Microsoft announced this morning at its PDC conference that the next release of Microsoft Office will include browser-based versions of some of its main office software products - Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. These will be "lightweight versions", but Microsoft told us yesterday that they'll still have rich functionality and will be comparable to Google's suite of online office applications. The apps will enable users to create, edit and collaborate on Microsoft Office documents through the browser. The apps will work in IE, Firefox and Safari browsers (no word on whether Google Chrome will be supported). Update: Microsoft clarified in an email that these apps will use HTML and AJAX, but also Silverlight components.
Update 2: For a contrary view on use of Silverlight, see Matthew Holloway's comment below (comment #19), in which he says that "SilverLight apps on OSX and Linux are typically second-class citizens to SilverLight on Windows."
The online versions will share the same names as their desktop counterparts (Word, Excel, etc), although unfortunately they don't fully escape the awkward and confusing branding that Microsoft gives to most of its Internet apps. The collective name for these apps is "Office Web Applications". To remind you, there is also an Office Online (a separate Microsoft site where users can download templates) and an Office Live Workspace (for sharing office files between desktop and Web - our coverage).
The "Office Web applications" will be available to consumers through Office Live, a service which has both ad-funded and subscription options. Business users will be offered Office Web applications as a hosted subscription service and through existing "volume licensing agreements". There will be a private technology preview of the Office Web applications later this year.
Last month we ran a poll asking which word processing tool you primarily use. We got over 2,600 separate votes and a resounding 49% of people still use Microsoft Word as their main word processing tool. Its open source desktop equivalent OpenOffice got 16%. Google Docs was the best placed Web Office app, with 15%.
The results showed that there is still a big place for desktop Office apps. Nevertheless, with the announcement yesterday of Microsoft Azure - a so-called cloud computing OS - Microsoft is clearly serving a growing demand for browser-based office software. We expect these apps to become more full featured over time.
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Brilliant news to be fair, my only concern is that if they haven't quite polished the desktop versions yet...
Posted by: Zee
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October 28, 2008 9:27 AM
You miss one of the most important aspects of this new product: Which technology will it be based on?
Silverlight or Flash? (Likely not, because they would support basically every browser, then.)
"Classic" AJAX?
Some special plug-in?
I fear that it will be the latter - a browser-plug-in that's tied to Office, likely requiring a full MS Office license.
Posted by: Sebastian | October 28, 2008 9:34 AM
That's a really good question Sebastian, I wish I'd asked it! (my briefing was late in the day). I have forwarded the question to Microsoft and will update the post as soon as I get an answer.
Posted by: Richard
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October 28, 2008 9:42 AM
BUMP
Posted by: Sarah Perez
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October 28, 2008 9:43 AM
Richard / Sebastian,
If they have AD funded version then it must be free to use and doesn't require any license.
I think it will be Ajax based and it won't require any office suites to be installed because you can already achieve the same thing with Office Live Workspace if you have Office installed.
Michael
Posted by: Michael | October 28, 2008 9:48 AM
They are 100% HTML+AJAX. Full support for IE, Firefox and Safari. (I work on them)
Posted by: Sean | October 28, 2008 9:52 AM
Thanks Sean, updating the post...
Posted by: Richard
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October 28, 2008 10:11 AM
Not that I'm patriotic or anything, but will those app support foreing languages? Like...er... french? (ok, spanish would make more sense, not to mention Chinese and many others)
Posted by: Fabrice Epelboin | October 28, 2008 10:18 AM
Let me guess, IE only and tied to an original office license?
I'm very happy with google, thanks.
Posted by: Sucks | October 28, 2008 11:07 AM
think it will take the rest of the world a little time to realize what a strong position Microsoft is in in this space.
Google Apps are...nice enough. Not great but ok. Unless they totally change their DNA, Google will never offer PC client versions of Google Apps so it's 'hosted by Google of the highway.' For the first time since I can remember, Microsoft is in a position to say they offer greater choice than their competitors. Their customers will be able to run Office on the PC or Mac and/or Office on the Web. Most will probably pick both depending on the situation. In my mind this is a pretty clear indication that Microsoft's ambitiouis goals around PC software AND Web software is the right strategy. Those arguing for a Web-only world will find themselves marginalized, offering their customers fewer choices and ultimately less compelling experiences for users.
Ask any CIO or technology decision maker at a mid sized or larger company and they'll tell you that it will be a cold day in hell before they move to a totally Web-based platform for word processing and spreadsheets etc. But ask them if they'd like a choice of PC/Mac-based software AND Web-based versions and they'll smile. I'd like to see Google compete with that.
