back to article Microsoft to let customers know where Office 365 is going

Microsoft has launched two new initiatives designed to help its Office 365 business customers more easily anticipate forthcoming changes to the online service, including a public roadmap and a voluntary program that allows customers to receive some updates early. One benefit of using cloudy services such as Office 365 is that …

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  1. Paul Crawford Silver badge

    Roll up, roll up!

    Bet your business on our service that we can and will change without any choice on your behalf!

    Of course we won't do anything stupid to upset you. It not like we would foist a universally disliked UI paradigm on all customers, even though the majority fed back a dislike of it, would we?

  2. jason 7
    Facepalm

    Office 365...

    ...the most confusing product/products that MS has ever produced.

    I get customers calling me not being able to make head or tail of it. Is it web based? Is it local? Is it one user and five machines? Is it one user one machine? Why is is cheaper a year for one person and five machines than one user one machine? Why do I need a Microsoft account? Why do all the staff need a Microsoft account? Why do they want to mess around with our domains?

    Why? Why? Why?

    And all just to write a letter or make a spreadsheet.

    If somone invested a few million in Libre Office...

    1. Roger Greenwood

      Re: Office 365...

      If a few million invested $20 each in Libre Office . . .

      1. Khaptain Silver badge

        Re: Office 365...

        And with the $20Million they could start by improving that Fugly interface. In my personal opinion, It doesn't matter how often I install it, it still looks/feels like crap.

        And yes, before anyone jumps own my throat, asthetics/ergonomics are important in interface design.

        The other thing that they have to change is the name "Libre office" will never cut it. For anyone that doesn't know Libre is the French word for "free".... As soon as you add the word Free to anything it instantly sounds cheap....

        I would suggest something like Business Office, Professional Office etc something that sounds less cheap or more serious.

        And now for some tongue in cheek stuff : They could also try renaming the applications to Ward, Axel, PinPoint and Overlook .......

        Just for info : I use Libre Office at home but not at work.

        1. Trevor_Pott Gold badge

          Re: Office 365...

          Would you prefer a RIbbon? If so, kindly set yourself on fire. It'll improve the aesthetics of the forums. And the world.

          As for your disliking French words...nique ta mere!

  3. SVV

    Please stop swallowing this cloud hype in articles

    "One benefit of using cloudy services such as Office 365 is that the vendor can roll out new features and updates without any involvement from customers"

    Er, yes it's a web application, and this miraculous property has been a feature of web applications for nigh on 15 years now, e.g. when your bank updates its' personal banking website you don't need to install a new version of anything.

    And, as pointed out by others, LibreOffice and sometimes Google Docs (for stuff I need to work on from anywhere) do everything I need to that would otherwise involve shuffing money into the MS coffers.

    1. big_D Silver badge

      Re: Please stop swallowing this cloud hype in articles

      Its not "a web application", it is a service which includes local installation of full fat applications as well as a web based interface for those times when you aren't on your machine.

      (Well, the entry level version is web only, but the "sensible" options also include full fat Office in the bundle)

    2. Test Man

      Re: Please stop swallowing this cloud hype in articles

      Er... Office 365 is the name of the SUBSCRIPTION. The subscription that gives you access to the latest version of a local-install of Office.

  4. Barnie

    Friends don't Let Friends use Office 365

    Even sensible Microsoft support techs avoid it, usually suggesting hosted exchange instead.

    All this cloud hype needs to just go away!

    "To the Cloud" is the cry! Just make sure you have your Umbrella for the predictable torrential rain of outages, lost data or worst of all explaining to the MD that the business can't function because of billing problems. Since the death of Small Business Server Cloud Snake Oil is being promoted without explaining the risks "No Server" they say! so where the hell is the data stored? Maybe at the end of the rainbow with the Pot of Gold :)

  5. AlexS
    Coat

    Yo!

    Sent by office 366, keeping up with the trendies.

    1. Neil Barnes Silver badge

      But only once every four years!

  6. LesC
    Big Brother

    Our Mission is... ...

    Office 365 is going (has gone) to the server farm + supernode (quote) "conveniently located midway between Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, DC in Fort George G. Meade, Maryland." ???

  7. hplasm
    Meh

    In a word-

    Nowhere.

  8. Refugee from Windows
    FAIL

    Data Mining Opportunity

    Just think of the potential for three letter agencies and cash starved software companies. Uniquely selected advertising related to the confidential report you're just typing. Details of flights to Cuba perhaps.

    I can see it just going SO wrong here.

  9. Barnie

    The Astroturfers must be out in force today

    4 downvote's but not one post detailing why I am wrong?!

  10. Simon2

    Where it's going?

    Down the toilet I hope.

  11. James 100

    Confusing mess

    It's a pain - having recently been asked about buying some Office seats, I started digging into the options.

    One company was selling "3 license packs" of Office 2013. That would do fine, two of those will cover this small business! Except it seems that's actually a single-user 3-PC pack, dishonestly labelled by the seller.

    So, we need to buy separate licenses. (There are genuine multi-license packs, but those are for bigger companies it seems.) Pro? Business? Muggle? With or without cherry on top? A dozen different permutations from different companies at different prices - why, when the "product" is essentially a password from Microsoft giving us permission to use their software?

    MS would actually be doing us all a huge favour if they simply deleted the whole "reseller" concept for retail software. Stick it all online, guarantee (like some hotels do) the official store has the best prices (easy to do: charge all customers the same per seat, whether reselling or not). It may be different for "corporate" purchases with hand-holding, but when the entire "value added" consists of stuffing a DVD in a Jiffy bag, there is something wrong.

    We ended up with two seats of Office 365 (direct from MS) and two copies of Office Home+Business (from somewhere on Amazon), IIRC.

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