A Windows Office 11 Preview Billings MT

Posted by : Joe DeRouen

Scheduled to ship in mid-2003, the new Office (currently known only as Office 11) adds a new user interface scheme based on the visual style of Windows XP and offers a plethora of new features designed to help Microsoft users take advantage of the latest and greatest technology.

The new offerings includes two groundbreaking features. The most significant change is SmartDocs, a program that will work hand-in-hand with the other components to bring XML (eXtensible Markup Language) technology to the user. This will enable .NET technologies to be brought to users through Office. Also included is OneNote, an application that enables users to take notes through drawing, handwriting, or even audio, if they have the applicable peripherals. This is especially important for tablet PC users. For this preview, we looked at the standard beta version, which might end up being substantially different from the end product.

One key point you need to know before you even consider upgrading to Office 11 is this: Microsoft's newest offering won't work with Windows 95, 98, 98 SE, Me, or NT 4. This is a point of consternation with many beta users, but ultimately it's for the good of the system as a whole. If you don't have to worry about making a product backward-compatible, you can concentrate on making it more stable and reliable for the current OS, which happens to be Windows XP. (And, yes, it will also run on Windows 2000.) ...

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