Office Live Update 1.1

The Office Live Update 1.1 for Microsoft Office Live Workspace beta makes working with Microsoft Office programs faster and lets you access workspaces from Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

The Office Live Update 1.1 installs (1) performance updates to make using Office Live Workspace with Microsoft Office programs faster, (2) the latest Office Live Add-in for Microsoft Office that enables you to access your workspaces directly from Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and (3) the Multiple Document Upload Tool.

 

The Office Live Add-in adds new menu options in the 2007 Microsoft Office Suite and a toolbar in Microsoft Office XP and Office 2003. You will be able to open documents located in Office Live Workspace directly from Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. You will also be able to save files directly from Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to Office Live Workspace.
The Multiple Document Upload Tool lets you add multiple documents to a workspace at once and even allows users to drag and drop files directly from their desktop.

Source: Office Live Update 1.1

Microsoft to Help Disabled Access Office Documents

 

... Microsoft has released a software add-in to help those who have difficulty reading printed documents to turn Word documents into audio files.

The "Save as DAISY XML" add-in makes it easier to create audio books from text files, and was developed by Microsoft, Sonata Software, and the Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) Consortium as an open-source project. It can be downloaded for free, and is compatible Microsoft Word 2007, Word 2003 and Word XP.

The add-in allow users to save Open XML-based text files as DAISY XML, which in turn can converted into the DAISY Digital Talking Book (DTB) format using another software tool, Pipeline, the latest version of which was also released Wednesday. ...

Source: CIO.com

I really like the fact that Microsoft's approach to providing Office functionality is also focussed on disabled people.

This is a very good example of how OpenXML enables the creation of "DAISY XML"  a format that can be used to create a format to create audio books.

My wife uses a DAISY player for years now and it is an excellent device snd very easy to operate / browse trhough audio books ...

Microsoft Albany Beta launches today, what is it?

New milestone for Microsoft by offering subscription based Office ...

... Microsoft launches Albany Beta today, but what is it? The name reveals nothing. “Albany” is the codename for a new all-in-one subscription service of essential software and services for consumers. It consists of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007, Windows Live OneCare, Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Photo Gallery, it also installs the Microsoft Office Live Workspace connector. With Albany consumers will get the latest versions of Microsoft Office Home and Student and Windows Live OneCare as they are released.

Each “Albany” subscription is good for three PCs and the final version of the product will be delivered before the end of this calendar year. Microsoft Office and Windows Live OneCare will still be sold as standalone package as well. Albany just gives customers more choice and addresses the needs of those customers who value having the latest and greatest version of Microsoft Office. Pricing is not yet known.

Q&A: Group Product Manager Bryson Gordon discusses “Albany”
Getting ready for Windows Live Wave 3 ....

Source: Albany Beta launches today, what is it?

Microsoft Protocol information for SharePoint and Office

Microsoft Corp. today took another step toward fulfilling its interoperability principle of ensuring open connections to its high-volume products and driving greater interoperability, opportunity and choice across the IT community of developers, partners, customers and competitors.

Microsoft today posted on MSDN more than 14,000 pages of preliminary versions of technical documentation for Microsoft protocols built into Microsoft Office 2007, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. With this action, Microsoft will have posted a cumulative total of more than 44,000 pages of protocol documentation that it committed in its interoperability principles. Anyone who wishes to do so can now access, for free, preliminary versions of the documentation for the “connection points” between these Microsoft products as follows:

• Protocols between Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Microsoft Office client applications;
• Protocols between Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and other Microsoft server products;
• Protocols between Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Outlook;
• Protocols between 2007 Microsoft Office system client applications and other Microsoft server products.

As a result of today’s posting, all types of developers — including independent software vendors, open source developers and developers in customer IT departments — will have consistent, open access to this protocol documentation that defines how these high-volume Microsoft products communicate with other Microsoft products. This consistent, open access to information will promote more interoperability options for developers of all types and will help foster improved real-world interoperability solutions in the marketplace.

Source : Microsoft PressPass

• Office Protocol Documentation
  

The Office protocol documentation provides detailed technical specifications for Microsoft proprietary protocols (including extensions to industry-standard or other published protocols) that are implemented and used in Microsoft Office client programs to interoperate or communicate with Microsoft products.

