Feb 17, 2007 | blog
So I got Office Pro a few weeks ago and found that I will need to pick up the other Office components as well. Pro comes with Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and a few other incidentals. I don’t count Access as a real app since I’ve seen a lot of shitty programming done with it.
Over the last year, I’ve become very fond of OneNote and will need to pick that app up as well as Visio, and probably Project. They are all too useful not to have them updated along with the rest.
Yes, I’ve been advocating an all-online office for several months, but I still need to have the MS Office suite to do business. By the way, the save to PDF add-on rocks.
Nov 30, 2006 | blog
Wow, great news for those of you who have embraced the modern world of online applications and document storage!
Zoho has interoperability with Microsoft Office via a downloadable plugin that allows Office users to save Word & Excel documents directly to their Zoho account. This functionality helps blur the line between remotely hosted and local applications.
“People are asking for this,†Vegesna said. “Currently they have to go to Zoho.com, login, and upload documents. We have them doing this an average of five times per day. This will let them go straight to Zoho without having to go to Zoho.com, upload, etc.â€
Zoho is also opening its API’s so that online storage providers could tap into the Zoho engine and provide more seamless integration of storage options.
I’ve been using Zoho (and Google Docs & Spreadsheets) for most of 2006. There are definite differences between the offerings, but Zoho has made the most progress towards an integrated feature-rich office suite. By offering the ability to upload/download documents directly to your Zoho account – their product becomes even more useful and productive.
This new feature is compatible with Office 2000, 2003, and 2007 by the way.
Via: TechCrunch – The Real Office Live: Zoho Bridges Online And Offline Office App’s
Nov 6, 2006 | blog
Today Microsoft Office 2007 went “Gold” and was released to manufacturing. Availability will be on schedule for business and consumer users.
I’ve been using Office 2007 B2TR through September & October with good result. While the overall layout of the Office suite has changed dramatically for the better from Office 2003, its the ease of use that really starts to stand out.
The product is simply much better for creating visually rich documents than any other office product. You cannot screw it up, its that simple. There are pre-configured fades, gradients, lines, shapes, borders, etc… that you can simply click on and have it apply to your selection.
Now, I’ve gotten really good at subtle color use in Office 2003, but it’s stunning what you can do in 2007 – there are actual color pallets that have been professionally matched, so you simply choose the one you like and select a color blend from it.
I’ve said recently that I am moving away from client-side applications, and I’m planning on sticking to that. But if there is one application that is capable of so many things – it’s Microsoft Office. And it is one of very few applications that would make me rethink my approach.
Via: Microsoft – 2007 Microsoft Office System Is Golden
Sep 14, 2006 | blog
Looks like Office B2TR has been released. Head on over to the download site to get your new bits!
May 24, 2006 | blog
Hey, I just want to point out to anyone who is trying to download either Windows Vista Beta 2 or Office 2007 Beta 2 that the download servers are getting hit hard. I’ve read some comments around the blogosphere that MS did not plan well for the release, that there should have been more servers dedicated to the release.
Well that’s all well and good to whine & complain express your viewpoint, but I’d like to see most any project manager try to gauge the market interest in beta software and plan accordingly. Especially when there are so many people talking trash voicing their concern about your products; it gets hard to scope out the potential number of downloads, times, d/l rates, the increase in broadband connections from the last major d/l offered, etc… There are dozens of constantly changing variables in planning for a release like this, and it is nearly impossible to get it 100% at the ‘launch’ – I don’t care who you are or what you produce and sell.
You know, for so many people criticizing Microsoft on their disappointment in the Vista feature set, or their business practices, or whatever other ‘evil’ is credited to them, it is impressive that there are so many people trying out the next versions of their core products. Myself, I’m not surprised – Microsoft has made several significant changes in the last few years. I’ve seen it in the quality of software, timeliness of security patches & updates, the openness of the company, and the helpfulness of the employees that I’ve worked with on a few projects.
Now that so many people are getting Office B2 and Vista B2 to ‘test’ – here is my $.02 for you. This is your chance to improve the product. The next few months while Beta 2 gets polished into release candidates, and ultimately RTM – you have the chance to improve the product.
Do you remember all the things in XP, 2000, or NT that drove you nuts? What if you would have had the chance to at least point them out to MS, so there may have been some focus on the issue before you bought the software. Take this opportunity to submit your feedback to MS – all the contact info is on the Office Beta 2 and Vista Beta 2 websites.
Now… enjoy!
