Office Live Workspace ready for beta testing (and WoMP)

Live from Royal Berkshire, it's IT Blogwatch: in which Microsoft opens up its Office Live Workspace beta to all and sundry. Not to mention another Monty Python machinima thingy...

Eric Lai reports:

Microsoft ... has added several new features to Office Live Workspace, a free service that is aimed at individual users and small businesses. The software vendor describes the service as an "online extension" of Office ... Anyone can now sign up to try Office Live Workspace, which had only been available only to a limited number of early users since December ... [it] lets users view documents but not create or edit them. To do the latter tasks, people still need to use Office or other types of software ... By contrast, online suites such as Google Docs, Zoho Office and ThinkFree Office offer document creation, editing and sharing capabilities for free or for a relatively low cost. more

David Chartier adds:

Office Live Workspace is Microsoft's approach to online collaboration that still keeps its cash cow Office product in the driver's seat. The web site acts as a central hub for home users and teams to upload and share documents ... [it's] a well-rounded tool that removes a lot of the complicated and expensive overhead of collaboration. Though Web 2.0-obsessed early adopters will likely scoff at Microsoft's reliance on its desktop software, most users who depend on even some of the most basic of features not found in online office suites or are wedded to Microsoft's Office suite will find this service to offer a solid balance between desktop power and the collaborative advantages of the Web. more

Leo Blanco is presumably one of those obsessives:

It seems Microsoft has only one defense left against Google’s incessant barrage with its Web-based software delivery model – mirror strategy ... Just like Google Apps, users can easily share their files to other people. Bottom line, it makes life less stressful and more productive particularly if you are always on the go or work with cross-functional teams. This catch-up move is construed as Microsoft’s desperate surrender to the changing software delivery model from license fee to monthly subscription ... Microsoft’s near monopoly of the software market might soon be over. Or not. Conversely, this could also hurt Google Apps since more users are familiar with Outlook, Word and Excel. more

Michael Santo offers his take:

I first wrote about Office Live Workspace when pre-registration opened in early October ... Go to the Office Live Workspace site to sign up. Still in beta, ... to use the site, you need IE6 or later, or Firefox 2.0 (Safari support is coming). The site also gives you the opportunity to install a plug-in for your Office 2003 or 2007 software that allows direct integration with the site. An Office 2008 (Mac) plug-in is also being developed; I’d guess you’d see Safari support about the same time. Storage space has been upped as well, from 250MB to 500MB. more

Sarah Perez comparez: [You're fired -Ed.]

Some say that the service's launch is a direct response to Google's entry into the web office space with their Google Docs online service. If that's so, then the question now is: did Microsoft just trump Google Docs? Or does Google Docs still rule online office suites? ... Although it's very close when it comes to basic features of the two services, each stands out in its own way. Google Docs, although limited in its capabilities, offers real-time collaboration. Office Live Workspace, on the other hand, may not have the collaboration features of Google Docs, but the workspaces feature is unique. Plus, you have the capabilities of full-featured Office software available. more

But itsmillertime4u isn't impressed:

I don't believe that Office Live Workspace is a viable alternative to Google Apps. Live Workspace is a product which is way overdue. It is just a hack of MS Sharepoint ... I was happy when I first heard about Live Workspace about a year ago, but when it was finally out and open for beta I was blown away that it still requires you to have Office installed on your system. I'd rather just upload all my documents and collaborate with others via Google Apps, which doesn't require Office. Microsoft clearly can't grasp the concept of cloud computing, and thing shouts this loudly. It's things like this and Vista, explain why people say that nothing innovative comes out of Redmond anymore. Now wonder Yahoo, rejected their bid......I would too!. more

Paul Boutin snarks it up:

CNET's supertelegenic Natali Del Conte got a Microsoft-sponsored visit from Entourage star Jeremy Piven to talk up Office Live Workspaces. But as Natali said in an email: "They don't use Workspaces. Microsoft just got them to say that they will. I don't understand why Microsoft would have such a non sequitur way to promote this product." more

And finally...

• How not to be seen (in World of Warcraft)
  

Buffer overflow:

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• Timothy Lee: Scott McNealy Has Apparently Never Heard Of AOL Time Warner
• Bernard Golden: Virtualization for Dummies
• Juliet Kemp: Step by Step: Configuring SSL Under Apache
• Penguin Pete: Saluting the Obsolete Skills of Tech
• Duncan Riley: Blogging Is Good For Your Social Life: Study
• Megan McCarthy: Facebook Grabs Google Exec
• Michael Arrington: Steven Spielberg’s Ghost Town

Other Computerworld bloggers:

• Douglas Schweitzer: And the survey says...
• Seth Weintraub: Notes from Apple shareholder meeting 2008
• Mike Elgan: New Rugged Dell -- the 'Anti-Air'
• David DeJean: Are Vista prices low enough yet? Not compared to Apple's OS X
• Scott McPherson: Check small things
• Ryan Faas: Apple's Revamped Mac Business Site
• Preston Gralla: Wal-Mart: Microsoft should kill Vista Home Basic
• Mark Hall: Demographic shift changes services thinking
• David Haskin: Back to the future of mobile voice
• Douglas Schweitzer: Where's White House email?
• Shark Tank: You can trust us, we're from IT
• Shark Bait: Starting the morning off right

Richi Jennings is an independent analyst/adviser/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, and spam. A 20 year, cross-functional IT veteran, he is also an analyst at Ferris Research. You too can pretend to be Richi's friend on Facebook, or just use boring old email: blogwatch@richi.co.uk.

Previously in IT Blogwatch:

• USAF email security SNAFU in UK (and no-shorts.ar)
• Spammer jailed, 'cos spam ain't free speech (and 207 stiffs)
• Pssst! Want some hot FTP logins? (and not just a good idea)