Office 2013 Starter Kit: for developers and users
Oh my. I tried to cover the Office 2013 live news event but I was busy. I saw the first 15 minutes, got all excited, then spent the next 45 minutes on the phone. I kept the live stream going but it was hard to track without sound.
Today’s Newswire is the Special Edition kind… I’m treating it like a “Starter Kit” for anyone that wants to learn the details quickly without having to scour the Interweb. I’ve done the best I could with the time I had.
I’ll admit there is more information than is possible to digest in a single day. Kinda like the Trenta cup size at Starbucks… you can’t drink it all in a single sitting. So today, take your time and enjoy the news.
I’ll be back with more info as the week progresses. This is a big week. The release of Office 2013 Technical Preview is huge! CEO Steve agrees:
You can Get Started with Office 2013 Here.
Watch it yourself
- Watch Steve and the Gang announce the news :: The 1-hour keynote. It’s worth your time.
- Meet your modern Office :: Think of this as a movie trailer.
Read what the press has to say about Office 2013
I present these without editorial. Just the link and the news source.
- Microsoft unveils touch-based version of Office :: NY Times
- Is the new Office more important to Microsoft than Windows 8? :: CNET raises the question
- Microsoft unveils “New Generation” of Office aimed at tablets and built for cloud :: Wall Street Journal
- Microsoft’s new Office: The cloud finally takes center stage :: MJF of ZDNET
- Office 2013: A closer look :: Ed Bott with lots of screen shots
- Why bother? The sad state of Office 2013 touch support :: Ars Technica asks a poignant question
Office 2013 essential stuff for users
- Official Office 15 Reviewers Guide :: After you install Office 15, download this document and use it to learn the all things new with Office 2013.
- Fact Sheets :: If you want “just the facts”, here you go.
- Apps! :: May I present the Apps for Office & SharePoint app store?
- Office 2013 secrets :: A multi-part series that covers each of the major Office apps.
- How to approach the SharePoint 15 beta :: If it’s from Gartner, it’s gotta be good.
Developers – learn more and start coding for Office 2013
- Get Familiar with Office and SharePoint Apps in 90 Seconds :: Three, 90-second videos, that provide very high-level explanation of apps & app store concept. I think the app store is going to be huge… well, I hope so at least. BTW – these videos are great from a technical perspective. I know how they do it. Hmm…
- Apps for Office overview :: Start digging into the weeds… uh, technical details.
- Apps for SharePoint overview :: Ditto but for SharePoint.
- Office 2013 & SharePoint 2013 developer trainer :: Tons of quality videos from Microsoft MVPs.
- Start building apps for Office and SharePoint :: This page explains what you need in your app development environment along with sample. It also contains a sign-up link for Office 13 Preview.
- Publish your app for Office :: Learn how to publish your Office app…
- Publish apps for SharePoint :: All the details MSFT is currently providing…
- Apps for Office code samples :: Lots of samples. Download and start deconstructing.
4 Comments
White are the 90 second videos?
Given what Mr Balmer has said lately we should raise the following question:
Is Office 2013 beginning of the end?
As Microsoft will turn more and more into the cloud the desktop itself will be less attractive.
They cannot generate more $$$ on the desktop. The Office suite is like MS Windows nearly complete and they only compete with earlier versions. In other words, the cashflow will drop.
A general trend is that developers no longer update their tools on a regular basis so even for third-part vendors the present business model must be replaced with a new model.
At the same time we see an extreme rapidly development of the mobile devices’ platforms. The key here is simplicity to develop and produce new apps.
In fact, it takes a fraction of the time to create new apps compared with .NET. It does not requires a degree in rocket science in order to develop new apps. It’s simple and basic.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Microsoft will move away from .NET and let it fade away within a foreseeable future.
What’s Your opinion?
Kind regards,
Dennis
I’m sorry but I don’t understand your question. Are you asking where are the 90 second videos?
If so, they are here:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/office/apps/fp123579
Hi Dennis!
I’ve thought about it all day.
The bottom line? I think you are correct. This is a line in the sand.
Microsoft is moving to the cloud. In fact, I’ve heard from more than one source that MSFT’s sales reps are 100% incentived to sell cloud services.
If correct, they receive nothing if they sell “legacy” apps like on-premise Office and SharePoint apps.
The iPad is turning out to be the most disruptive innovation in the last 100 years. Mobile productivity must be a major focus of software developers.
But…mobile devices currently stink when it comes to complex content creation. They are great for consuming content, reviewing it, and commenting on it, however.
It is only a matter of time before tablets are good, if not great, at content creation. I’m anxious to see Windows Surface tablet. I think it can handle 80% of my content creation needs.
We’ll see.
Back to Office development. The apps for Office is interesting because it allows us to build an app and have it run inside the desktop and web versions of Office. This is cool and needed.
But what about COM, VSTO, and VBA? There is no easy way to say it…they have been orphaned.
They have a future for the next 5-10 years or more. I mean VBA is still popular. Heck, so is VB6. These technologies are not going anywhere…especially given the companies that have invested heavily in solutions based on them (e.g. Fortune 500 companies).
Microsoft will consult them and ensure they are not too ticked off.
I think your point about speed of delivery and simplicity of solution. Developers adopt the platforms that provide the biggest reward with the least amount of pain.
I’m still formulating my opinion. But…I think MSFT must provide an easy framework for building Office apps that work on the desktop, web, and mobile devices.
These mobile devices had better include iOS and Android.
Ty