Microsoft Office is a family of client software, server software, and services developed by Microsoft. It was first announced by Bill Gates on August 1, 1988, at COMDEX in Las Vegas. Originally a marketing term for an office suite (a collection of productivity apps), the first version of Office contains Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint. Over the years, Office applications have grown much closer to shared features like common spell checker, OLE and Visual Basic data integration for Application scripting languages. Microsoft also placed Office as a business line software development platform under the Office Business App brand. On July 10, 2012, Softpedia reported that Office is used by over a billion people worldwide.
Office is produced in several versions targeted to various end users and computing environments. The original version, and the most widely used, is the desktop version, available for PCs running Windows and mac OS operating systems. The latest desktop versions are Office 2016 for Windows and macOS, released on September 22, 2015 and July 9, 2015, respectively.
Recently, Microsoft developed Office Mobile, which is a free Office app version for mobile devices. Microsoft also produces and runs Office Online, a core web-based version of Office application, which is included as part of a Microsoft account.
Video Microsoft Office
Components
Desktop apps
Office Mobile includes versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint that are minimized and optimized. Other Office applications such as OneNote, Lync, and Outlook are available as stand-alone applications. It's supported on Android, iOS, Windows 10, and Windows 10 Mobile.
Office Mobile allows users to store and access documents in OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, and SharePoint. In addition, the Windows Phone version also allows users to store files locally on the device. According to Microsoft, Office Mobile for iPhone and Android "very similar" to each other, while the Windows Phone version provides "a richer and more integrated experience".
Office Mobile for iPhone was released on June 14, 2013 in the United States. Support for 135 markets and 27 languages ​​was launched for several days. This requires iOS 8 or later. Although the app also works on iPad devices, excluding the first generation, it is designed for small screens. Office Mobile was released for Android phones on July 31, 2013 in the United States. Support for 117 markets and 33 languages ​​added gradually over several weeks. It's supported on Android 4.0 and later. Office Mobile for iPhone and Android, available for free from the App Store and Google Play Store respectively, initially requires an eligible Office 365 subscription to be enabled, but in March 2014, with the Office release for iPad, apps updated so they are completely free to used at home, although subscriptions are still needed for business use.
On March 27, 2014, Microsoft released Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for the iPad. On November 6, 2014, Microsoft released the latest version of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for iPhone.
On January 29, 2015, Microsoft released Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Android tablets. On June 24, 2015, Microsoft released the latest versions of Word, Excel, and Powerpoint for Android phones. The Android version is also supported on certain Chrome OS machines.
In January 2015, Microsoft released an updated, universal app version of Office apps for Windows 10 devices - including PCs, tablets, and smartphones - based on previously released Android and iOS apps.
Office Mobile or also available, although not supported anymore, in Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, and Symbian. There is also Office RT, a standardized version of Office Office desktop that is optimized by touch, preinstalled on Windows RT.
Maps Microsoft Office
General features
Most versions of Microsoft Office (including Office 97 and later) use their own set of widgets and are not exactly the same as the original operating system. This is most evident in Microsoft Office XP and 2003, where the default menu is replaced with a colorful, flat, and dark-looking menu style. The user interface of certain versions of Microsoft Office often greatly affects the next version of Microsoft Windows. For example, the toolbar, colored buttons and 3D Office 3D gray look are added to Windows 95, and ribbons, introduced in Office 2007, have been included in some programs bundled with Windows 7 and later. In 2012, Office 2013 replicates the design of Windows 8 is flat and box-shaped.
Microsoft Office users can access external data through connection-specifications stored in Office Data Connection (.odc) files.
Windows and Office use a service pack to update the software. Office has a non-cumulative service release, which was discontinued after Office 2000 Service Release 1.
Previous versions of Office often contain Easter eggs. For example, Excel 97 contains a functional flight simulator. Office XP and later do not have Easter eggs, in accordance with Computing Trustworthy guidelines.
File and metadata formats
Microsoft Office before Office 2007 uses proprietary file formats based on the OLE Compound File Binary Format. This forces users who share data to adopt the same software platform. In 2008, Microsoft made all the documentation for the binary format available for free for download and granted possible patents for the use or application of the binary format for free under the Open Specs Promise. Previously, Microsoft has provided such documentation freely but only on request.
