ZDNet UK / News and Analysis / Application Development

Microsoft pulls early Office 2003 beta

By Joe Wilcox, CNET News, 20 February, 2003 08:32

Daily Newsletters

Sign up to ZDNet UK's daily newsletter.

Topics

Microsoft, Beta, Test, Office 2003, Office 11

NEWS
Microsoft on Wednesday inadvertently provided developers and enterprise customers with early access to the second testing version of the next version of Office. The Redmond, Washington-based company posted Office 2003 Beta 2 on its Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Web site on Wednesday, with access available to individuals or businesses subscribing to the service. But Microsoft later removed the software, following an inquiry. With availability of the new beta, Microsoft also accidentally revealed that the official name for the product, code-named Office 11, would be Office 2003. On Wednesday, a Microsoft representative was stunned to hear that Office 2003 Beta 2 had been posted on the MSDN Web site. He initially declined to comment, being caught off guard by the early posting. Later he said that Microsoft removed Office 2003 Beta 2 from the MSDN Web site. The spokesman did not reveal how many people downloaded the software, which according to the Web site was posted around noon pacific time, or 8 p.m. GMT. Microsoft pulled the software a little more than six hours later. "We want to make sure we have all the materials ready, so that people have the best experience with the beta," the spokesman said of the beta, which he acknowledged "was the final build. We're still on track to ship the beta by the end of the quarter." On Tuesday, Microsoft notified Office 2003 beta testers that they would receive their kits within the next couple of weeks. Last week, sources familiar with Microsoft's Office product strategy said testers would receive Beta 2 in March. Microsoft released the first Office 2003 beta to about 12,000 testers -- 6,000 within Microsoft -- in October. The product is due for summer release, according to Microsoft. MSDN availability means Microsoft plans to widely test the second Office 2003 beta. During the late testing stages of predecessor Office XP, about 500,000 people had access to a late beta. Microsoft apparently has made a number of changes in response to beta tester feedback, including new enhancements to Outlook, which on the MSDN site is now called Outlook 2003 with Business Contact Management. Outlook 2003 is expected to be released concurrently with Exchange Server 2003, indicating that product, which also is in late beta testing, is also on track for summer delivery. With the new beta, Microsoft will deliver the first widely available testing versions of two new Office products: OneNote and InfoPath. OneNote is similar to word processing, but it is intended for quick handling of short notes as opposed to long multipart documents. InfoPath, code-named XDocs, uses Extensible Markup Language (XML) to pull together disparate pieces of information from Office documents into a form-like document. A salesman, for example, might pull contact information from Outlook, an expense report from Excel and itinerary from Word to create a travel report. Office 2003 supports XML as a second data format, a feature that is expected to widely appeal to businesses looking to extend their data exchange capabilities. XML also is an important technology for delivering Web-based services and kin to the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) used to format Web pages. The new beta is expected to reveal whether Microsoft plans to open up proprietary schemas, or XML dialects, that could restrict how enterprises make use of the technology. Also included with Office 2003 Beta 2: SharePoint Portal Server version 2.0 and 2003 versions of SharePoint Team Services FrontPage and Publisher. The inclusion of SharePoint Portal Server 2 -- software that businesses use to create portals without the need of paying developers -- could be important for supporting InfoPath. Combined with SharePoint Portal Server, BizTalk Server and some other Microsoft server software, the company could create a collaborative information gathering and sharing system using InfoPath as the front end, analysts say. SharePoint Portal should not be confused with SharePoint Team Services, which is used to create a Web-based shared space for collaborating on projects. Microsoft added SharePoint Team Services support to Office with the release of version XP in May 2001. Publisher is Microsoft's entry-level desktop publishing program, while FrontPage is used to create and manage Web sites. Other Office 2003 enhancements include native support for the inking capabilities associated with Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. This means Office 2003 Beta 2 users will be able to annotate documents using a stylus on portables running the Tablet PC software. Office XP users must install an add-on, which does not fully integrate the feature into applications.
See the Software News Section for the latest headlines on everything from peer to peer clients to Office software and beyond. Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.

Related stories

Office, Windows bring in the big bucks

Office 11 beta due next month

How open is the new Office?

Office 11 gains developer tools

Perens: Linux could learn from Apple

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

  • Login

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

Get ZDNet UK's daily newsletter

Enter your email address to sign up

ZDNet UK Live

JCB33

How dare film makers, artists or anybody that invests in creativity stop us pirating their works for free. I want to be able to walk into my local...

14 minutes ago by JCB33 on ACTA stumbles in Germany
Moley

@GrueMaster. I prefer horses for courses rather than one size fits all. I, and I suspect most other computer users, do not really wish to have...

