Office Web Apps: New screenshots

by Mary Jo Foley  |  September 17, 2009 12:17pm PDT  |  Image 1 of 5

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Microsoft Office Web Apps: Testers get access via SkyDrive

Microsoft released the first official test build of its Office Web Apps today. To access the build (this is the free, consumer-focused one, not the corporate-focused Microsoft Online or on-premise ones), testers must be among a pre-approved, select group. They also must have a free Windows Live account, so they can get to the Web-ified Office apps via Microsoft's free SkyDrive storage service.?

Screenshots: Microsoft

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Geeks just scared
clarnT 1st Dec 2009
The geeks are just scared of losing their "Little Napoleon"
hold on the local hardware. I see it everyday, they get a
hard-on knowing that they have absolute control over the
hardware the normal person in the office uses. Now the
cloud is threatening their purpose in life, and see that they
are going to be shipped off to the unemployment office.

Sad little people.
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Office Web Apps
MeYou&Them 17th Sep 2009
Not at all impressed with the Offfice Web Apps....while the other issue that many will still have to decide upon, if they want/ or should allow their own, or business data to be stored on the web/ internet/ cloud.....


MS, along with many others pushing Web based apps have an uphill marketing battle....to convince business, and people to host their data....

security security security...



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Security can be resolved...
prof123 17th Sep 2009
Blackberry email is considered very secured, it is even
used in the White House and the U.S. government. The
reason is simple - strong encryption. Emails are
encrypted on the device and they stay encrypted until the
recipient decrypts it on their device.

The same can be done with the cloud apps, where private
data can be kept encrypted.
The only difference between a cloud and a server or PC that is physically near by, is the location and what we are calling it.

With the cloud approach, it will take fewer terrorist strikes, acts of vandalism, hackers or power outages to cripple us, as opposed to how our current, widespread model only leaves us open to restricted-area outages.
""""""The only difference between a cloud and a server or PC that is physically near by, is the location and what we are calling it."""""

Strongly dissagree...we all know tech is not that simply stated, or described...or implemented and maintained...



In my view, Having one Web hosting ( Cloud) company maintain security for Many External Company web Hosted sites, compared to many individual companies managing their own web sites, security professionals, security, regulatory compliance mesures is a better option....

Should the Hosting (Cloud) Provider be attacked ( as this happens constantly and has been in the news)...the attack with bring down MAny companies....becomes a single point of failer....even though the (Distributed Cloud) is suppose to stop this......The cloud will be using same technologies at all the locations....for which make this a weakness, and open hole for Hackers.....Think of how MS Windows is hit....so many peopple use the same thing....the attack affect more people....
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Big stretch...
calmarimaker 17th Sep 2009
Where are these rampant power outages that we are all so terrified of? How many power outages does your business experience in the U.S. every year? Also, why do we assume that a widespread power-outage won't affect individual networks?

I'm a sys admin, and I'd much rather have my apps sitting on multiple-redundancy servers with failover after failover schema, than the typical small company's network infrastructure.


Face it, when cloud becomes markedly cheaper than self-hosting apps, your execs will jump on it like a pitbull on a poodle. Then you'll all be working in some Microsoft datacenter for the rest of your lives.
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Rep: Big stretch...
MeYou&Them 17th Sep 2009
""""Face it, when cloud becomes markedly cheaper than self-hosting apps, your execs will jump on it like a pitbull on a poodle. """"

Good point....AND this also means that U.S. IT jobs will deminish further...as India, China, NEW Asian hot spots, and other cheaper labor costing countries arising will mean that the "Cloud" and "Company Info" can be hosted on sources outside of the U.S., for U.S. based companies and entities.


"""Then you'll all be working in some Microsoft datacenter for the rest of your lives.""""

But not here in the U.S.

Carefull what we wish for...
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Right now, the average business which controls its own applications, data, servers, and networks is extremely vulnerable. Not just to 9/11 type terror attacks, but also to every type of cyber-attack, hack, virus, etc. By having data hosted in dedicated systems, you are now typically getting: Fire suppression systems, data redundancy (often even distributed across several different geographical locations), network protection, and physical security.

For example, if someone had a bad day (call him "Bad Dude") and decided to harm a business, if that business hosted its own data, all he would have to do is to go to the physical location (ala yellow pages or google maps) and wreck havoc at that site. If the data was in a hosted service, however, he would first have to find out all the locations of where the data was located, go there, and destroy them all (more or less simultaneously, since they would assumedly start rebuilding as soon as he left).

So... I can't disagree with you more. You're just plain wrong.
""""Right now, the average business which controls its own applications, data, servers, and networks is extremely vulnerable. Not just to 9/11 type terror attacks, but also to every type of cyber-attack, hack, virus, etc. By having data hosted in dedicated systems, you are now typically getting: Fire suppression systems, data redundancy (often even distributed across several different geographical locations), network protection, and physical security.""""


Yea, and Now we will be hosting ALL important information to companies in a FEW centralized centers.....The Terrorists can Google MAPS and easily finds a map/ picture...and know extactly how easy it is to take out MANY, with Few Actions....

Need to think about your words ....
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This entire conversation is moot
crazydanr@... 17th Sep 2009
Business will use SharePoint to store their information locally, or a hosted SharePoint environment on the cloud if they choose.

