RSSOffice 12 Beta 1 Coming in '2-3 Weeks'
By Nate Mook | Published November 10, 2005, 8:00 PM
Microsoft has sent out the first wave of Office 12 acceptance letters to those who applied for the beta program. The company says it expects to ship Beta 1 in the next few weeks, which, for the first time, will be available via download. In the past, Microsoft has only issued CDs for major Office betas.
"You will be provided with access to the Office "12" Beta software, documentation, and support within the next 2-3 weeks," Microsoft wrote in an e-mail. "But we wanted to let you know now that you have been accepted, so that you can make any preparations that you need."
System requirements for Office 12 include a minimum of 256MB of RAM with a 512 MHz processor and Windows XP SP1 on the client side. For a server installation of Office components such as SharePoint, Microsoft recommends a 2.5 GHz processor and 2GB of RAM.
"We have provided these minimum hardware recommendations here as guidance for deploying Beta-1, but as with any Technical Beta, they do not necessarily represent final Office "12" hardware requirements," beta coordinators said.
Although Microsoft has remained cagey about Office 12's feature set, some details have been announced. The suite will feature a completely redesigned user interface, as well as new methods to make working with documents easier. "Ribbons" will include commands that change based on the current task.
Julie Larson-Green, group program manager for the Office User Experience, explained that the UI had four main goals. "The number one design goal was to make it easier for people to find and use the product features needed to get the results they wanted," she said.
Other design goals included a streamlined interface, a desire to expose more of the features within Office, and designing the application for the full document life cycle.
Microsoft is also adding native support for exporting to PDF and its new XPS file format in Office 12, although it has no plans to incorporate OpenDocument.
From: ********@microsoft.com
To: otaviolbs@gmail.com
Date: Nov 10, 2005 1:12 PM
Subject: Microsoft Office "12" Beta: You're approved!
....
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do you have problem with sending emails from outlook 12? I have wrong password error.
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Check your password and try again.
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could someone please give out the guest id
so others can beta test this program
thanks
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http://beta.microsoft.com
Apply for it. I doubt you'd be accepted this late into the program, but youcan try.
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Look, stop complaining about the work Microsoft does. Mr. Billy has the biggest horseshoe up his butt. Not only did he make the best choices in life, but he got more money than all of us put together times 100. Microsoft is a very good company and those who have to complain about it either have no life, or they are too poor and need to get a job (and/or a life) or they are jealous they didnt end up in Bill Gates' shoes. Go cry to your mommies. Im sick of having to hear people go on about how Microsoft is bloated this, that and everything else. Do you expect all functionality to be like DOS? Things grow up, people grow up, programs grow up, and so do computers. Keep up with the times and instead of complaining about it, embrace it and be happy you are alive to see these GOOD changes and if you dont like it, go live under a rock.
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Microsoft lover...
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Posts like this are almost as bad as the anti-microsoft ones!
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Atleast I have a point of view, not just reading what others have to say, moron :)
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Eat me dough boy
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how nice...
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Look, I'd rather use Open Office, not MS Office.
The price of the final version of O12 with be over $500, just like the others.
If MS wants me to use it, charge less.
That price is for businesses, not me.
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The $500 version is for businesses. Get the lower end version, or Works once it comes out. You get what you pay for in life, this is just one of those things. Work a bit harder in your job and you can afford it.
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I'll pay a max of 25AUD for it... If it's more expensive, I won't
312 AUD for Office Academic is about almost a months pay... Microsoft doesn't care through.
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From: ********@microsoft.com
To: wolf.silver.lone@gmail.com
Date: Nov 10, 2005 1:12 PM
Subject: Microsoft Office "12" Beta: You're approved!
nuff said.. I soo happy
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I GOT IN! I'm so excited. I will now have 2 go out and buy a new mother board so I can have the system requirements.
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Make sure you buy that Intel MS Edition 512Mhz P4.
Er....