Starting with Office 2007, the default file format is the version of Office Open XML, although it is different from Standardized and published by Ecma International and by ISO/IEC. Microsoft has granted patent rights to format technology under the Open Specs Promise and has provided free downloadable converters for earlier versions of Microsoft Office including Office 2003, Office XP, Office 2000 and Office 2004 for Mac OS X. Third-party implementations of Office Open XML on the Windows platform (LibreOffice, all platforms), macOS platform (iWork '08, LibreOffice) and Linux (LibreOffice and OpenOffice.org 3.0). In addition, Office 2010, Service Pack 2 for Office 2007, and Office 2016 for Mac support OpenDocument Format (ODF) for opening and saving documents.
Microsoft provides the ability to remove metadata from Office documents. This is a response to a widely publicized incident in which sensitive data about documents leaked through their metadata. Metadata removal was first available in 2004, when Microsoft released a tool called Remove Hidden Data Add-in for Office 2003/XP for this purpose. It is directly integrated into Office 2007 in a feature called Document Inspector .
Extensibility
The main feature of Office suite is the ability for users and third-party companies to write add-ins (plug-ins) that extend application capabilities by adding special commands and special features. One of the new features is the Office Store. Plugins and other tools can be downloaded by the user. Developers can make money by selling their apps in the Office Store. Revenue is shared between developers and Microsoft where developers get 80% of the money. Developers can share apps with all Office users.
The app runs with documents, and for developers to decide what viewers will see when they open it. The recipient will have the option to download apps from the Office Store for free, start a free trial, or be directed to a payment. With cloud office capabilities, IT departments can create a set of applications for their business employees to increase their productivity. When employees go to the Office Store, they will see their company's apps under My Organization . Apps that are personally downloaded by employees will appear under My Apps . Developers can use web technologies like HTML5, XML, CSS3, JavaScript, and API to build apps. Applications for Office are web pages that are hosted within Office client applications. Users can use the application to strengthen document functionality, email messages, meeting requests, or appointments. Apps can run in multiple environments and by multiple clients, including rich Office desktop clients, Office Web apps, mobile browsers, and also on-site and in the cloud. Supported add-in types differ by version of Office:
- Office 97 and so on (Standard Windows DLLs are Word WLL and Excel XLL)
- Office 2000 and so on (add-in COM)
- Office XP and so on (add-in COM/OLE Automation)
- Office 2003 and so on (Managed code add-ins - VSTO solution)
Password protection
Microsoft Office has a security feature that allows users to encrypt Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Skype Business) with a user-provided password. Passwords can contain up to 255 characters and use AES 128-bit advanced encryption by default. Passwords can also be used to restrict the modification of all documents, worksheets or presentations. Due to the lack of document encryption, though, this password can be removed using third-party crack software.
Support policy
Approach
All versions of Microsoft Office products before Microsoft Office 2016 are eligible for ten years of support once released, where Microsoft releases a security update for the product version and provides paid technical support. The ten-year period is divided into two five-year phases: The mainstream phase and the extended phase. During the mainstream phase, Microsoft may provide unlimited free technical support and release non-security updates or change product design. During the extended phase, the service stops.
Starting with Microsoft Office 2016, Microsoft has moved to the so-called "Modern Lifecycle Policy" which requires consumers to stay afloat to stay supported.
Support timeline
Platform
Microsoft supports Office for Windows and macOS platforms, as well as mobile versions for Windows Phone, Android and iOS platforms. Starting with Mac Office 4.2, MacOS and Windows versions of Office share the same file format, and can be operated. Visual Basic for Application support was dropped in Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, then reintroduced in Office for Mac 2011.
Microsoft tried in the mid-1990s to Office ports for RISC processors such as NEC/MIPS and IBM/PowerPC, but they encountered problems like memory access impeded by data structure alignment requirements. Microsoft Word 97 and Excel 97 but sending for the DEC Alpha platform. Difficulties in porting Office may have been a factor in terminating Windows NT on non-Intel platforms.
Pricing models and editions
Sales approach
Microsoft has changed its sales approach in recent years with the introduction of Microsoft Office 365 in 2011 (June 28). This leaves a one-time purchase traditionally for regular subscriptions (monthly or yearly) for many offers, all including the Office 365 label. In addition to regular Office applications, Office 365 includes cloud-based tools (software as a service), and sold as monthly or yearly subscriptions.
Microsoft Office is licensed through:
- Retail.
- Volume license, which includes all site and OEM licenses to incorporate Microsoft Office with personal computers and Microsoft Software Assurance.
- "Home Usage Program" (HUP) that allows employees of participant organizations access to Microsoft Office products that can be used at home.
Retail edition
Microsoft Office is available in several editions, which reassemble certain applications for a certain price. The current retail edition is grouped by category:
- Home: Home, Private, Home & amp; Student.