2 hours ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
greycynic

The product that scares me every time I have to use it is the Office 2007 version of Excel. The first bug that I found was applying the median...

2 hours ago by greycynic on Ten flawed products that derail productivity
GrueMaster

Nice review and very informative. One thing I'd like to add (in reply to whs001's 1st question), the main reason to have the same interface from...

4 hours ago by GrueMaster on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Frederick Wrigley

I'be been using Mint 12 since the RC came out, and I am far more happy with the Cinnamon, the Mate, and, yes (with extensions), theGnome 3...

5 hours ago by Frederick Wrigley via Facebook on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
bdantas

Excellent article. One small correction, though--although a fresh installation of Linux Mint 12 will, indeed, provide the user with a version of...

5 hours ago by bdantas on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

6 hours ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material
Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

6 hours ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material
Moley

For Gnome 2 die-hards, it is possible to add icons to the bottom panel (or top top panel, if you prefer) which provide the exact Gnome 2...

7 hours ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
ramwellian

Your comments would seem pretty naive and immature. Your 'solution' appears to be, "gee, let's all just give in to the hackers and give them...

7 hours ago by ramwellian on Cloud computing security: no more oxymoron?
BugStalker

"Interesting thought ... If you installed Win7 as a dual boot on a machine that previously only had Linux, and it wrecked your Linux installation,...

7 hours ago by BugStalker on Windows 7 Declares War on GRUB
whs001

This is an excellent summary of Ubuntu and Mint and the interface differences between them. Most such articles take a very partisan position for...

7 hours ago by whs001 on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Moley

@ewallace. Not so clear. Anyone can obtain the text, for example from here http://www.ustr.gov/webfm_send/2379. I support ACTA so long as it and...

8 hours ago by Moley on ACTA: Facts, misconceptions and questions
45283

I think WinRT is fantastic. I just wish it was an option for people that didn't want to go through Microsoft's App Store with its attendant...

11 hours ago by 45283 on Why Windows 8 needs architectural hygiene for WOA
Burn-IT

Nine people? £30m? Who's back pocket is that lot going in? And IF they say it is for new buildings, what about all the ones the government has...

12 hours ago by Burn-IT on Police set to launch three £30m e-crime hubs
ewallace

Just to be clear, nobody knows what is in the text of ACTA, here is a photograph of the text of ACTA http://twitpic.com/8h9iju as submitted to the...

12 hours ago by ewallace on ACTA: Facts, misconceptions and questions
fgvrg56

Unfortunately main issue is that ASUS is refusing to accept that they make some mistake on this version of asus Transformer prime. 1 - GPS sensor...

13 hours ago by fgvrg56 on Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime Wi-Fi & GPS problems?
Ben Woods

@Marcus A fair question. Just talked with Archos which said it was working on an announcement for next week....

14 hours ago by Ben Woods on Archos confirms G9 Ice Cream Sandwich update schedule
Marcus Karlsson

Any update on this, considering the claimed "first week of February"?

15 hours ago by Marcus Karlsson via Facebook on Archos confirms G9 Ice Cream Sandwich update schedule
apexwm

Bill Goodrich : Just as al_langevin pointed out, with Windows Server 2008 there is no Services for Macintosh anymore. It's gone, not available....

24 hours ago by apexwm on Windows Server 2008 drops the ball for Mac compatibility

Latest in Application Development

Perens: Linux could learn from Apple

Featured white papers

10 safety tips for business in 2012

Symantec.cloud

10 safety tips for business in 2012

From cloud computing to remote working, your business should consider these ways to keep your business secure as traditional IT... Read more

Deliver easy email search, storage and retrieval systems

Symantec.cloud

Deliver easy email search, storage and retrieval systems

Are you storing up trouble? There is a better way to manage corporate email storage on every level, for every size and type of... Read more

Defining your data demands in simple steps

Symantec.cloud

Defining your data demands in simple steps

Data growth provides vital resources for your business, and you can manage its enormity through some simple... Read more

Inside ZDNet UK

A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

2012 Predictions: VCE FastPath, VI SAN Probe & Hadoop

2012 Predictions: VCE FastPath, VI SAN Probe & Hadoop

BlackBerry Bold 9790

BlackBerry Bold 9790

Case study: How cloud enables growth

Case study: How cloud enables growth

Ten factors that make Ubuntu 11.10 a hit

Ten factors that make Ubuntu 11.10 a hit

Toshiba Portégé Z830-10P Review

Toshiba Portégé Z830-10P Review

BT's archive: Pictures from the vault

BT's archive: Pictures from the vault