The documentation includes a set of companion overview and reference documents that supplement the technical specifications with conceptual background, overviews of inter-protocol relationships and interactions, and technical reference information.

• SharePoint Products and Technologies Protocol Documentation
  
  The Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies protocol documentation provides detailed technical specifications for Microsoft proprietary protocols (including extensions to industry-standard or other published protocols) that are implemented and used in SharePoint Products and Technologies to interoperate or communicate with Microsoft products.
  
  The documentation includes a set of companion overview and reference documents that supplement the technical specifications with conceptual background, overviews of inter-protocol relationships and interactions, and technical reference information.

Report: Office 2007 demand ‘healthier than thought’

Over on Microsoft Watch Mary Jo Foley blogged more details on the most recent Forrester Report about Microsoft Office 2007. It ggives more insight in deployments of MS Office (obviously), but also the relation to SharePoint and the deployment relative to Google Apps and OpenOffice ... (and no mention of IBM Lotus Symphony ;-) )

...There is quite a bit of difference of opinion as to when and whether business users should upgrade to Windows Vista, but Office 2007 isn't suffering from the same fate. According to Forrester Research (which has really been cranking out the studies in the past few days), businesses are deploying Office 2007 at a rapid clip. ...

... Other findings from Forrester’s “The State Of Microsoft Office 2007 Desktop Adoption” study (which is only available to subscribers to Forrester’s research service):

• The majority of those surveyed plan to deploy Office 2007 within the next 12 months (21 percent immediately, 43 percent within 6 months and 29 percent within 12 months)
• SharePoint Server 2007 is being deployed at almost identical rates and often in tandem with Office 2007.
• Of those surveyed, 43 percent said Office 2007 rollouts were tied to upgrades in PC hardware
• *The release of Office 2007 SP1 “removed a hurdle keeping many from moving forward in calendar year 2007.”  ...

... And what about Google Apps? Any IT pros surveyed looking seriously at a completely Google-hosted alternative to Office 2007?

“Enterprises are looking at Open Office and Google, but they are not yet looking to move to them,” McNabb said. “Less than one percent are giving any real fuel to (Microsoft) alternatives.” ...

Report: Office 2007 demand ‘healthier than thought’

BetaNews: IBM debuts beta of Lotus Symphony 4.0 for Linux

 

... The Armonk, N.Y. company's software is based on code from OpenOffice, and is being marketing as an alternative to Microsoft Office.

Symphony is based on the Open Document Format standard, and includes tools for users to import Microsoft Office and Adobe PDF files into the suite. IBM says this would make it easier to integrate the suite into current deployments. ...

... "Symphony was designed to provide freedom of choice and freedom from overpriced commodities," Lotus software chief Kevin Cavanaugh said. "Symphony and Linux are a natural fit for the growing ranks of businesses and individuals who have better things to do with their money." ...

Source: BetaNews.com

I haven't written much about IBM Symphony to date. Symphony's USP's are "free"and multiplatform which makes sence and ODF which for some time was the only ISO standard document format . If you're going to make yet another attempt to concur the desktop at least find your niche ...

But this approach is not simply the alternative to MS Office; the way it's positioned requires companies to also replace the desktop OS with "free" Linux, which complicates things I would say. IBM of all companies should know that enterprises run more than just Office on their desktop machines.

What I find surprising, is that IBM is taking the desktop application route with their suite and not that Rich Internet Aplpications (RIAs) i.e. develop an alternative in line with Google Apps. Although they are most likely working on such an approach , they seem to put all of their effort into creating something similar like Microsoft Office.

Also by emphasizing too much on an alternative to Microsoft Office, the focus is on the productivity side alone, functions such as wordprocessing, spreadsheets and presentations and less on Microsoft's approach of evolving Microsoft Office into Microsoft Office System since the introduction of 2003 Microsoft Office System and the latest release 2007 Microsoft Office System.