- Business: Business, Business Premium, Business Important.
Education pricing
Microsoft Office has been criticized in the past for using proprietary file formats instead of open standards, forcing users who share data into adopting the same software platform. However, on February 15, 2008, Microsoft made all the documentation for the binary format available for free under the Open Specs Promise. Also, Office Open XML, the document format for the latest versions of Office for Windows and Mac, has been standardized under both Ecma International and ISO. Ecma International has published Office Open XML specifications free of copyright and Microsoft has granted patent rights to format technology under the Open Specs Promise and has provided free downloadable converters for earlier versions of Microsoft Office including Office 2003, Office XP, Office 2000 and Office 2004 for Mac. The third-party implementation of Office Open XML exists on the Mac platform (iWork 08) and Linux (OpenOffice.org 2.3 - Novell Edition only).
Another critical point facing Microsoft Office is the lack of support in Mac versions for Unicode and Bi-directional text languages, especially Arabic and Hebrew. This issue, which has been in existence since the first release in 1989, is only covered in the 2016 version.
Version table
Version history
Windows version
Microsoft Office for Windows
Microsoft Office for Windows began in October 1990 as a bundle of three applications designed for Microsoft Windows 3.0: Microsoft Word for Windows 1.1, Microsoft Excel for Windows 2.0, and Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows 2.0.
Microsoft Office for Windows 1.5 updates the suite with Microsoft Excel 3.0.
Version 1.6 adds Microsoft Mail for PC Networks 2.1 to the bundle.
Microsoft Office 3.0
Microsoft Office 3.0, also called Microsoft Office 92, was released on August 30, 1992 and contains Word 2.0, Excel 4.0, PowerPoint 3.0 and Mail 3.0. It was the first version of Office that was also released on CD-ROM. In 1993, Microsoft Office Professional was released, which added Microsoft Access 1.1.
Microsoft Office 4.x
Microsoft Office 4.0 was released which contained Word 6.0, Excel 4.0a, PowerPoint 3.0 and Mail in 1993. Word version number jumped from 2.0 to 6.0 so it will have the same version number as MS-DOS and Macintosh versions (Excel and PowerPoint already given the same number as the Macintosh version).
Microsoft Office 4.2 for Windows NT was released in 1994 for the i386, Alpha, MIPS and PowerPC architectures, containing Word 6.0 and Excel 5.0 (both 32-bit, PowerPoint 4.0 (16-bit), and Microsoft Office Manager 4.2 (predecessors for the Shortcut Bar Office)).
Microsoft Office 95 and 97
Microsoft Office 95 was released on August 24, 1995. The software version number was changed again to create parity across the suite - each program is called version 7.0 which means everything except the Word version is missed. It's designed as a fully 32-bit version to match Windows 95. Office 95 is available in two versions, Office 95 Standard and Office 95 Professional. The standard version consists of Word 7.0, Excel 7.0, PowerPoint 7.0, and Schedule 7.0. The professional edition contains all the items in the standard version plus Microsoft Access 7.0. If the professional version is purchased on CD-ROM, it also includes Bookshelves.
Logos used in Office 95 generate Office 97, 2000 and XP. Microsoft Office 98 Macintosh Edition also uses a similar logo.
Microsoft Office 97 (Office 8.0) includes hundreds of new features and enhancements, such as introducing a command panel, a paradigm in which menus and toolbars are made more similar in visual abilities and design. Office 97 also features Natural Language Systems and grammar checks. Office 97 is the first Office version to include Office Assistant. In Brazil, it is also the first version to introduce the Registration Wizard, a precursor to Microsoft Product Activation.
Microsoft Office 2000 to 2003
Microsoft Office 2000 (Office 9.0) introduces an adaptive menu, where rarely used options are hidden from users. It also introduces new security features, built around digital signatures, to reduce the threat of macro viruses. Office 2000 automatically trusts macros (written in VBA 6) that are digitally signed from previously authorized authors. The Registration Wizard, a precursor to Microsoft Product Activation, remains in Brazil and is also extended to Australia and New Zealand, although not for volume licensed editions. Academic software in the United States and Canada also features the Registration Wizard.
Microsoft Office XP (Office 10.0 or Office 2002) was released in conjunction with Windows XP, and was a major improvement with various improvements and changes to Office 2000. Office XP introduced the Safe Mode feature, which allows applications like Outlook to boot when it might fail by bypassing a corrupted registry or incorrect add-in. The smart tag is a technology introduced with Office XP in Word and Excel and stopped in Office 2010. Office XP includes integrated voice commands and text dictation capabilities, as well as handwriting recognition. This is the first version that requires Microsoft Product Activation worldwide and in all editions as an anti-piracy measure, which attracts widespread controversy. Product Activation is still absent from Office for Mac releases until they are introduced in Office 2011 for Mac.
