Office 10 - More Information
After reading several articles around the net, each offering various tidbits of information about the office suite, here is a summary of many of the new features that will be found in Microsoft's Office version 10. A wide variety of features and functions have been added, from online storage capabilities, to new ClipArt and language support. The new software is set to be the most powerful Office to date, with features not found in any other suite.
Mary Jo Foley over at ZDNet writes that for starters, it appears that speech functions are being added according to testers. Version 10 will not only handle voice dictation, but command-and-control scenarios as well.
The new version will also feature digital signature support, better multi-user document editing, and further enhancements to features already built into the software. Improved crash recovery and smart copy/paste abilities will be added with many thanks from regular Office users.
In a move that could be either good or bad, depending on the user, with Office 10, ZDNet reports that Word will become the default e-mail editor.
A whole slew of features is being added to the rest of the suite, including easier data finding and editing abilities in Microsoft Excel, and XML support. More Web building features are being added to Front Page, and MS is "more closely aligning Access 10 and SQL Server 2000". Outlook 10 will support Hotmail, and e-mail auto-complete features have been improved as well.
Paul Thurrott's WinInformant reports that the entire suite features a more streamlined look and better crash recovery, and uses Windows 2000 graphics abilities to its fullest with fading menus and toolbars if left unused for several seconds.
AutoCorrect features are more controllable in this version, and language enhancements allow users to switch between "Dictation and Command" and "Control" functions.
The File menu has been changed yet again in this version, bringing the ability to use previously created documents as templates for new ones and adding resizable windows. And thanks to all who must have complained to the Redmond Giant, because in the new version, the annoying paperclip guy no longer automatically appears in the suite, but only when the user asked for help.
A new search pane, much like the Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer, allows users to find data without having to switch between applications and windows.
Perhaps one of the best features of the new version of Office is the crash recovery options. Dubbed "airbags for office", a new 'Save on Crash' option saves documents before fatal errors, 'Timed Recovery Save' lets the user set intervals at which the document is automatically saved, and 'Hang Manager' breaks into the application to allow users to save before the appliaction dies completely. In true Microsoft fashion, Office 10 even comes with a 'Safe Mode' to fix problems and errors.
There is also a new application being added to the Office suite, dubbed Office Web Designer. Reported on WinInformant, Paul writes that the new program helps "create and customize Web-based workgroup applications that run on the Web Storage System in Exchange Server 2000. OWD ships with a group of templates, including one for Digital Dashboard, which will help users get started with creating these workgroup applications."
For more information read the WinInformant article and the story at ZDNet.