... The 2007 Microsoft Office system includes new and improved application suites, business tools, server platforms, and services. Find sales and technical-readiness information, as well as videos, case studies, podcasts, and demos from partners who are building innovative solutions based on the new platform. ...

(https://partner.microsoft.com/40025002)

Sure Microsoft Office 2007 can also be seen and implemented as 'just another' productivity suite, but next to that the seemless integration with communication and collaboration tools (inclusing Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007), BI applications and 3rd Party solutions turn it into a very comprehensive platform.

In other terms desktop productivity is something of the 90's; in todays business it is about communication and collaboration with your productivity tools at the center. This is (becoming) a platform decision.

I also wonder how much time and money IBM is investing in usability, and Accessibility features. And where does IBM Symphony differ from solutions already out there in the market for years (OpenOffice, StarOffice) ?

In summary, business that are considering shifting desktop OS and desktop productivity apps should keep in mind :

• Productivity Tools are the applications your end users are working with every single day to buy, sell, create or whatever they do to grow the business. Do you provide them with commidity tools or with the best tools possible ?
  
• There is a platform decision involved for your users to communicate and collaborate and to provide functions for compliancy and document retention (IBM sells Lotus Notes / Domino, Connections, Quikr, SameTime, websphere, etc)
  
• There's migration involved (IBM has a services organisation with many consultants and engineers)
  
• This is not about Office at all...

Smart Move: OpenOffice.org 3.0 to Support Read/Write of OOXML

Guy Creese posted about an interesting move by OpenOffice.org; the support of OOXML ...

...

According to a post at OpenOffice.org Ninja, OpenOffice.org 3.0 is planning to support the reading and writing of OOXML documents. This will not occur in the immediate future: OpenOffice.org 3.0 is about six months away (with OpenOffice.org 2.4 shipping in the meantime) and the screenshot included in the post shows a lot of work still needs to be done. However, this means that sometime in 2008 OpenOffice.org users will be able to easily share documents with workers or partners who are using the Microsoft Office 2007 default file formats. ...

Source: Pattern Finder - Smart Move: OpenOffice.org 3.0 to Support Read/Write of OOXML

Carl Tyler - My PowerPoint pet peeve

Carl has a good question on functionality in PowerPoint. Something that does work in Lotus Freelance and does not work in PowerPoint .. Be sure to check the screencast (follow link)

This is a pet peeve of mine in PowerPoint (and also Lotus Symphony), it would be great if someone can tell me if Microsoft have fixed this in 2007.  I'd be interested to know, what does he apple software do in this situation?
http://screencast.com/t/iRz8tJZoF

Well, I took on this "challenge" and created a 'this it how it works in PowerPoint 2007 :-)

 Peter's screencast

(The screencapture is optimal, but you get the message ..)

Source: My PowerPoint pet peeve

Office Live Workspace beta open voor Nederland

De Office Live Workspace beta is nu internationaal beschikbaar voor een aantal landen, waardonder Nederland. De beta is  nu alleen nog in het Engels beschikbaar is en zal uiteraard later dit jaar ook in het Nederlands beschikbaar komen.

Inschrijven kan met een bestaande of nieuw te creeeren Windows Live ID binnen 30 sec. Zoals ik in een eerdere blogpost al vermeldde is de functionaliteit recentelijk nog uitgebreid en gebruikers kunnen ook met enige regelmaat nieuwe updates verwachten.

O ja ... het is gratis ...

Office Live Workspace - first feature update goes live

Office Live Workspace get's its first update ...

In case you didn't know, Office Live Workspace is bases on SharePoint, integrated with Office XP and newer version and .. free :-)

A new Activity pane to help you keep track of what’s happening in your workspaces and email notifications so you always know when the people you share with make updates. This feature is a lot of fun and makes it easy to see at glance the changes happening in your workspace and in individual documents. Now you’ll know when someone comments on your document, adds a note, or updates an important list.

New support for adding multiple documents to your workspaces. The Add multiple documents button makes it is easier than ever to bring your documents into a workspace by browsing and selecting files from your computer or dragging and dropping files on the document uploader.

New permalinks for sharing direct hyperlinks to your workspaces and documents. Now you can bookmark individual workspaces and items in your workspace using the “add to favorites” tool in your web browser or copy the address bar and paste those links into emails to share with others.

