Get in line and wait for Office 2007 test drive

Stan Beer
Tuesday, 27 June 2006 20:10

Your IT - Home IT

Microsoft obviously has an eager throng of would be Office 2007 users judging by the number people wanting to take a beta version of the product for a "test drive". At least that's what we think might have caused the 60 minute delay we would need to endure in order to use the Microsoft web services system that enables users to try out the features of the new version of Office.

Microsoft announced the "try it before you buy it" program today, which allows people to sample Office 2007 at http://www.microsoft.com/office/preview/beta/testdrive.mspx. According to Microsoft, the more than 2.5 million people already using Office 2007 Beta 2 since its release last month, have made it the most popular beta version of Office to date. The new online test-drive is designed to help people explore the 2007 release through their own web browser without having to download or install Beta 2.

A couple of points need mentioning, however. We've already mentioned the waiting time. Also, if you happen to think clunky old Internet Explorer 6 stinks and you're using an advanced browser like Firefox (or Opera) then too bad. So it's the IE way or the highway - or just download Office 2007 Beta 2 and be done with it. Microsoft might want to consider that there are plenty of Firefox users who also use Office. The concept is called best of breed technology.

Firefox users aside, Microsoft is going to great pains to enable as many users as possible to gain familiarity with its new Office suite. If you don't want to go to the trouble of downloading Beta 2 and couldn't be bothered waiting to take a test drive, there's a pretty good demo at http://www.microsoft.com/office/preview/ui/demo.mspx. Having a play with Office 2007 - or more specifically Word 2007 - a few things become clear. The user interface does appear to be an improvement, most people could use it for simple tasks straight off, there is a significant learning curve for more advanced use and most users who are already familiar with their existing versions of Office are not going to upgrade until they're forced to.

One of the things that have forced users to upgrade Office in the past has been the lack of backward compatibility of document format. However, making Office 2007 documents incompatible with previous versions in these days of the move to open document format (ODF) could be seen as socially irresponsible. Now that Word 2007 does not have a save to PDF function as originally planned, there may be a question mark over the compliance of Word 2007 documents for government and corporate use in future. Of course, a simple save to ODF function would solve that issue

Compatibility issues nothwithstanding, Microsoft is understandably upbeat about its first true Office software upgrade in 10 years. Yes there have been interim versions of the product since Office 97, but nothing really new.

"We're seeing many firsts with this release of Office, including a new user interface, a new set of solutions to enhance your work experience and a record high number of people using Beta 2," said Chris Capossela, corporate vice president of the Information Worker Product Management Group at Microsoft. "The level of interest is a nice validation that we're delivering what our customers want and need, and the online test-drive offers the perfect opportunity for everyone to experience an easier and better way to work."

With Office 2003 and Windows XP sales growth, virtually stagnant, Microsoft is looking to rocket back up the charts in 2007 with a double barrelled salvo with Vista and Office 2007. Thus, next year could signal Microsoft's triumphant return to the ranks of the growing after a stint in the wilderness or bear witness to the beginning of a slow and painful descent to the ranks of the once great.