Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office is a suite of software products that automate many tasks and help improve productivity in the workplace. At its core it consists of a wordprocessor (Word), a spreadsheet (Excel), a presentation manager (Powerpoint), a personal information manager (OneNote) and a mail manager (Outlook). The full suite also includes a database manager (Access), a business forms designer (Infopath), a messaging system (Lync), a project management system (Project), a desktop publishing system (Publisher), a diagramming software (Visio), and a collaboration system (Sharepoint Workspace). The complete suite provides all the firepower and tools a business needs to manage information efficiently and effectively.
MS Office traces its roots all the way back to September, 1983, when Microsoft launched a word processing software called MS Word, which was the first word processor to extensively incorporate the use of the mouse in its core operation. Two years later Word got upgraded to a new version, and Microsoft launched Excel for the Macintosh, a spreadsheet program that blended the Mac's phenomenal user friendly interface with its ample number crunching ability. The following year they launched Works, a novel new suite of integrated software tools that included a word processor, a spreadsheet, a database manager, a serial communications manager, and a drawing program.
In 1987 Microsoft acquired a product called Forethought, which a couple of months later they re-launched as Powerpoint. The presentation software was originally available for the Mac and brought in sales worth over a million dollars on its first year alone.
1989 saw the debut of Microsoft Office 1.0 for the Macintosh. It included a newly released Word 4.0, Excel 2.2 and Powerpoint 2.01. This release made waves because it established the kind of seamless integration of applications that MS Office became known for. The following year Microsoft introduced Powerpoint 2.0 for Windows. A few months later Office 1.0 for Windows rocks the market and helps Microsoft become the first PC software company to exceed USD 1 Billion in sales in a single year.
The 90s brought a steady stream of incremental improvements in MS Office. In 1992 Microsoft announced Access at Fall COMDEX, and a year later the revolutionary database management system shipped its millionth copy to lead retail sales of all database management software. In the meantime, 1993 also saw wizards implemented in MS Office. These user-friendly tools made it easy for people to execute a number of tasks in Office. In 1994 MS Office 4.3 Professional launched, featuring the now ubiquitous Word, Excel and Powepoint, and Access 2.0. Office 95, released in August 1995, and for the first time all the core MS Office products shared the same development and release cycles. By the end of the year MS Excel establishes itself as the most popular spreadsheet, with more than 30 million users worldwide, and five new users being added per minute. 1997 proved to be another milestone year; Outlook 97 and Exchange Server 4.0 were released, and Office 97 became the fastest-selling business application in the history of personal computers. Clippy, the helpful paper clip was introduced in November of that year.
The start of the millenium ushered in more Office innovations. Exchange Server 2000 helped companies integrate email, voice mail and fax. In 2001 MS Office XP launched and SharePoint Portal Server was released, allowing companies to create corporate web portals and manage content. Office 2003 launched in 2003, introducing OneNote and InfoPath. This same year Microsoft changed its MS Office logo from the puzzle to its current form.
This decade has seen some significant upgrades in MS Office, many of which focus on harnessing the Web to provide innovative new mail and information services. MS Office Live Workspace launched in 2008, and in a mere six months signed up its millionth customer.