Microsoft Office 2003 (Office 11.0) was released in 2003. It featured a new logo. Two new applications debuted in Office 2003: Microsoft InfoPath and OneNote. This is the first version that uses a new, more colorful icon. Outlook 2003 provides enhanced functionality in many areas, including Kerberos authentication, RPC over HTTP, Cached Exchange Mode, and enhanced junk mail filters.
Microsoft Office 2007
Microsoft Office 2007 (Office 12.0) was released in 2007. The new feature of Office 2007 includes a new graphical user interface called the Current User Interface, replacing the menus and toolbars that have been the cornerstones of Office from the start with tab bar, known as the Ribbon; a new XML-based file format called Office Open XML; and the inclusion of Groove, a collaborative software application.
Microsoft Office 2010
Microsoft Office 2010 (Office 14.0, as Microsoft missed 13.0) was completed on April 15, 2010 and made available to consumers on June 15, 2010. Office 2010 main features include a backstage file menu, new collaboration tools, customizable, protected display and navigation panel. This is the first version delivered in 32-bit and 64-bit variants. Microsoft Office 2010 displays a new logo, which resembles the 2007 logo, except gold, and with shape modifications.
Microsoft released Service Pack 1 for Office 2010 on June 28, 2011.
Microsoft Office 2013
The Microsoft Office 2013 technical preview (Build 15.0.3612.1010) was released on January 30, 2012, and the Preview Preview version was made available to consumers on July 16, 2012. It sports a revamped app interface; interface is based on Metro, Windows Phone interface and Windows 8. Microsoft Outlook has received the most tangible changes so far; for example, the Metro interface provides a new visualization for scheduled tasks. PowerPoint includes more templates and transition effects, and OneNote includes a new splash screen. On May 16, 2011, a new image of Office 15 was revealed, showing Excel with tools to filter data in a timeline, the ability to convert Roman numerals to Arabic numerals, and integration of advanced trigonometric functions. In Word, the ability to enter online video and audio as well as broadcast documents on the Web has been implemented. Microsoft promises support for Office Open XML Strict starting with version 15, a format Microsoft has submitted to ISO for interoperability with other office suites, and to help adopt in the public sector. This version can read and write ODF 1.2 (only for Windows).
On October 24, 2012, Office 2013 Professional Plus was released to manufacturing and available to TechNet and MSDN customers for download. On November 15, 2012, a 60-day trial version was released for public downloads.
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On January 22, 2015, the Microsoft Office blog announced that the next version of the suite for the Windows desktop, Office 2016, is under development. On May 4, 2015, public preview of Microsoft Office 2016 was released. Office 2016 was released for OS X on July 9, 2015 and for Windows on September 22, 2015.
Microsoft Office 2019
On September 26, 2017, Microsoft announced that the next version of the suite for the Windows desktop, Office 2019, is being developed. On April 27, 2018, Microsoft released Office 2019 Commercial Preview for Windows 10.
Mac Version
Before packing different types of Mac OS software applications into Office, Microsoft released Mac version 1.0 in 1984, the first year of Macintosh computers; Excel 1.0 in 1985; and PowerPoint 1.0 in 1987. Microsoft does not include Access database applications in Office for Mac.
Microsoft has noted that some features are added to Office for Mac before they appear in Windows versions, such as Office for Mac 2001 Office Project Gallery and PowerPoint Movie feature, which allows users to save presentations as QuickTime movies. However, Microsoft Office for Mac has long been criticized for lack of Unicode support and for lack of support for right-to-left languages, especially Arabic, Hebrew, and Persian.
Office Start Release for Mac (1989-1994)
Microsoft Office for Mac was introduced for Mac OS in 1989, before Office was released for Windows. These include Word 4.0, Excel 2.2, PowerPoint 2.01, and Mail 1.37. It was originally a limited time promotion but later became a regular product. With the release of Office on CD-ROM later that year, Microsoft became the first major Mac publisher to put its app on the CD-ROM.
Microsoft Office 1.5 for Mac was released in 1991 and included the updated Excel 3.0, the first application to support Apple System 7 operating system.
Microsoft Office 3.0 for Mac was released in 1992 and included Word 5.0, Excel 4.0, PowerPoint 3.0 and Mail Client. Excel 4.0 is the first application that supports the new AppleScript.