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HAHAHAHAHAHA
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How nice another bloated office .god only knows what the learning curve on this version will be.who will buy it. no wonder microsoft is pursuing alternative revenue cash cows. who needs office 12 ? not the the commentators to betanews.most of them don't have a productive employment and may never afford to buy the office suite
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Speak for yourself.
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I really want to know how you attained your psychic ability. You apparently know everything about Office 12 before you've even seen it. Now THAT'S impressive.
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The difference between O12 and other justify the price. In small italian business (1-5 workstations) with Office you can manage and develop all information process and the TCO is competitive. Then main cosiderations on the cost is for user that utilize word and excel for calculator o write machine, but the enterprise (the smartiest and the biggest) need B.I. functions, .NET and Web links, ERP links without spend a lot of money (see Access with major DB as client UI)....
Excuse me for english
Regards from Italy
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One thing is pretty ridiculous. I think that Ms Office is for, well, office use. AFAIK (at least in my country) most offices still run Windows 2000, so they will be excluded from the group of potential buyers (Office 12 will require Win XP minimum).
In the place I work the share of Ms OSes is like: Win 98 - 20%, Win 2000 - 50%, Win XP - 30%. The number of WinXP workstation will grow, but not rapidly, because Ubuntu becomes more and more popular. There is no reason for spending money if it is not absolutely necessary.
Win XP can be found in around 90% of private laptops and home computers but, on the other hand, almost no one from my friends is willing to pay 500 Euro for Office 12 (or 2006?) if OpenOffice 2.0 is for free.
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The point you're making is good, but uh.... If they can used a backdated version of windows, would it be so horrible to use a back dated ms office? i think office2003 works on 2000....
I actually qualified for the first wave of this. Got my vista beta packet, my onecare, and my office 12, all on the desk, might get em framed =-p
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Heh.. Lucky. I only got the Onecare packet.
But I got 2 of 'em...does that count?
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=( All I got was Onecare. How'd you get so lucky?
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LOL - what the heck happened here?
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Apparently I had two Passports, and both got signed up for the beta.
The risks of having multiple PCs using multiple profiles and perhaps a few too many beers.
Down to one profile now, so I don't have to stagger my bug-reporting.
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Oh. That's interesting, but I was talking about how we both posted almost exactly the same thing at the same time.
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Seems everyone has nothing but good things to say about it. Not part of the beta test myself and I can't believe I'm saying this but from what I've read about Office 12 I'm actually kind of looking forward to it as well as Vista. I have to say that Microsoft is really beginning to impress me this time around.
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I've seen em come and go.
From Vic 20 to VAX.
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"The company says it expects to ship Beta 1 in the next few weeks, which, for the first time, will be available via download."
Please tell me their going to follow 602, OpenOffice, etc, and release Microsoft Office for free.
MS Office is one of the ONLY microsoft products I like, but it's... too $$$ and not cross platform. Oh well, one thing at a time.
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Dont hold your breath on this one. Microsoft is not like the open source genre and cannot release stuff for free. They could lower the price, but they are a commercial entity and will always charge for it. I agree the price is too high, but thats why I get all of my software through my EArmyU program at a nice hefty discount, or talk to someone I know that is in college and ask them to get it.
Just because some software companies feel all software should be free, doesnt make it so. Just remember that. We wouldnt be as far as we are right now if everything in the world was free. Some of the best products have been developed commercially and most of the ideas from OSS have been taken from their commercial counterparts.
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Besides the fact that Office is one of Microsoft's biggest money makers and the fact that they gain absolutely nothing by making it free. Don't hold your breath.
On the other hand, Office Live may be free.
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Damn, who leaked? No. really I am proud to be a member of this and the many other betas that MS has offered. I am 100% sure that every person in all parts of the world will love to have been in on the Office 12. Everyone from every corner will benefit form it. Even the Open source guys. It will teach each and everyone of us what we should accept as the bottom and as the future.
Damn to hear me talk positive about anything makes me want to piss my pants. LOL
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I beta tested XP and it fubar'ed the system so badly, that we implemented a no beta policy, and SP1 or higher only for MS products, at work.