A new Share workspace UI to easily invite others to your workspace. With the improved address book buttons you can quickly add people from your Windows Live addresses book (contacts from Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger) and people you have shared with before. You can also include more details in your invitation with the larger message box and choose to CC yourself on the invitation.

Besides these, other fixes and improvements have been made and the Office Live add-in has been updated.

Microsoft Open Source Project To Enable OOXML Conversion

New developements around OOXML ...

... Microsoft today launched an open source software project on the SourceForge site, aimed at developing conversion tools that will translate Microsoft Office binary files to Office Open XML (OOXML) file formats. According to Vijay Rajagopalan, principal architect in the Interoperability & Platform Strategy group at Microsoft, initial work will focus on a Word conversion solution, with Excel and PowerPoint file formats to be addressed starting in the spring.

"We are hoping that our first beta version of this is going to come out around June 30th. That will give us a good benchmark of what are the capabilities of the Word translator," Rajagopalan said. "Around April we are hoping to publicly make our first technology preview." ...

Source: Microsoft Open Source Project To Enable OOXML Conversion
Date Published: Fri, 15 Feb 2008

InfoWorld: 'Office 14' to be more Web-friendly, Gates says

 

InfoWorld ran an article about the speech of Bill Gates at the Office Developer Conference. A lot of interest ofcourse on what the next version of Office System will bring and ofcourse the strategy also there is Software + Services ...

... Microsoft envisions the next version of Office to have partial online functionality similar to how Outlook Web Access works

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates talked publicly for the first time on Monday about the next big Office release, code-named Office 14, which he said will give users new ways to access their applications online.

Microsoft won't provide the full functionality of Office online, but it will offer limited capabilities to view and edit the data in Office applications. It already does this for its Outlook e-mail client with a product called Outlook Web Access, and it will offer similar capabilities for other applications in Office 14, Gates said in a speech at the Microsoft Office System Developer Conference in San Jose, Calif.

"Outlook Web Access is not the full version of Office, but if you want to go into a kiosk or an Internet cafe and browse and connect, it gives you plenty of functionality," he said. "As we look at all the modules [in Office 14], we have in mind the equivalent of Outlook Web Access," Gates said.

It was the first time Microsoft had confirmed the "Office 14" moniker for the next release, although the Windows enthusiast Web site AeroXperience reported that fact recently, citing an internal Microsoft document. It also reported that a beta of Office 14 would appear this year with commercial release planned for 2009. ...

Source: InfoWorld.com

OneNote 2007 Demo: What is OneNote?

In case you've never heard of Microsoft Office OneNote ...

Watch this introductory demo to learn about Microsoft Office OneNote 2007 and how to use it to gather, organize, and share your notes and other information.

Source: OneNote 2007 Demo: What is OneNote?
Date Published: Wed, 30 Jan 2008

2007 Analyst Reports on or including Microsoft Products and solutions

The Microsoft Analyst Relations page features lot's of reports for which Microsoft has obtained the reprint or distribution rights. I have made a selection of the 2007 reports on topics that mean something in 'my world' :

Below is a collection of reports published by leading independent analyst firms on, or including, Microsoft. Microsoft has secured all copyright and publishing privileges with the firms to include the reports on this site for all audiences. All reports were researched and funded by the analyst firms themselves.

(some links may expire over time)

Enterprise Search

• Microsoft: The Latest Disruptor in Enterprise Search (Forrester Research, Nov. 6, 2007, .pdf, 104K) This Forrester report examines Microsoft’s expanded enterprise search offerings. Analyst Ken Poore writes “Microsoft Search Server 2008 raises the bar and frees up search. This week, Microsoft made its latest move into the enterprise search platforms market with two strategic products: Microsoft Search Server Express 2008 and Microsoft Search Server 2008. These products deliver a solid set of features that reset the feature/price/ease-of-use equation for entry-level and midtier enterprise search.”
  