Posted by: Mark Patterson | October 28, 2008 11:31 AM
Regarding Fabrice's question on languages, I guarantee that Microsoft will offer these in many many languages. They've been doing that for years with Office and Windows.It's a no-brainer.
To Sucks, they demoed it today in Firefox and said it will work in Safari. Suck on that. ;)
I would guess that there will be ad funded versions on OfficeLive.com and paid/hosted versions for companies. Not altogether different than what they're doing with mail...Exchange Online for businsses who want things like Active Directory integration and SLA's and Windows Live Mail/Hotmail for people who don't need that.
Posted by: Mark Patterson | October 28, 2008 11:37 AM
@Mark Patterson
Check this: youtube.com/googleapps
Plenty of CEOs talking about what you're refering...
Posted by: John Clark | October 28, 2008 11:42 AM
@John - the vast majority of organizations that are experimenting with hosted productivity apps are doing it for two reason. First, they're offering it to deskless workesr - people who haven't previously had any access to email, word proecessing etc. Second, they're using it as a negotiating tactic with Microsoft to get lower prices on Office. If you look at actual marketshare...could probably fime some decent numbers online somewhere...Google Apps is negligible.
Posted by: Mark Patterson | October 28, 2008 11:57 AM
@mark your employer requests you stop talking now
Posted by: Cindy | October 28, 2008 12:15 PM
I have to agree with #10. I am about as webbie as you get, but I still vastly prefer my microsoft word/powerpoint to other alternatives, web or not. There is always some form of bug or incompatibility that kills the deal for being productive. I love Gdocs for collab, but it just does not come close to MS Office.
Posted by: mingyeow | October 28, 2008 12:17 PM
A clarification folks on the technology behind this. In an email to us, Microsoft clarified that it uses HTML and AJAX, but *also* some Silverlight components.
Posted by: Richard
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October 28, 2008 12:19 PM
So, now I can crash the whole Internet from my browser?
Posted by: fat truus | October 28, 2008 12:57 PM
Sounds like Microsost is trying to do what a small company called eXpresso is already doing. eXpresso allows users to share and collaborate on files in real time. They have not reinvented applications they actually use Microsoft excel. They also offer a plug in which allows users to edit in their desktop environment, and once they are done the changes are pushed to the online environment. eXpresso has only been around for about a year, but I hear they are making progress. The price to use it is very cheap compared to what Microsoft is going to charge. I dont know about you, but with the economy the way it is, every penny counts. Why pay more for something else when you can get it cheaper and it works just as good if not better! Oh ya, and its available now, not in the near future.
Posted by: Crystal J | October 28, 2008 3:22 PM
(after reading the update about HTML+JS+SilverLight)
"they demoed it today in Firefox"
As I wrote on LifeHacker it's important to say that this is in SilverLight (a Microsoft browser plugin) so although it "works in Firefox" it also works in Netscape 3 because it doesn't really use the browser as anything other than a container for the fullscreen SilverLight plugin (it's like fullscreen Flash).
Like any plugin it'll only work if the underlying platform supports it (Eg, Windows, Linux, OSX) and the lack of integration means the same plugin problems of Flash (inability to bookmark, scrape, extend via plugins, etc.) apply here.
SilverLight is heavily patented and the only non-Microsoft version (called MoonLight, from Novell) has been done with a Microsoft patent agreement. So this software isn't part of the Open Web, it's not Open Standards, it is proprietary.
SilverLight apps on OSX and Linux are typically second-class citizens to SilverLight on Windows. Until we see real compatibility tests across platforms I wouldn't consider this as more than a Windows application with web installation.
By the way, my post his shouldn't be read as a negative or positive comment on the quality of this Office software, I'm only meaning to describe what kind of software it is.
Posted by: Matthew Holloway | October 28, 2008 4:06 PM
Thanks Matthew, interesting comment. I added a second update linking to it.
Posted by: Richard
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October 28, 2008 4:21 PM
As I say on my blog, the only thing which is surprising about this announcement - given the earlier leaks by Balmer and others - is how long you'll have to wait before you can get your hands on this. I'd thought it possible Microsoft would deliver this in a service pack for Office 2007. That Office 14 might not arrive until 2010 means you'll need to be very patient if you are looking to Microsoft to deliver your collaboration solution.
There were no surprises re:
* Technology - Office Web uses Silverlight
* Delivery model - you need Sharepoint or Office Live Workspace to host the service
* Pricing - it is available as a hosted subscription service or through existing volume licensing agreements
Posted by: Jason | October 28, 2008 4:30 PM
Microsoft Windows still sucks.
Posted by: Kevin Cassidy | October 28, 2008 6:56 PM
What's all the hubbub about clouds? I'd much much rather use software on my own computer. Who really uses google's stuff other than for tinkering? I don't care who it is, I don't trust anyone else with my data.
