The next version of Office is about to undergo another name style change. We started off with Office 3.0, then we ended up with Office 97 and 2000 and now Office will Don the name of Office XP (short for X Experience). You can consider this version Office 2002 or even Office 10.0, as it is strewn all over the application and is registry entries. The version I saw was still beta so this might change. Microsoft seems to have trouble giving its applications good names. This version of Office will see most of its improvements under the hood as usual, but there are some interesting surprises in store. if you would like to see a detailed list of all the new features see this page: microsoft.com/office/xpguide.htm
Billed as a new experience (Marketing is a bitch isn’t it?), this version of Office give the user a Personal Experience, a Collaborative Experience, and an overall Organizational Experience. This means, in English, that little has changed.
Basic Look and feel
When you first open an office application you are immediately greeted by many of the interface changes. When running Word XP, you get something that is called a Task Pane on the right hand side of the Windows. This pane shows the recently opened files and performs somewhat like the Task Bar in Windows does. It even includes links to templates for use with Word.
Another interesting element that come together is the nature of menus in all Office applications, the menus are more clearly seen and menu items seem to be more visibly highlighted. As always, the application tracks the users movements in the look of the menu. The smart-menu system still exists and will hide menu items you don’t use, but a simple change in the settings window can now stop that. The interface is also sporting a completely flat look. There are little buttons in sight.
Also noticeable on the main window is the “type question for help” field. This lets the user type in a free text question and see common answers to them. i typed in Open a file and I was given and exact match and a few others that were not right on. This replaces the annoying assistant that hung around. The assistants are still there if you really want them.
Word, Excel and Powerpoint
These applications have been given a number of new features that have enhanced this software considerably. One of the more interesting features is the Recovery option. The user can choose to have his document save at the time of an application error and thus recover documents. In theory, this is a killer option. I could no create an error, and thus was unable to test this.Eben better, documents that may have been corrupted can all be recovered or repaired in Word and Excel.
Also added is the ability to send error reports to Microsoft of the IS department. This should have been inside Office 1.0.
The tried and true password option is still there and even more conveniently located in the options dialog. One thing that Microsoft decided to support was the ability to protect documents better. Users can insert digital signatures into the documents and even the ability to remove personal information when saving the file. This should give users worried more about security a better handle on controlling sensitive files.
Word also dons a new feature called Macro Security which allows the user to protect against one of the worst virus threats in the computer world (Word Macro Viruses).
Outlook gets better
Often considered a solid PIM application with quite a few configuration options. Over the years, Outlook has gone through many versions and changes that have caused headaches for users and IS people alike. Regardless, Microsoft seems bent on making this product excellent. One of the better features is the enhancement of the Email Accounts Dialog. In the past the user was stuck with tabs and annoying options. Now, the window is wizard based for the less experienced users and for the advanced users, the properties of the account setup are all in one window. This is a welcome feature and saves quite a bit of click time. Also another interesting feature is the “Test Account” option. Internet mail is getting better in Outlook.
Outlook also features tighter integration with MSN Messenger, my copy of Office installed it without my permission. One failing in Lotus Notes is the management of older messages, in Outlook the new Mailbox cleanup wizard extends the already powerful features of archive folders and offline storage. Management of files has also become easier with the Outlook Data Files wizard. Now the users can see and configure exactly where, when and how Personal Storage Files (.pst) are used.
Other Interesting Features
While this product is getting a make over of sorts, this biggest news is in the advancements behind the scenes. Office XP will see better support for Handwriting and Speech input. Microsoft had made a major effort to link its Office application with many of it’s other products. This includes tight integration with Microsoft’s Sharepoint Server, Microsoft’s Exchange Server, MSN Messenger.
The Verdict
Office XP has greatly improved on their flagship product. I would not be surprised to see rapid deployment int the field for shops that have already deployed Office 2000. Considering the ease of use features and the better support for Terminal Services and Policies, I’d say this version was a keeper.