A local SharePoint farm will store the data, users that don't have the full office client can use the web office apps to connect.

Both storage options will be available for a company to choose from. Pretty smart, eh?
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Just plain presuming.
Cayble 18th Sep 2009
Cloud computing and simple remote storage are two different things. If it wasn't, Cloud computing would already be rampant and the conversation would be moot.

Lots of places use remote storage and that is simply a second copy of the data at a remote location for emergency back up, and its easy to see why that will become easier and more popular as time goes by and storage is ever more easy. And, its not a primary copy, its a remote second/backup copy.

You are just plain presuming that Joe Blow maniac will be hitting a company who has no form of remote storage, or even any real secure backup system at all. Possible of course, but that is a specific case.

If the question is about full blown cloud computing, its long term goal has been promoted as not simply storing data at a remote location, thats been done for YEARS. And usually not at a location 4000 miles away, but often at a relatively close location and it is a second backup copy, not an original. Full blown true hard core cloud computing has always been promoted as a system where you have minimal hardware on the on site work location that simply hooks you, via internet, into a computer system in "the clouds" so to speak which will provide all the current functions of an "in tower" hard drive, providing all the applications and data storage one will need to operate a business.

We have already had many of the "cloud computing lite" systems in place for years. Thats nothing new and it is certainly stupid for any one to act like those kind of systems represent anything new or anything heading toward TRUE theoretical cloud computing. Most of those things are old news and it would be like claiming radial tires are a step toward true flying cars. No, its not.

Cloud computing is and has always been the promise of removing the burden of the software and hardware costs and issues involved with maintaining applications and data storage at a local workstation. Practically anything less has long ago been done and is nothing revolutionary or even interesting. Its some form of cloud computing lite and we have long ago been there and done that.

So... I can't disagree with you more. You're just plain wrong.
It will be one big cloud for big bro gov to more easily collect information on individuals and businesses.
Cloud computing is where 90% of us are going with 90% of applications. To continue to fight this obvious path is fruitless, especially as the cost of owning and hosting your own apps rises in comparison. The problem is that many people's jobs depend upon companies hosting their own Mail and other apps...and a lot of that is going to go away in the next 5-7 years (no matter how vehemently you protest).
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"resistance is futile..."
janitorman 18th Sep 2009
that's a quote from "hitchikers guide to the galaxy" They totally destroyed the earth.
Nothing like this will happen, the Vogons are'nt coming. Until they do I think I'll stick with my single PC with everything stored on it, with offsite backup. I'm not going to trust MS or anyone else to "host applications" or data I could simply use locally, and it does not even have to be web connected. Very little chance of hacking if you disconnect from the internet! True someone can come to you physical location, but that's a lot less likely and harder to do.
So, Cloud cloud, go away, come again another day.
If I can use the aps an create documents only on my computer, maybe I'll use it. But will never put my data and documents on the web.
That's exactly what everyone said was going to happen in 1996 when Web browsers first became popular. EVERYTHING was going to move to the Web. Here we are 13 years later and we've reached a pretty decent situation. Some things are ideal for the Web...information sharing, storage, data transfer blah blah. Some things are ideal for PC's...productivity apps like Office, high-end tools like Photoshop, developer tools like Visual Studio or Eclipse. While web-based versions of those types of apps are ok they will likely never approach the fidelity you can get with a good app running on a PC or even an iPhone. I think the world will always have a mix of both approaches but not 90/10. Perhaps 60/40?
You said, "I think the world will always have a mix of both approaches but not 90/10. Perhaps 60/40?"

Do you realize that that's 4031 years from now?!
and I don't know what I'm having for breakfast tomorrow! slocode :)-
technical people dont make the call here, the bean counters do. just deal with it. When, as one person mentioned its just plain cheaper to outsource to the cloud, it will happen. everyone will be working on a clipboard sized device to do it all, no big local hdd/server, just a fast connection that reconnects on the fly wherever you are. ok not today, but in the future....
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The future's not that far
Ondrax 18th Sep 2009
Existing closed project networks employ secure collaboration tools to
enable structuring, archiving, sharing and creating of data >
information.
There are many ways to structure written information, most of them
are forms, charts and small blocks of free text. SAP, Primavera and
many others already function globally with success. They miss one
little thing - the possibility to create a regular word/excel document
inside, that is not to be imported from the desktop.
This functionality is not vital for those systems but it is welcome and
expected. Various developers have tried to provide web apps in such a
sense. These published screenshots, however, reveal that Microsoft
seems ready to take over this field. MS office apps are global
standards, their web version will become standard too. Users look for
something "that works and looks like Office". This is it.
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Then, when it all goes wrong
The 'G-Man.' 21st Sep 2009
the bean counters get fired as the technical people will charge them through the nose to bring ot all back!

Should have listened in the first place charge!
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Geeks just scared
clarnT 1st Dec 2009
The geeks are just scared of losing their "Little Napoleon"
hold on the local hardware. I see it everyday, they get a
hard-on knowing that they have absolute control over the
hardware the normal person in the office uses. Now the
cloud is threatening their purpose in life, and see that they
are going to be shipped off to the unemployment office.

Sad little people.

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