web apps

Microsoft announced Tuesday that it plans to finally allow the crown jewels of its applications -- the Microsoft Office suite -- to be delivered through Web browsers.

The announcement was made at the Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles.
Chris Capossela, senior vice president of the Microsoft Business Division, said Office Web will allow users to employ lightweight versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote to create, edit and collaborate with Office documents through a Web browser.

Microsoft announced Tuesday that it plans to finally allow the crown jewels of its applications -- the Microsoft Office suite -- to be delivered through Web browsers.

The announcement was made at the Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles.
Chris Capossela, senior vice president of the Microsoft Business Division, said Office Web will allow users to employ lightweight versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote to create, edit and collaborate with Office documents through a Web browser.

Google built its new Web browser, Chrome, specifically to be a robust front end for Web applications, especially Google's own Docs and Apps products. But should enterprises that deploy Web apps be quick to switch over? Definitely not, say a number of enterprise writers.

Indeed, some observers say, Google's designs on the enterprise are not about winning market share for browsers, but about creating a wedge in the enterprise that will drive users away from Microsoft Office and toward Google Docs.

When Apple launched its MobileMe Web cloud software last Friday, customers ran into severe glitches. The subscription service is designed to synchronize calendars, e-mail and other applications between iPhones and Mac or Windows desktops, but users of the new service were unable to log in or sync files correctly.

The company fielded a torrent of criticism from end-users. An e-mail from the MobileMe team on Tuesday read in part:

No, this has nothing to do with Second Life, the online phenomena and everything to do with re-purposing an old piece of hardware.