Archive for the ‘Office’ Category

(Follow me on Twitter: msftkitchen)

I’ve received a few emails from people who recall the previous version of Office carrying a code name of “Office 12.” Their inquiries ring through a resounding, “what the heck happened to “Office 13?” Though this issue has been addressed within a few of the Microsoft communities ever since we first found out there would be no “Office 13,” I’ll go ahead and echo the core fact of the matter: Superstition, Watson! Ho ho!

Yes, it seems the folks who coin the code names on the Office team at Microsoft decided that 13 was indeed an unlucky number, but this comes as no surprise seeing it as Friday the 13th is supposed to be unlucky and many 13+ story buildings either have a 12a designation or they do as Microsoft has done with Office and skip to 14. It’s all just cutsy little semantics and doesn’t amount to a hill of beans in terms of what the product will actually be, so don’t freak out simply because someone at Microsoft has a sense of numerologically impending doom. lol.

Psst! Hey, Microsoft: “…the number 13 isn’t any more unlucky than any other number. There exist negative and positive, and balanced, over-balanced, and under-balanced qualities for every number.” That’s straight from a numerology “expert.” Personally, I don’t subscribe to any superstitious dogmas but if you want to see just what they’re buying into, go here.

And if you happen to wonder if this is all indeed why they skipped “Office 13″ for a code name, nothing’s better than a document straight from Microsoft’s servers showing as such. Here, Eric Vigesaa, the 2006-? Program Manager for Office System client applications, is having a discussion with TechNet and says the following on 12/27/2006:

“Eric: I actually am taking a vacation for two weeks and then, it may sound strange but the next version of Office is already in the planning stages, we want to make sure that our IT perspective and apps are represented in the new product focus and offerings so we’re going to be very involved with that.

Michael: So that’s Office 13 in development huh?

Eric: Well, 13 is unlucky so we’re calling it Office 14.“

Source: TechNet Radio 12/27/2006 Transcript

Oddly enough, even folks within Microsoft prior to then were assuming the natural progression from “Office 12″ to “Office 13.” Again, residing on Microsoft’s servers, are a couple of documents containing the same information from 2005 referencing the development of “”Office 13″ prototypes”:

Source 1: Dik_Bigl.pdf

Source 2: ServiceorientatieEnICT.pdf

Both of those documents are in Dutch, but with a quick Babel Fish translation comes a loose interpretation of what we can easily gather to be the information we’re interested in in regards to “Office 13:”

“With which (version of) product Microsoft comes also on the market, there is always a remake in frequently make and is thus still worked to the prototypes of a still remake. To give an example: Office 2003 are in 2005, the current version of Office and have the internal version number 11. For Office 12 for the `Longhorn wave’ and is now already researchers there it is at present worked busy with considering and developing prototypes for Office 13. Thus continues invest Microsoft in the future.”

All in all, this is a pretty frivolous effort in research but hopefully this will provide the be all and end all of this topic. Personally, I think Microsoft should’ve just replaced the 1 with a <, thus ending up with Office <3 annnnnd that's why I'm a freelance journalist and not on Microsoft's marketing team. lol.

-Stephen

(Follow me on Twitter: msftkitchen)

With the recent flood of information surrounding Windows 7 and its official status of Beta 1, I thought I would take a moment to shed some light on some of Microsoft’s current plans for the Office 14 Beta. As some of you know, Microsoft begins collaborating very early on in its development process with select customers via a program called TAP (Technology Adoption Program). The next tier of testing much later down the road is a program called a Technical Beta. A Technical Beta is much more far-reaching with testers than participants of a TAP, but even then, the number of people on a Technical Beta is drastically less than the third tier of testing; a Public Beta. Both Windows and Office have followed these testing tiers, though it’s questionable as to if the recent Windows 7 Beta invites sent to select people are merely a formality or if they’re truly an invite to a Technical Beta program to be distinguished from that which the public will be able to participate in. Regardless, here is a detailed breakdown of the tiers of customer interaction with Office 14:

TAP (Technology Adoption Program)

There are two phases of the Office 14 TAP: PV (Product Validation) and RD (Rapid Deployment)

TAP – PV: Extending from Alpha builds through Beta 2 builds, TAP – PV customers interact directly with their very own Microsoftee(s) to “provide actionable feedback throughout the product development cycle and commit substantial resources for the duration of the program.” To be eligible for this phase of the TAP, you are required to have a sponsored business solution/POC (proof of concept), architectural and deployment plans readily reviewable, and a pilot deployment at Beta 2 (based on POC status). Alternately, you can just hope you happen to work for and have access within a company who goes through this process and gets nominated. That, or you can write the script for “Ocean’s 14″ and make the payload that of builds galore. Your choice.

TAP – RD: Getting involved at the end of Beta 2/beginning of the RC (Release Client) phase, TAP – RD customers “drive marketing evidence for launch” via requirements of production employment at Escrow and participation in launch activities. TAP – RD is “ideal for companies looking to showcase their involvement in leading edge industry efforts [and] engage in joint public relations efforts with Microsoft.”

The total number of TAP customers is ~150 and regardless of which TAP phase they’re a part of, they are the cream of the crop in working the closest with Microsoft. Some of the benefits are pre-release software, early documentation and guidance, technical readiness content, Beta technical support, private newsgroups, an MS Connect account, and much more. Call within the next 10 minutes and you’ll receive not one but two – count ‘em – TWO of said product! Back to reality, the extent of their involvement runs through the entire phase of product development; in the case of Office 14, that will be from Alpha to RTM +90 where each milestone has an activity appropriated for it:

Alpha – POC envisioning and planning.
Beta 1 – Lab testing and evaluation of POC.
Beta 2 – Departmental pilot (non-mission critical 50-100 seats).
RC – Full production deployment.
RTM – Upgrade to RTM bits within X days post release.
+90 (Customer/Partner Account TAP Closeout) – Scorecard review, survey, and set clear expectations of future interactions.

Technical Beta

Of the two Beta phases/tiers beneath the TAP, the Technical Beta is the step Microsoft takes to solicit broader feedback. By invitation only, Microsoft’s customers and partners receive content and support via an MS Connect account. Pre-release software, documentation, and bug feedback are typically amongst the perks of landing a spot on the Technical Beta. The Technical Beta starts at Beta 1 and carries through to RTM. Even when the Public Beta starts, Technical Beta participants typically receive more content just as TAP participants receive more content than either of the Beta phases. The number of Technical Beta customers is ~5000.

Public Beta

Essentially a free-for-all, the Public Beta drives pre-launch excitement by putting the product into the hands of ~5,000,000 individuals. A unique addition to the Office beta this year will be Office Online.

With the Office 14 TAP already under way, Beta 1 should be soon to follow. An early 2009 Beta 1 means Microsoft is a year off from their initial target of a first-half 2008 Beta 1 which I found in multiple slides and posted about back in 2007 here. Regardless, Office is a product that Microsoft has just about always managed to keep a tight lid on. There has been plenty of chatter going on via company presentations in regards to Office 14 since early 2007 but that lid is still quite tightly sealed.

For what it’s worth, the final name for Office 14 may be “Microsoft Office System 2009″. Why do I say this? Well, Microsoft has a Product Roadmap that it releases often for all of their products to select customers. Since March of 2008, I have been seeing Office 14 as being listed additionally as “Microsoft Office System 2009″ with an RTM year of 2009. Take it for what it’s worth.

-Stephen