Monday, April 8, 2002
Office.NET Preview?
Posted by Jason Dunn in "OFF-TOPIC" @ 11:07 AM
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/office_ngo_preview.asp
There's a preview of sorts of Office.NET, although there are questions about it's authenticity. I have mixed feelings about the "software subscription" concept. If the price is right, it will lower the barrier for many people - when people I know ask me how much Office XP is, I brace myself for the inevitable sputtering of "HOW MUCH?" from their lips. I've always thought it amusing that everyone gets so worked up about the "unfair" price of the desktop OS when the Office suite is really the painful one for people to purchase ($99 US for XP Home doesn't seem outrageous to me). I referred my sister-in-law to 602 PC Suite the other day because I knew that all she really needed was a word processor and it seemed like a good tool. At any rate, Office.NET looks like it offers some interesting new features, even if it's just making the suite work online and making collaboration a breeze. Better than trying to install an Exchange server! Now the real question: how will the Pocket PC sync with a cloud of data? :-)
"A number of readers alerted me this week to a fascinating Shockwave animation that purports to demonstrate some of the online/subscription features of the next version of Microsoft Office, which will be called Office .NET. Code-named Office NGO ("Next Generation Office") in the animation, this Office version will include links to a number of online services, including a secure My Office Web site; a consolidated email account with Web-based Inbox; Office .NET Notifications; online scheduling with a sharable calendar; Meeting Workspaces for viewing agendas, pending tasks, and related documents, SharePoint Team Services-based Team Workspace for sharing information with team members; and a set of online content such as templates, online training, communities, and the like."
There's a preview of sorts of Office.NET, although there are questions about it's authenticity. I have mixed feelings about the "software subscription" concept. If the price is right, it will lower the barrier for many people - when people I know ask me how much Office XP is, I brace myself for the inevitable sputtering of "HOW MUCH?" from their lips. I've always thought it amusing that everyone gets so worked up about the "unfair" price of the desktop OS when the Office suite is really the painful one for people to purchase ($99 US for XP Home doesn't seem outrageous to me). I referred my sister-in-law to 602 PC Suite the other day because I knew that all she really needed was a word processor and it seemed like a good tool. At any rate, Office.NET looks like it offers some interesting new features, even if it's just making the suite work online and making collaboration a breeze. Better than trying to install an Exchange server! Now the real question: how will the Pocket PC sync with a cloud of data? :-)
"A number of readers alerted me this week to a fascinating Shockwave animation that purports to demonstrate some of the online/subscription features of the next version of Microsoft Office, which will be called Office .NET. Code-named Office NGO ("Next Generation Office") in the animation, this Office version will include links to a number of online services, including a secure My Office Web site; a consolidated email account with Web-based Inbox; Office .NET Notifications; online scheduling with a sharable calendar; Meeting Workspaces for viewing agendas, pending tasks, and related documents, SharePoint Team Services-based Team Workspace for sharing information with team members; and a set of online content such as templates, online training, communities, and the like."
