Office 2010 Beta 2 bits leak to the Web

Microsoft has been having a tough time keeping its Office 2010 bits from leaking.

On November 13, the Professional Plus version of the next version of Microsoft's productivity suite leaked again. The version that is making its way over the torrents is marked as Beta 2, according to the Neowin.net site, and is build number 14.0.4514.1009.

Microsoft officials have said they plan to release public beta builds of Office 2010 client, Office Web Apps and SharePoint Server 2010 in November. Many company watchers are expecting Microsoft to make those bits available next week, in conjunction with the company's Professional Developers Conference. (Microsoft also could share details about its Office Mobile 2010 at the PDC next week, as well, I hear.)

(I've asked Microsoft whether the leaked build is the actual Beta 2 build the company is planning to distribute this month. No word back so far.) A spokesperson said thes newly leaked bits are not the Beta 2 ones, and added "Microsoft has not released the official beta code and recommends that people do not download code from unauthorized sources.")

According to Neowin, the differences between the leaked Beta 2 build and the current Community Technology Preview (CTP) build of Office 2010 that Microsoft made available to select testers this summer aren't huge. The interface has been "refined" and the program icons updated, Neowin notes.

Testers with whom I've spoken are most interested in seeing the new features and changes that Microsoft plans to make available as part of the Office Web Apps with Beta 2. (The Office Web Apps Beta 2 bits are not part of what leaked this week.) The first test build of Office Web Apps was rough and didn't include OneNote Web App at all. Microsoft officials have said they'll have more to say about how and when Office Web Apps -- the Webified versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote -- will be able to be accessed via mobile phones around the time the company releases the public beta.

In other Office 2010 news from earlier this week, Microsoft has begun signing up testers for the free Office Starter 2010 release.

Update: Blogger Long Zheng has information on some of the changes Microsoft is making to the Office.com online portal, which is now in beta, that Microsoft also is likely to be showing off at the PDC next week.