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cool, i am already using it...not bad
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Ummm...yo Nate, is 512MHz a typo? No such thing as a 512MHz processor!
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Yes, but most processors can be lowered to that speed if necessary - would take some multiplier altering though. :P
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I don't make the rules, just report them! Microsoft says 512, I write 512. :)
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Will MS be providing instructions on that along with the Beta kit, so we can test their requirements?
*ducks*
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Yeah, the letter does say 512MHz.
"CLIENT
* Operating System: Windows XP SP1 or Windows 2003 (RTM or higher) required
* Processor: Pentium 512 MHz or higher
* RAM: 256 MB minimum
* HD: Varies depending on installation choices
* Resolution: 800 x 600 or higher
"
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Someone @ MS screwed up, then. I'm sure it'll be revised before release.
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Got my letter! Cool! This should be interesting with the whole new UI.
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Me too.. woohoo!
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256mb of ram to run an office suite?
haha thats funny
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Don't laugh too hard, OpenOffice requires 128MB according to http://development.openo...beta.html#mozTocId75173
OpenOffice has come a long way and 2.0 is a huge improvement, there's no doubt about it, but it's still quite to the level of Office yet. It's not too surprising that MS Office would want 256MB... Windows XP SP1 and SP2 require 256MB to adequately function well too, so I'm sure Office is piggy-backing off those requirements. Can you manage a little less? Sure, but why on earth would you want to?
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In the world of not adolescent-antarctica-fauna oriented ppl the software is sometimes bought, yay. And it is not a bad thing at all (you'll see once you buy one). And ppl who need it and buy software applications do not have problems like:
yay, I don't have money for 256MB memmory module, let me me at least allow to flame some internet forums instead...my hobby for last 5 years!
So I agree with you, memmory today is simply not an issue, but the Productivity and YOUR LIFE is.
All tommorow's MS application will require memmory, I don't have time to explain it here, but the fact is .NET is memmory hungry. That is the ONLY disadvantage of this fabulous technology.
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Cool!
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To cowgaR
If you all you do is play solitaire and minesweeper, then yes you've had the same amount of memory as most people did 4 years ago.
I think you should wake up and understand that memory and cpu power is the foundation of PC software and hardware devlopment. If we all stopped and said "yeah 256 meg of memory is all we need" then the process at which we are delivered new software would be slower. Windows Vista and Office are two of millions of different software titles and applications that are requiring larger and faster hardware technologies.
If all you require from your pc is turning it on and off everyday then 256 of memory is all you need. However people like myself Video Edit, Test Beta Software and demand higher usage from our PC's. I have 1 gig of memory and to me that was a successfull investment.
I dont think 256mb of memory is too much to ask given that its available as close as the corner store and costs approximately $30
Plus if you've actually used the Beta of Office 12 its comes along way in terms of basic Word Proccessing. I'm not suprised that it requires larger amounts of memory required for optimal productivity performance.
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I myself spend the day and a half trying to get people to understand that RAM is important and how so. Most people will tell you that 128 is good and will spend the day trying to prove it. Damn I hate that. Knowing that 512 is pushing it. I do everything I can to add RAM to PCs like that. There are just too many people that THINK they know how computers run (I am talking any and every computer from Linux to MAC to OS2.
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Thank you!
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I think you need to look at who you were replying to, cowgar was defending the use of more memory, pafinator on the other hand (which is who cowgar was replying to), was saying that 256 is too little for an office suite
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Hell, 2GB is the marginal limit for a decent gaming machine nowadays.
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Pretty much. That's what I got, and I want more!!
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Heh.. Wish I was made of money, man.
Maybe this'll help:
You'll never win the lottery. Never. It'll never happen. Certainly not this week.
Good luck, man.
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Now don't forget to share the winnings with me.
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If thats how you read it. But its obvious that some people are complaining about these new demands and there too stubborn to achnowledge these advances
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Read carefully cowgar seems to be complaining that .net applications are too memory hungry. Learn to live with it!
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Do you have problems with sending an emails from outlook 12? It sees wrong password.
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