Posts Tagged ‘Office’

I just finished watching a really neat documentary on Bill Gates (from just over a year ago, actually… can’t believe I’d never heard of it ’til recently) and figured some of you might find it interesting as well. The woman interviewing Bill, Fiona Bruce, waited a solid 2 years (and not a day too soon, as it takes place just a week or so before he retired) to finally get this opportunity! Weighing in just shy of the hour mark, this documentary is a good summary of the making of Microsoft, the major issues surrounding the company throughout the years, and the history of the man himself, Bill Gates, in addition to his focus beyond the company once stepping down. There are a few familiar faces throughout this documentary, including Steve Ballmer, Steven Sinofsky, and, of course, Bill Gates.

There are some really great photos of a young Bill Gates, as well as a few great looks at Bill’s passion when sitting in on meetings with groups. Let’s just say he’s not a boss I would want to upset.

Also interviewed are integral figures of Microsoft’s competition from years past. There is one person in particular who seems to still hold Bill accountable for what he deems were ruthless and unfair business practices. Even with Bill Gates pumping some 30+ BILLION dollars into trying to rid the world of malaria and similar diseases, some people have a chip on their shoulder. I suppose that’s understandable to some degree, though. Interestingly enough, there’s not a single mention of Apple, Linux, or any of the head figures from either establishment. All-in-all, if you don’t know much about Bill Gates or the history of Microsoft, this is a great place to start!

Oh, and if you weren’t interested yet, you’ll catch things like this in the documentary:

Enjoy!

-Stephen
http://msftkitchen.com

Well, it looks like Microsoft is finally filtering down information about Office 2010 via some presentations. Take a look at the following screen shots to glean any information you may not already be aware of at this point regarding Office 2010, such as Office Online, milestones through the development phase (including planned Beta and RTM time frames), Office Professional Plus 2010 information, and what the SharePoint Workspace (formerly known as, “Groove”) homepage looks like:

-Stephen

If you haven’t checked up on it in a while, go watch the latest clip on Office 2010: The Movie. It’s fairly cheesy but definitely managed to get a few, “lol’s” out of me. I’m all for a humor-based campaign to sell a product, but hopefully this won’t flop… wherever it’s going. The massive Bing marketing campaign seems to be paying off for the company, so perhaps this, too, will be another step in the right direction for Microsoft’s recent marketing ventures. Anyway, enough chat.

Office 2010: A Virus all Over my Face

-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