Who decided clouds are the next big thing? I think they're wasting their time.
Posted by: mavis | October 28, 2008 7:00 PM
@Matt Holloway
I'd like to know where you've found information saying that Silverlight is a second class citizen on OSX. Moonlight, ok, maybe, but as I understood it Silverlight should run the exact same on OSX Safari as it does in Windows IE. I've even seen demos where they debug silverlight in safari running on a mac, from a windows box.
Posted by: Jon von Gillern | October 28, 2008 9:06 PM
that sounds good i guess microsoft is finally coming to age
Posted by: ronak | October 28, 2008 9:59 PM
@Matthew Holloway
From your blog, I see made a competing product called Docvert. I see a long negative discourse about the flaws of Open XML at least partly based on highly dubious gossip.
Do you have some special bias perhaps in criticising here?
Posted by: Saucy | October 28, 2008 11:23 PM
@Matthew Holloway
You're wrong saying that Silverlight (lowercase L, plz) is a second class citizen on MacOSX. Microsoft delivers and supports Silverlight 2 on various flavors of Windows and also on MacOS X and guarantees the same behavior an d comparable performance on both platform.
Though you're right that it's a different story for Linux et all, as genuine Silverlight coming from Microsoft will never happen on those platforms. But instead, one has to know that Microsoft and Novell have concluded last year in September '07 a Technology Collaboration agreement by which Microsoft provides help, support and specs to the Moonlight team project, with the goal that they procude a 100% compatible version for non Windows and non Mac OSX versions.
As someone previously asked if you have biaised view, I think it's worth mentionning that I work for Microsoft, and I'm not from the product group, just a guy in the field.
Posted by: Christophe Lauer [MS] | October 29, 2008 12:13 AM
@Saucy: Heh, Docvert is just an open source file converter that's free to download. I wrote Docvert in my spare time and if it were at all possible to write a competitor to Microsoft Office in anyone's spare time then I imagine it would happen a lot more -- so no, I'm not competing though it would be extraordinary if I were ;)
So, rather than "bias" my opinions are based on years of C# development... mostly with an ASP.Net frontend, although a little XAML and more modern widgets and frameworks like Silverlight (little 'L' this time, thanks Christophe Lauer!). Silverlight is typically a second-class citizen on OSX and Linux. While we apparently disagree about OSX vs Linux and the features that typical SilverLight apps use it's good to hear that we're discussing the differences between Silverlight on different platforms and how features on one don't necessarily work on another. This should be evaluated rather than assumed.
As I said I'm not making a comment on the positive or negative quality of this Office software (of course I couldn't, it's unreleased) but I was instead talking to the idea that it was based on a browser plugin, much like Adobe Flash, with similar problems about standards and competition. We don't have companies competing on their standards-based implement of Silverlight like we do with HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, and this is because it's not open or standards-based.
Microsoft are of course welcome to do what they want with their platform but I think that most people understand that these Silverlight apps aren't much different to Windows-only apps and I earnestly hope that Microsoft will allow more competition in their Silverlight platform :)
Posted by: Matthew Holloway | October 29, 2008 2:31 AM
MORE REASON TO SWITCH TO MAC
Posted by: Abacab | October 29, 2008 3:50 AM
"Microsoft Silverlight extends and amplifies your existing development skills, empowering you to build new types of applications for the Web regardless of target platform or browser."
http://silverlight.net/GetStarted/default.aspx
Microsoft have promised Linux support right there, in black-and-white - "regardless of target platform" - so shame on everyone who doubts them, especially the MS employees.
Posted by: Pete Austin | October 29, 2008 3:58 AM
great stuff man but its bit late now
www.bizimunda.net
Posted by: bizimunda | October 29, 2008 4:43 AM
Matthew Holloway, I am curious to know why you feel that Microsoft is treating Linux and Mac OSX as second rate citizens with its Silverlight platform. Do you have first-hand experience that would indicate this, or have you read reviews that show this to be the case? I've been watching Silverlight pretty closely, and I haven't heard anyone else make such a claim. If that is the case, I am sorely disappointed.
In your last post, you also said that you think that Microsoft 'should allow more competition' in the Silverlight space. I am a bit curious what kind of competition you'd like to see. I don't see a need for another company to come in and create a Silverlight browser control (there's no money in it for them). In theory, a new company could compete with Microsoft in the IDE/Design tools market in much the same way that companies compete over their Java IDEs.
Posted by: David | October 29, 2008 7:14 AM
As I suspected, Outlook will be the last to make it to the Web.
