Link:
http://www.liveside.net/comments.php?catid=3&shownews=68

Its aimed at really small business (say 5 employees) so its not really going to affect me or my clients. But its a start . One day all software will be delivered like this so get used to the concept.

You will never actually own the software you just rent it.

Its interesting that they dont show the actual Office Application User Interface.

So I cant determine if they are using the Office 12 (2007) UI for the core or not.

Some Details leak out about Office Live

Serving as one component of Microsoft Office Live, Office Live Mail provides users with the ability to read and recieve emails from any internet-connected computer in the world. Ideal for those on the move, Office Live Mail can be accessed from either a web browser or Outlook 2000/2003. Here are some things to expect upon the release of the beta:

- Free and Subscriber (paid) accounts will be available for Office Live Mail. The main difference between the two types of accounts is the amount of storage that you get. The free account provides 250MB, while the subscriber account will give you 2GB. Definately comparable to the pay/free model that Hotmail currently uses.

- Outlook 2000 and 2003 access via HTTP. This will presumably be available upon release, but it is noted as a “trial service.”

- Use Office Live Mail to manage your POP accounts. For MSN Plus, MSN Premium, and Microsoft Office Live Mail Subscriber accounts, you can read messages from another POP account via Office Live Mail.

- Save messages to a local machine. If you find yourself running low on storage space, you can save messages from your Microsoft Office Live Mail account to your local computer to free up some space. This feature can also be used if you will need to read messages while offline.

- Up to 100 Favorite Contacts and Quicknames. This provides a unique identifier for any contact which you designate as a Favorite Contact or assign a Quickname to.

There’s definately a lot to be excited about there, so we’ll be on the lookout for the official release of Office Live Mail. I’ll leave you with a few teasers.

Link:
http://www.liveside.net/comments.php?shownews=27

In this picture Gates explains “we used to sell Microsoft Office for this much, and now its going to be this much”

It finally hits Gates that giving a free web based version of Microsoft Office makes him feel dizzy.

Gates contemplates the 30 years he’s spend empire building.

See that Post Here

I wasn’t too far off the mark, Microsoft announced yesterday its coming in 2006.

From the Announcement

Microsoft Office Live is coming.
Today, an online presence is almost a requirement for small business success. That’s why Microsoft is introducing Microsoft® Office Live—a set of affordable business productivity services designed to help you grow your business more easily by establishing a professional presence online.

Microsoft Office Live will provide your company with its own domain name, Web site, and e-mail accounts for free.

Additionally, Microsoft Office Live will offer you and your employees expert business management applications, such as customer, project, and document management tools, and a security-enhanced private Web site—affordably managed and maintained by Microsoft—where you can work together and share information with your employees, customers, suppliers, and contractors.

_____________

Basically this will be a free service that is sponsored by targeted advertising, just like gmail/hotmail have.

Announcing something thats free and coming in 2006 is just to ward off the impending threat from Google/Sun’s free web Based Office.
See Post Here

I would like to point out that Microsoft Office retails for more than £300, providing a free derivative can only stimulate interest in other free solutions or worse eat into Microsoft’s existing Office Business.

All I can tell you is by 2010 when the “free” war has been won, the software world is going to be a much different place.

News Link

http://www.zdnet.com.au/