Office Makeover
Today in Los Angeles at its Professional Developers Conference (PDC) 2005,
Microsoft showed off the
upcoming
version of Office, code-named Office 12. Before I dive into the details,
isn’t Microsoft going overboard with code names (the name is Bond, Bill
Bond)? First we get used to a pretty cool code name like Longhorn, which it
changes to Vista. Then we have Office 12, a code name that sounds like a real
product name. How ‘bout we just name these puppies once, okay?
Office 12 (which will apparently be called something different when it finally
ships) will boast an entirely new interface. The old pull-downs are replaced
with context-sensitive, graphics-intensive command tabs. It also looks like
Office will gain deeper hooks into Microsoft server apps, especially for collaboration.
What would you like the next release of Office to be called? (Try to keep it
clean!) E-mail me at [email protected]
Greasing the Vista Skid
Also at the PDC, Microsoft pumped
up Vista and hopes to jump-start software development with a $100
million marketing fund for ISVs. I’m sure Microsoft representatives
phones are already ringing off the hook.
What kind of software would you like to see built for Vista? Shoot me a note
at [email protected]
New Notes and Oh, Domino
To be honest, I’ve almost forgotten that Notes, Domino and any other Exchange
competitor still exist -- everything, it seems, is Exchange. That can make life
easier for admins who need only learn one system, read one set of books and
have one vendor to yell at when things go terribly wrong.
So I did scratch my head just a bit when I found out that brand-new
versions of Notes and the Web-savvy Domino have just been prepped with hundreds
of new features. In fact, IBM claims there are about 120 million "cumulative"
licenses for its messaging/collaboration wares (I’m not sure what “cumulative”
means, but it’s probably not near the same number of active users).
In any event, I hope these new revs are compelling and that IBM becomes an
even bigger factor if only to keep Exchange on its toes. As a long-time e-mail
user, I’m not a fan of the clunky Notes client or the often confounding
Outlook. I just want to go back to the simple and sound Eudora.
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Pizza Is No Party
Computer engineer Jim Garrison did what any other red-blooded American would
have done: When he saw pizza left over from a company meeting, he scarfed down
a couple slices, leaving four for other scavengers. A month later, the mortgage
company he worked for summarily sacked the 39-year-old -- long after the pepperoni
had been fully digested.
The firing, though, won
Garrison a trip to the Caribbean, courtesy of recruiting firm Simply Hired,
who I hope found Jim a new job!
Here’s
what Jim had to say about the whole ordeal.
Do you have any horror stories about being fired? E-mail me at
[email protected] If I publish your letter, I’ll only use your
first name (and no reader e-mail addresses are published -- ever!).
Cerf-ing the Web
‘Net legend Vint Cerf has left his long-time post at MCI to join the hottest
tech company in the world: Google.
Cerf will develop new applications and serve as "Chief
Internet Evangalist." As chairman of the ICANN, Cerf will remain the
top cheerleader for IPv6.
Cerf's home page is here.
Let Doug know what you think of the topics in this week's Redmond Report! Share
your take on the next name for Office, software for Vista, Exchange versus Outlook,
firing horror stories or any other topic in this newsletter by e-mailing him
directly at [email protected],
or post your comments below. Edited versions of comments may be used in upcoming
editions of Redmond Report, cited by first name only.
About the Author
Doug Barney is editor in chief of Redmond magazine and the VP, editorial director of Redmond Media Group.