Mac BU offers Office 2008 sneak peek no. 5
updated 02:05 pm EST, Tue November 13, 2007
Office 2008 sneak peek
The Mac Business Unit at Microsoft has released a fifth sneak peek of Office 2008's development status, touting Entourage 2008 improvements alongside broader PowerPoint 2008 functionality. The latest update of Office 2008 includes an improved calendar user interface with color-coded categories, status indicators, and flexible To-Do list management to help manage schedules. The latest revision of Office 2008 also offers dynamic guides for PowerPoint 2008 to easily align text and graphics, improved presenter tools for Mac users only that enables greater control over timing as well as pacing, and a new condensed thumbnail view to ease design consistency while better coordinating the flow of PowerPoint 2008 slides.
The Mac Business Unit has already released several sneak peeks of the forthcoming business suite, detailing ledgers and other advanced features designed to improve the power of Office 2008 while making it easier for new users to learn new as well as utilize existing features.
notably absent...
11/13, 02:22pm reply
...any further information about Entourage, and interaction with Exchange server -- the MacBU may be coily claiming "saving the best for last', but this just indicates further for me that we can expect yet another c*** implementation of Exchange integration on Entourage.
I really wish someone would either:
- create a true Exchange client (seeing as how MS' own MacBU proves unable to do so).
- creates a CalDav converter, that works with iCal server (not some c*** like Groupcal, that sits on the client side, and never really works well), and feeds iCal clients with proper exchange data.
- ports and adapts something like Evolution, and/or the Exchange Connector from Evolution, to work under Leopard.
ZinkDifferent
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2005
Shrug Number 5
11/13, 05:22pm reply
Like the respondent above, I am waiting for true relevance - interoperability with other applications and Exchange server.
davidlfoster
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Dec 2005
iCal
11/13, 05:42pm reply
Will Entourage's Categories mesh with iCal's Calendars? I know that it's not Entourage's fault that they don't, but I hope that they will. I like using Entourage's calendar, but am forced to use iCal in order to sync with my Palm - it's the only way to retain color coding of appointments.
BillAvi
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2005
In addition
11/13, 06:05pm reply
MAPI support, Resource booking, Out of Office assistant....
Basic stuff that Outlook 2001 for Mac OS 9 had. If they skip these this time around we can say it's deliberate beyond doubt.
Entourage sucks in a corporate setting. Parallels and Outlook 2003 on XP is the only way I can stay sane. MS likely banks on this.
Schatz
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Oct 2004
and if you act right now
11/13, 06:13pm reply
This Office preview thing is starting to sound like a 3am infomercial. I mean, what ISN'T in there? It does everything, damn, everything! Except the things people need, like check their mail quickly or access a word processor that doesn't look like you are writing on a Christmas tree. It will probably ship on 30 DVDs, including an attachment to wipe your a** while you browse through the Word-art.
Doofuses.
robttwo
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 2005
Malice..
11/13, 09:02pm reply
schatz considers: "Basic stuff that Outlook 2001 for Mac OS 9 had. If they skip these this time around we can say it's deliberate beyond doubt"
Never assume 'malice', when 'incompetence' is a much better explanation...
ZinkDifferent
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2005
Again
11/14, 03:21pm reply
Entourage working in a work environment... funny. Just like the previous times, they aren't talking.
Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice, shame on me.
Fool me three times... Microsoft, business as usual.
Deal
Mac Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2001