• Microsoft Drives a Wedge Between High and Low-End Enterprise Search (Forrester Research, Sept. 28, 2007, .pdf, 121 kb) This Forrester report examines Microsoft’s position into the enterprise search market. Analyst Matthew Brown writes “Microsoft offers significantly improved search capabilities in MOSS 2007 and its standalone search product, MOSS 2007 for Search. And Microsoft isn't just throwing products into the market. Instead, it has mobilized the entire organization behind search, including extensive marketing and events, partner training programs, and specific global sales goals.”
  
• Magic Quadrant for Information Access Technology, 2007 (Gartner, September 5, 2007): This Gartner Magic Quadrant by Whit Andrews evaluates leading vendors in the Information Access market which extends beyond enterprise search to encompass a collection of information access technologies. Gartner positions Microsoft in the Challengers quadrant. According to Gartner, “Challengers possess sufficient resources to effectively penetrate the information access technology market.”
  
• How Secure Should Your Search Be? (Forrester Research, Inc., April 12, 2007, .pdf, 128 kb) This Forrester report examines enterprise search security as a complex issue that requires careful weighing of requirements to achieve “winning search strategies that will balance costs with advanced functionality.” For example, organizations should consider whether search will span more than one secure repository and if the answer is ‘yes’, analyst Matt Brown writes companies should evaluate “higher-end products including those from infrastructure providers such as Microsoft.”

Messaging and Workflow

• Messaging, Workflow Roadmap Announced (Directions on Microsoft, Oct. 30, 2007, .pdf, 377 kb) “Oslo supports principles – service-oriented architecture and composite applications – that Microsoft believes will drive future business application development.”

 

SaaS / Enterprise 2.0 / Consumerisation

• Evaluating IBM, Microsoft, Oracle and SAP Web and Consumerization Strategies (Gartner Research, Oct. 3, 2007) This vendor evaluation looks at Consumerization and the Web as two related and highly impactful issues facing users and vendors today. Analysts David Mitchell Smith and Charles Abrams state that “one major force behind the consumerization of IT is the Internet and enterprises' adoption of Internet technologies.”
  
• Rich Internet Apps Move Beyond The Browser (Forrester Research, June 27, 2007) This Forrester report examines the adoption of rich internet applications (RIAs). The independent report finds that while early RIAs were exclusively browser-based, new platforms from Microsoft [and other vendors] broaden developer options for delivering rich media and content to clients. Forrester writes that “Microsoft has a tactical edge because its dominant position at the desktop with the .NET Framework will attract large numbers of developers who already target Microsoft’s desktop and browser platforms.”

Enterprise Content Management

• Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Content Management, 2007 (Gartner, September 21, 2007): This Gartner Magic Quadrant by Karen Shegda evaluates leading vendors in the Enterprise Content Management market which includes web content management, records management, document imaging, document management, workflow and document-centric collaboration. Gartner positions Microsoft in the Visionaries quadrant.

Unified Communications

• Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications, 2007 (Gartner, August 20, 2007): This Gartner Magic Quadrant by Bern Elliot evaluates leading vendors in the unified communications market. Gartner positions Microsoft in the Leaders quadrant. According to Gartner, “The Leaders quadrant contains vendors selling comprehensive and integrated UC solutions that directly, or with well-defined partnerships, address the full range of market needs.”
• Microsoft Communicator Overhangs the Enterprise Communications Market (Gartner, Inc., May 1, 2007) In this Gartner report, analyst Geoff Johnson discusses Microsoft’s upcoming launch of Office Communications Server 2007. He states that “reliable integration of communications into enterprise platforms is a necessary precursor to the eventual development of communications-enabled business processes.”

Office 2007

• A Look at Improvements and Shortcoming in Microsoft Office 2007 Desktop Applications (Forrester Research, July 17, 2007, .pdf, 464 kb) This report, the second in Forrester’s “Innovation on the Desktop” series, states that “the breadth of Microsoft Office 2007 and its change of focus from desktop apps to a full system targeted at information workers warrants careful consideration by (Information and Knowledge Management Professionals.)” Analyst Kyle McNabb writes that “office productivity will evolve, taking advantage of more thin client and SaaS approaches, but we’ve not seen the end of the thick client.”

