When Office 12 debuts in 2006+, an Excel Server, Visio Server and other brand-new servers are expected in the line-up.
Microsoft has been holding its Office 12 cards close to the vest. But it's becoming increasingly apparent that there will be some new Office Server products in the company's next-generation office-suite line-up. Sources close to Microsoft say that the company is well on its way to developing a server version of its desktop Excel spreadsheet product. And Microsoft has been hinting since 2003 that it is strongly considering adding a server version of its Visio charting/diagramming product to its family of Office System products.
The trade magazine CRN reported earlier this week that the Redmond company also has a server version of its InfoPath electronic-forms application on the drawing board. Office 12 is the code name for the next major version of Microsoft's Office System client and server products. Microsoft has not released a public delivery date for Office 12, but most company watchers are expecting it to ship in the 2006+ "Longhorn wave" timeframe. Microsoft has said Office 12 won't be tied to Longhorn, however. Office 12 products also are expected to run on older versions of Windows, most likely Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.
News source: Microsoft Watch
