Software giant Microsoft has finally released the first beta of their upcoming next generation office suite MS Office 12. This beta is only available to a private group of testers who are member of the Microsoft Beta service. Office 12 is one of the most important updates to the office suite application from the company and plans to change the user interface drastically making it easier for users to work on their documents.
Microsoft has completely redone the UI and user-program interaction by using sets of contextual ‘ribbons’. These ribbons replace the standard menus in the application and are event triggered. They provide the user with the functions usable with the activity currently being conducted in the application. User can of course change to other functions manually if the application shows him the wrong tools.
Office 12 will also feature a new set of XML-based documents types, support for Microsoft’s new XPS Print Path, and native PDF file support. Office 12 would also feature Live Preview. This is a new technology that shows the results of applying an editing or formatting change as the user moves the pointer over the results presented in a Gallery. This new, dynamic capability streamlines the process of laying out, editing, and formatting so users can create excellent results with less time and effort. Be sure and look at the Preview to see it in action.
Overall, it is an update that is worth waiting for. However, most critics would still claim that for most of the users out there alternatives like OpenOffice provides a better and cheaper way to work.