Posted by: Scott Mace | October 29, 2008 7:53 AM
@sebastian
That's the question arises in every ones mind what technology will be used to make it accessible in all browsers
Posted by: venkat | October 29, 2008 8:38 AM
@Scott Mace
There is no reason for a web version of Outlook. Outlook Web Access on IE is essentially Outlook with some scaled down functionality already. I don't see why they would devote resources to something that already exists. If you use Outlook for POP3 mail, I guess I can see the point, but there are other web services that allow you to us POP3 that probably handle it better.
Posted by: Bill | October 29, 2008 9:56 AM
Looks promising. Hopefully, it will be supported by ff, knowing that this is a Microsoft they might do the same thing to Netscape a few years back...
Posted by: Diamonds | October 29, 2008 9:59 AM
SilverLight sucks...
Flex from Adobe is waaaaaaay better.
Checkout what these guy did with Flex for Free Digital Signage at http://www.MediaSignage.com
Posted by: Sean | October 29, 2008 2:25 PM
@35.Bill
Outlook Web Access is as good as Outlook? It's not even close.
Posted by: david | October 29, 2008 2:51 PM
Wow, no doubt about it you hit the nail on the head!
www.online-anonymity.kr.tc
Posted by: John Woody | October 29, 2008 3:08 PM
Wow! Another nebulous, generic comment with a spam link for the same website! You missed the nail, you forgot your hammer!
Posted by: Mike | October 29, 2008 4:46 PM
Excellent! I used to be a Gdocs guy before I switched back to Excel because I needed the extra functionality (and really miss the convenience). Dealing with the conversion issues was too annoying/constraining to deal with Google anymore. I hope this will provide the best of both worlds and have top notch integration with my desktop office apps along with online functionality equal to or greater than Gdocs.
Posted by: Austin | October 29, 2008 5:44 PM
The Cloud is good for two things: 1) storing your content online so that it is no longer stored locally/physically, e.g. on your PC harddrive, and therefore it can't be stolen or destroyed locally/physically; 2) letting you use any browser to access and modify your content.
Storing content online is the easy part and arguably the most important part. Modifying the content is all about the interface/GUI. That is what we're talking about here: using a browser OR using a desktop app to edit your online content.
Right now, few browser apps give the rich interface of desktop apps. Sure, there are some brilliant online apps, no doubt, and they do simple things well. But for a full Office setup there is no online counterpart to MSOffice or OpenOffice as your interface to your content.
What if we remove the need to choose between a) keeping your files locally and editing them with feature-rich desktop apps, or b) moving your files online and being feature-limited by browser-based editing? What if you could move all your stuff into the cloud and yet keep editing that content with your desktop apps?
You can. It's called Dropbox, http://getdropbox.com/
Dropbox works flawlessly on Windows, Mac, and Linux. It's a small native client that syncs your online content with your offline content, and it does it cleverly (delta diffs). You continue to use all your favourite local apps and in the background all your file changes silently and speedily sync to the cloud... across ALL of your PCs.
Oh, your laptop blew up? All your critical files on there and now the harddrive is toast? Buy a new one, reinstall the dropbox client, and almost immediately your critical files are pulled back down from the cloud onto your drive.
I do not work for Dropbox or have any affiliation. I simply LOVE it because it happily plants its flag in both camps: all the benefits of storing your data in the Cloud and all the benefits of continuing to edit your data with your local feature-rich applications.
And you're not tied into Microsoft, Windows, Linux or any one platform or application (provided you use well supported file formats).
Oh, and did I mention you get 2gigs free storage with Dropbox?
Worried about Dropbox disappearing overnight with all your content? No need. I could take an axe to Dropbox's servers right now, chop them up into metal sushi, and you'd still have all your files... because the latest versions of those files are still sitting on your local PC!
Sorry to rave maniacally about this, but it's a solution that works great for me until a better solution comes along.
Posted by: Cloud content vs desktop functionality | October 29, 2008 8:40 PM
So why would anyone purchase office now?
Posted by: Adam Stern | October 30, 2008 12:55 AM
argh !! Why is this always the same crap ?
what's up with your Opera support ?
Posted by: mors | October 30, 2008 2:35 AM
So, now one sacrifices viewable area with Internet Explorers interface, BHO's and status bar.
Posted by: Tim | October 30, 2008 4:31 AM
What's with all the haters? I personally think this is great news, can't wait to try it out. Dugg!
Posted by: Midla | October 30, 2008 10:19 AM
That's awesome. I would love for this to come soon. I hate having to sift through the various dialog boxes just to launch the application. This way is much better.
Posted by: Free xbox 360 System | October 30, 2008 10:50 AM
haye, u guys have more screen shots of this new product?
Posted by: Social Media Marketing Blog | October 30, 2008 2:56 PM