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Microsoft Unveils Browser-Based Office Apps

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the what-took-you-so-long dept.

snydeq writes "Microsoft followed up its Windows Azure unveiling by announcing that it will deliver lightweight versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote through the browser, a la Google Apps. Surprisingly, Office Web applications will run in Firefox and Safari, not just Internet Explorer. Far less shocking: You won't get Office Web apps free and clear as you do Google apps. The apps are meant to be an extension to locally installed instances of the next version of Microsoft Office, the same way Outlook Web Access provides access to mail without the fat Outlook client."

7 of 126 comments (clear)

  1. Microsoft and Cloud by mebrahim · · Score: 5, Funny

    Microsoft is embracing the cloud. I'm worrying about the weather.

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    Persian Project Management Software as a Service
  2. Re:Runs on FF/Safair? by D4MO · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's silverlight based, so no. Also, it'll also run in Firefox on Linux via moonlight.

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    Rocket science is easy. Neurosurgery, now *that's* difficult.
  3. Re:MS Gets it right? by marcosdumay · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's an extension of Office in licensing. That means, it is a completely unrelated app, that is browser based (that means, it will also be broadband-dependent) that will only be licenced for your use if you brought a licence of Office.

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    Rethinking email
  4. Re:but by blair1q · · Score: 5, Funny

    but he'll be in Ajax

    so he's cool now

  5. Re:MS Gets it right? by Firehed · · Score: 5, Informative

    a) Google Gears. Get it. Now.
    b) It'd also take down your email and numerous other systems, and as a Slashdotter I assume you have a tech-oriented business that rather relies on internet connectivity so you'd be largely screwed regardless of how you manage your documents.

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    How are sites slashdotted when nobody reads TFAs?
  6. Re:but by Beardo+the+Bearded · · Score: 5, Funny

    It looks like you're trying to modify a post. Would you like help with that?

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    ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.
  7. Re:Runs on FF/Safair? by nine-times · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Are we accepting Silverlight as a valid system requirement now?

    I don't mean that as an anti-Microsoft question, but I don't want to have to install every company's obscure little proprietary plugins to run my apps and access my data. Flash is bad enough, but I draw the line directly behind Flash and won't go any further. In fact, I'm still hoping to boot Flash to the other side of that line, especially since it crashes my browser on a regular basis, but I still seem to be stuck with it.

    But regardless of who's developing it, I'm loath to install another proprietary incompatible Flash clone.