Project and Portfolio Management

• Magic Quadrant for IT Project and Portfolio Management, 2007 (Gartner, June 15, 2007, .pdf, 213 kb): This Gartner Magic Quadrant by Matt Light and Daniel Stang evaluates leading technology solution vendors in the IT Project and Portfolio Management space. Gartner positions Microsoft in the Leaders quadrant. According to Gartner, Leaders “distinguish themselves with relatively high ratings in many characteristics, not just a few” and “also tend to have, not just capable system integration partners, but some core, direct PPM service offerings, going beyond implementation and support to include process-change consulting.”

Customer Relationship Management

• Microsoft Leads in Record-Centric Customer Service Management Software: The Forrester Wave™ Vendor Summary, Q2 2007 (Forrester Research, May 24, 2007, .pdf, 199 kb) “Microsoft Dynamics CRM, which delivers sufficient customer service capabilitie at a low cost, has emerged as a leader among customer record-centric products. Although not as functionally rich in core customer service capabilities, Microsoft compensates through its architecture, integration, usability, and business strategy. The product shines in its ability to support agents through phone agent, blended agent, and agent collaboration tools — all of which sit on top of a solid workflow engine. In the future, look for Microsoft to exploit its Customer Care Framework, a modular XML Web Services architecture for rapid development and deployment of contact center solutions.”
  
• Magic Quadrant for CRM Customer Service Contact Centers, (Gartner, March 6, 2007): This Gartner Magic Quadrant by Michael Maoz evaluates leading CRM vendors in the customer service contact centers space and positions Microsoft Dynamics CRM in the Visionary quadrant. According to Gartner, Visionaries are ahead of potential competitors in delivery of innovative products and/or delivery models.
  
• The Forrester Wave™: Midmarket CRM Suites, Q1 2007 (Forrester, February 21, 2007, .pdf , 513 kb): “The Microsoft brand gives Dynamics CRM major momentum. Microsoft Dynamics CRM is one of the newer products included in our evaluation, but the vendor has made impressive progress building out its solution, which emerged as a Leader for the first time in a Forrester Wave.”
  
• The Forrester Wave™: Enterprise CRM Suites, Q1 2007 (Forrester Research, Feb. 5, 2007, .pdf, 488 kb) Microsoft Dynamics CRM was rated a Strong Performer in this Forrester Wave. Forrester applied two sets of criteria weightings to this analysis, one appropriate for large enterprise wide deployments and another focused on midmarket priorities - the two sets of criteria were then used to evaluate and position the solutions.

Trendmatcher: Office Live Workspace Preview

Willem Karssenberg gaf verleden week op zijn blog een korte review van Windows Live Workspace.

... "Je mag zeker over Office Live Workspaces praten :)"
staat in de reacties op mijn bericht van gisteren, waarin ik zei dat ik uitdrukkelijk gewezen was op de disclaimer. Nou, in dat geval plaats ik ook maar een screenshot dacht ik, zodat ook mijn bezoekers een beeld kunnen krijgen van hoe deze omgeving eruit kan gaan zien ...

Het is nog geen volledig publieke beta, dat komt binnenkort. Eerder vandaag heb ik al een blogje gepost met de nieuwe add-in voor Office; dit geeft je dus een naadloze integratie tussen de offline en de online wereld, wat wil je nog meer.

... Overigens lijken de mensen bij Microsoft zich te ontpoppen als echte webloggers! Niet alleen Remco Ploeg heeft een weblog, waar hij gelijk gisterenavond al de presentatie had staan (in 2 varianten). Ook Peter de Haas die gisteren een onderdeel verzorgde houdt meerdere weblogs bij waarin hij over z'n werk en interesses blogt, en met een keurige disclaimer (moet ik ook nog eens doen)!
Ik weet niet of Microsoft dit actief promoot, maar het geeft zo'n bedrijf wel een gezicht. Van de mensen van Google die er gisteren waren is veel moeilijker wat te vinden...
 

