Office 2008 for Mac All-in-One For Dummies®

Chapter 44. The Next Office Version

In This Chapter

• Figuring out what's coming next

• Looking at Silverlight, Mesh, and Office Live

• How you can influence the direction Microsoft takes

New technologies and hardware are driving forces behind changes that are taking place while we write this book. Microsoft certainly has noticed that Google has entered into the marketplace to provide competing products to Office. Google's online sharing capabilities have created a stir. In this chapter, we draw your attention to emerging technologies; not only to keep you informed, but also to let you can jump right in and participate in the growth of these technologies.

Before you dive into Web technologies, think for just a moment about how you often pay for products on the Web, compared to how you pay for the traditional Microsoft Office package. When you buy Office in a box and install it on your computer, you're paying for licenses to use the software on your computer. In this traditional sales model, Microsoft makes the product in the box as attractive as possible, hoping that you'll plunk down cash and take it home.

Selling Web technologies usually involves a different model. These days, Web technologies are being used as a sort of candy or bait. The software or service is usually free to anyone with a Web browser and an Internet connection. You usually don't pay for the Web service in cash. Instead, the people and organizations that use the Web services pay by allowing the site to collect and sell ...