bMighty SMB TechEncyclopedia

Microsoft's primary desktop applications for Windows and Mac. Depending on the package, it includes some combination of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and Outlook along with various Internet and other utilities. The applications share common functions such as spell checking and graphing, and objects can be dragged and dropped between applications. Microsoft Office is the leading application suite on the market.

Microsoft Office 2010
Expected in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Web-based versions also released in same time frame, which are included in certain versions of Office 2010, but also available separately for free. See Office Web Apps.

Microsoft Office 2007
The latest version of Office features the Ribbon user interface, a departure from previous versions. See Office 2007.

Microsoft Office 2003
Provides extensive support for XML and data collaboration. Office files can be saved as native XML for easier integration with other applications, and Microsoft's SharePoint portal turns Office into a groupware system administered on a Web server. Designed to be a front end to Microsoft's .NET initiative, Office 2003 applications run under XP and 2000 only. This version was billed as the Microsoft Office System, departing from the office suite nomenclature. Mainstream support ends in January 2009 with extended support to January 2014.

Office XP (2001)
Added document sharing over the Web, a significant document recovery feature and integrated Hotmail service. Mainstream support ended in 2006 with extended support to July 2011.

Office 2000
A major upgrade with numerous enhancements and changes. More integrated with the Web, it added collaboration features and support for opening and saving HTML documents, even doubling as an HTML editor. Extended support is available to July 2009.

Earlier Versions
Office 95 was the first 32-bit version of Office, followed by Office 97, which added Internet integration and Outlook. The formats in Excel 97, PowerPoint 97 and Word 97 were changed, but files could be saved in a dual 95/97 format for backward compatibility. Access 97 files were not backward compatible. The last 16-bit versions of Office were Office 4.x. See MSW abc's.