Windows 7 and Windows Cloud may be the main attractions at Microsoft's upcoming Professional Developers Conference, but the next version of Office will also be on show.
'Office 14', as the product is code-named, will be discussed at next week's event, with attendees likely to get a glimpse of some of its features, according to sources. Unlike Windows 7, however, attendees should not expect to leave Los Angeles with a copy of their own.
Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer has talked recently about the idea that the next version of Office will be able to run in various modes, including over the internet.
"We will rewrite Office to work in a browser," he said in an interview with Computer Weekly.
Microsoft employees also got a glimpse of Office 14's versatility during the company's recent annual employee meeting.
A job opening for the 'Office Web Companions team' offers some more information on what was shown.
"Featured at the 2008 company meeting, the Web Companions organisation is at the centre of Office's software-plus-services transformation, co-ordinating this key vision area for Office '14'," Microsoft said in a job listing for a lead software-development engineer.
"Working together with partners across Office and beyond, we are tasked with delivering best-in-class Office web applications that expand the reach of the traditional client apps in a wide variety of innovative ways, delivering server, service and browser client features," states the listing.
It's not clear how detailed the Office 14 discussion will be at the Professional Developers Conference (PDC). Only two sessions are currently listed with the Office tag. One deals with Office business applications, and the other concerns the software's Open XML file formats.
A Microsoft representative declined to offer details on Office 14 or what the company plans to show at PDC.