Leuk trouwens dat Willem onze blogging effort erkend :-). Ja Willem Microsoft promoot dit actief. Wat op zich een goede resource is als je op de hoogte wilt blijven van Microsoft gerelateerde ontwikkelingen (naast het blog van Remco en mijn blog ;-) zijn :

1. Blogs van de Microsoft Product teams

2. Blog van Bart Wessels (Alles mbt Microsoft algemeen en Microsoft Office in het bijzonder

3. Andere collega's die op blogs.microsoft.nl bloggen

Source: Office Live Workspace Preview
Author: Willem Karssenberg
Date Published: Wed, 21 Nov 2007

Office Live Add-in for Microsoft Office: Open and save documents directly from Microsoft Office Word, Office Excel, and Office PowerPoint to Microsoft Office Live Workspace

Linking the offline to the online world. Microsoft Office Live Workspace is not an open beta yet. I will try and find out if there's dates available for this because this is worthwhile evaluating ...

The Office Live Add-in will install new menu options allowing you to open and save documents directly from Microsoft Office Word, Office Excel, and Office PowerPoint to Microsoft Office Live Workspace beta.

Source: Office Live Add-in for Microsoft Office: Open and save documents directly from Microsoft Office Word, Office Excel, and Office PowerPoint to Microsoft Office Live Workspace
Date Published: Thu, 29 Nov 2007

Microsoft's Office Live Workspace

Here are a few screenshots of Microsoft's Office Live Workspace. The beta will start soon ...

... Microsoft last month announced plans for Office Live Workspace, a free online tool for viewing Microsoft Office documents. On Wednesday, Microsoft shared a few screenshots of what the service will look like when it goes into beta later this year. ..

More screenshots at source : News.com

Gartner: IBM's Free Symphony Sings Familiar Songs

Gartner Group has picked up on the IBM Symphony announcement. Their recommendations are quite clear ...

... IBM hopes to challenge Microsoft's Office franchise with its own release of OpenOffice.org branded as "Lotus Symphony." However, Symphony provides few advantages over existing OpenOffice.org distributions. ...

... Recommendations

Enterprises:

• Don't change organizational strategy because of this announcement.
• Evaluate OO.o and decide if it is appropriate for certain users.
• Examine migration costs to see if there is a business case.
• Don’t expect to be able to replace MS Office for all users with OO.o.

Source: Gartner.com

Will IBM’s Lotus Symphony succeed where other Office killers haven’t?

For sure the announcement of IBM puts more pressure on Microsoft and will at least create similar or even more discussions / evaluations when OpenOffice / StarOffice were introduced.

The post of Mary Jo Foley does however put the discussion in the right perspective: what's really new ?

ODF and Microsoft's ISO certification of OOXML does seem to be a (thé?) key in this discussion .... 

Do you see IBM's new Microsoft Office alternative, Lotus Symphony, as offering things other ODF suites don't? Will IBM's Office competitor will make more inroads than the existing crowd of ODF productivity products?

Source: Will IBM’s Lotus Symphony succeed where other Office killers haven’t?
Author: Mary Jo Foley
Date originally published: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 16:30:53 GMT

Installing Linux + Lotus Symphony

Not only because its "free", its also very "easy" ...

Work smarter using the 2007 Microsoft Office system and Windows Vista

Microsoft IT publishes these type of papers / job aids regularly; they provide good context as to what kind of info is useful for user to get started with Office 2007 and Vista ...

These simple, easy-to-use customizable job aids created by Microsoft IT help employees get started with something new, learn more about using a technology or product effectively, select the right product or service, or review best practices.

Source: Work smarter using the 2007 Microsoft Office system and Windows Vista
Date originally published: Wed, 12 Sep 2007 23:49:53 GMT

Office Rocker: Ecma Open XML real world stories

 Some very good examples of OpenXML at work ...

...  This afternoon I was presenting at the Office Business Applications architects council with the good looking chaps on the right here.  I was talking about some of the stories I've come across from our customers and partners who are using Ecma Open XML in their solutions.

I have 4 stories published recently about Ecma Open XML that illustrate what I think are 3 significant categories...

Source: Ecma Open XML real world stories
Author: dstrange
Date originally published: Thu, 13 Sep 2007 15:23:51 GMT