Microsoft Office 4.2 for Mac was released in 1994. (Version 4.0 is skipped to sync version numbers with Office for Windows) Version 4.2 includes Word 6.0, Excel 5.0, PowerPoint 4.0 and Mail 3.2. It was the first Office suite for Power Macintosh. Its user interface is identical to Office 4.2 for Windows that causes many customers to comment that it's not quite similar to a Mac. The final release for Mac 68K is Office 4.2.1, which updates Word to version 6.0.1, somewhat improves performance.
Microsoft Office 98 Macintosh Edition
Microsoft Office 98 Macintosh Edition was introduced at MacWorld Expo/San Francisco in 1998. This introduction introduces the Internet Explorer 4.0 and Outlook Express web browsers, Internet e-mail clients and readers of usenet newsgroups. Office 98 was reengineered by the Microsoft Macintosh Business Unit to satisfy customers' wishes for software that they felt more like the Mac. This includes drag-and-drop installations, self-repair apps and Fast Tesaurus, before such features are available in Office for Windows. This is also the first version to support QuickTime movies.
Microsoft Office 2001 and v. X
Microsoft Office 2001 was launched in 2000 as the last Office suite for the classic Mac OS. PowerPC processor is required. This version introduces Entourage, an e-mail client that includes information management tools such as calendar, address book, task list and notes.
Microsoft Office v. X was released in 2001 and was the first version of Microsoft Office for Mac OS X. Support for Office v. X ends on January 9, 2007 after the release of the last update, 10.1.9 Office vX including Word X, Excel X, PowerPoint X, Entourage X, MSN Messenger for Mac and Windows Media Player 9 for Mac; it is the last version of Office for Mac to include Internet Explorer for Mac.
Office 2004
Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac was released on May 11, 2004. It includes Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Entourage and Virtual PC. This is the last version of Office to be built specifically for PowerPC and to officially support G3 processors, because the sequel includes G4, G5 or Intel processors as a requirement. It is important to support Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), which is not available in Office 2008. This led Microsoft to expand support for Office 2004 from September 10, 2009 to January 10, 2012. The VBA function was reintroduced in Office 2011, which is only compatible with Intel processor.
Office 2008
Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac was released on January 15, 2008. It was the only Office for Mac suite to be compiled as a universal binary, being the first to display native Intel support and the latest to support PowerPC for G4 and G5 processors, although this suite not officially compatible with G3 processor. New features include native Office Open XML file format support, which debuts in Office 2007 for Windows, and stronger Microsoft Office password protection using AES-128 and SHA-1. Benchmarks suggested that compared to its predecessor, Office 2008 ran at the same speed on Intel machines and slower speeds on PowerPC machines. Office 2008 also does not have Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) support, leaving only additional mainstream support for 15 months compared to its predecessor. Nevertheless, five months after its release, Microsoft said Office 2008 "sells faster than earlier versions of Office for Mac in the last 19 years" and confirms "its commitment to future products for Mac."
Office 2011
Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 was released on October 26, 2010,. This is the first version of Office for Mac that is compiled exclusively for Intel processors, dropping support for the PowerPC architecture. It features an OS X version of Outlook to replace the Entourage email client. This version of Outlook is meant to make the OS X Office version work better with Microsoft Exchange servers and with those using Office for Windows. Office 2011 includes a Mac-based Ribbon that is similar to Office for Windows.
OneNote and Outlook releases (2014)
Microsoft OneNote for Mac was released on March 17, 2014. This marked the launch of the first Mac tracking software for the first time. It's available as a free download for all Mac App Store users in OS X Mavericks.
Microsoft Outlook 2016 for Mac debuts on October 31, 2014. A required paid Office 365 subscription is required, meaning traditional retail licenses or Office 2011 volumes can not enable this version of Outlook. On that day, Microsoft confirmed that it would release the Office version for Mac by the end of 2015.
Despite dropping support for older OS X versions and retaining support for only 64-bit OS X versions, this OneNote and Outlook version is a 32-bit app like its predecessor.
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The first preview version of Microsoft Office 2016 for Mac was released on March 5, 2015. On July 9, 2015, Microsoft released the final version of Microsoft Office 2016 for Mac that included Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. This is immediately available for Office 365 customers with a Home, Personal, Business, Premium, E3, or ProPlus subscription. The Office 2016 non-Office 365 edition is provided as a one-time purchase option on September 22, 2015.
References
External links
- Official website
- Microsoft Office in Curlie (based on DMOZ)
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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