The Microsoft Office for Windows
started in October 1990 as a bundle of three applications designed for
Microsoft Windows 3.0: Microsoft Word for Windows 1.1, Microsoft Excel for
Windows 2.0, and Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows 2.0.
The
Microsoft Office for Windows 1.5
The Microsoft Office for Windows
1.5 updated the suite with Microsoft Excel 3.0
The
Microsoft Office for Windows 1.6
The Microsoft Office for Windows
1.6 added Microsoft Mail for PC
Networks 2.1 to the bundle.
The
Microsoft Office for Windows 3.0
The Microsoft Office
for Windows 3.0, also called Microsoft Office 92,
released in August 1992, contained Word 2.0, Excel 4.0, PowerPoint
3.0 and Mail 3.0. It was the first version of Office also released on CD-ROM. In 1993, The Microsoft Office Professional
was released, which added
Microsoft Access 1.1
Microsoft
Office 4.0
Microsoft Office 4.0 was released
containing Word 6.0, Excel 4.0, PowerPoint 3.0 and Mail in 1994. Word's version
number jumped from 2.0 to 6.0 so that it would have the same version number as
the MS-DOS and Macintosh versions (Excel and PowerPoint were already numbered
the same as the Macintosh versions).
Microsoft
Office 4.2 for Windows NT
Microsoft Office 4.2 for Windows
NT was released in 1994 for i386, Alpha,MIPS and PowerPC architectures, containing Word
6.0 and Excel 5.0 (both 32-bit,PowerPoint 4.0 (16-bit), and Microsoft Office
Manager 4.2 (the precursor to the Office Shortcut Bar).
Microsoft
Office 4.3
Microsoft Office 4.3 was released
as the last 16-bit version, containing Word 6.0, Excel 5.0, PowerPoint 4.0.
Office 4.3 (plus Access 2.0 in the Pro version) is the last version to support Windows 3.x, Windows NT 3.1 and Windows NT 3.5. Windows NT 3.51 was supported
up to and including Office 97.
Microsoft
Office 95
Microsoft Office 95 was released in August 1995. Again,
the version numbers were altered to create parity across the suite—every
program was called version 7.0 meaning all but Word missed out versions. It was
designed as a fully 32-bit version
to match Windows 95. Office 95 was available in two
versions, Office 95 Standard and Office 95 Professional. The standard version
consisted of Word 7.0, Excel 7.0, PowerPoint 7.0, and Schedule+ 7.0. The professional edition
contained all of the items in the standard version plus Access 7.0. If the
professional version was purchased in CD-ROM form,
it also included Bookshelf.
Microsoft
Office 97
Microsoft Office 97 (Office 8.0), was a major milestone release. It included hundreds of new
features and improvements, introduced command
bars, a paradigm in which menus and toolbars were
made more similar in capability and visual design. Office 97 also featured Natural
Language Systems and
grammar checking. Office 97 was the first version of Office to include the Office Assistant.
Microsoft
Office 2000
Microsoft Office 2000 (Office 9.0) introduced adaptive menus,
where little-used options were hidden from the user. It also introduced a new
security feature, built around digital signatures, to diminish the threat of
macro viruses. Office 2000 automatically trusts macros (written in VBA 6) that were digitally
signed from authors who have been previously designated as trusted. Office 2000
is the last version to support Windows 95.
Microsoft
Office XP
Microsoft Office XP (Office 10.0 or Office 2002) was
released in conjunction with Windows XP, and was a major upgrade with
numerous enhancements and changes over Office 2000. Office XP introduced the Safe Mode feature,
which allows applications such as Outlook to boot when it might otherwise fail.
Safe Mode enables Office to detect and either repair or bypass the source of
the problem, such as a corrupted registry or
a faulty add-in. Smart tag is a technology introduced with Office
XP. Some smart tags operate based on user activity, such as helping with typing
errors. These smart tags are supplied with the products, and are not
programmable. For developers, though, there is the ability to create custom
smart tags. In Office XP, custom smart tags could work only in Word and Excel.
Microsoft Office XP includes integrated voice command and text dictation
capabilities, as well as handwriting
recognition. Office XP is the last version to support Windows 98, ME and NT 4.0. It was the first version to require Product Activation as an anti-piracy measure, which
attracted widespread controversy.[46]
Microsoft
Office 2003
Microsoft Office 2003 (Office 11.0) was released in 2003. It
featured a new logo. Two new applications made their debut in Office 2003: Microsoft InfoPath and OneNote. It is the first version to use
Windows XP style icons. Outlook 2003 provides improved functionality in many
areas, including Kerberos authentication, RPC over HTTP, Cached Exchange Mode, and
an improved junk mail filter. 2003 is the last Office version to support Windows 2000.
Microsoft
Office 2007
Microsoft Office 2007 (Office 12.0) was released in 2007.
Office 2007's new features include a new graphical user
interface called the
Fluent User Interface,[47] replacing
the menus and toolbars that have been the cornerstone of Office since its
inception with a tabbed toolbar, known as the Ribbon; new
XML-based file formats called Office Open XML; and the inclusion of Groove, a collaborative
software application.[48]
Microsoft
Office 2010
Microsoft Office 2010 (Office 14.0) was finalized on April
15, 2010, and was made available to consumers on June 15, 2010.[49][50] The
main features of Office 2010 include the backstage file menu, new collaboration
tools, a customizable ribbon, protected view and a navigation pane. This is the
first version to ship in 32- and 64-bits. Microsoft Office 2010 also features a
new logo, which is similar to the 2007 logo, except in gold, and with a slightly
modified shape.[51] Service
Pack 1 for Office 2010 was released on June 28, 2011.[52]
Microsoft
Office 2013
Microsoft Office 2013 (Office 15.0) was made available to
consumers on July 16, 2012 as a Consumer Preview version. A Milestone 2 build
of Microsoft Office 2013 Build 15.0.2703.1000 (version 15) leaked during May
2011. It sports a revamped application interface; the interface is based on Metro,
the interface of Windows Phone and Windows 8. Microsoft Outlook has received the
most pronounced changes so far; for example, the Metro interface provides a new
visualization for scheduled tasks. PowerPoint will include more templates and
transition effects, and OneNote will include a new splash screen.[53] On
May 16, 2011, new images of Office 15 were revealed, showing Excel with a tool
for filtering data in a timeline, the ability to convert Roman numerals to
Arabic numerals, and the integration of advanced trigonometric functions. In
Word, the capability of inserting video and audio online as well as the
broadcasting of documents on the Web were implemented.[54] Microsoft
has promised support for Office Open XML Strict starting with version 15, a
format Microsoft has submitted to the ISO for interoperability with other office
suites, and to aid adoption in the public sector.[55] This
version can read and write ODF 1.2.[56]
As of January 30, 2012, Microsoft has released a
technical preview of Office 15 Build 15.0.3612.1010 . A public preview of
Office 15 was released on July 16, 2012.
