Office 2007 done, waiting for launch party with Vista

Microsoft has finished the final code of Office 2007 and set up the software for its expected Nov. 30 official release to corporate customers.

The release to manufacturing (RTM) signifies the code is done and ready to be pressed onto CDs and DVDs. Microsoft is expected to hold a launch party in New York City on Nov. 30 to release Office 2007, the Vista client operating system and Exchange 2007.

Vista is set for its own RTM on Wednesday Nov. 8.

Office 2007 is part of a lineup of Office-branded products that include Office Communications Server 2007, Exchange Server 2007, the Office Communicator 2007 client, which includes a version for phones, and the Office Live Meeting 2007 Web conferencing service.

Microsoft plans seven Office suites in the 2007 Microsoft Office System, including the new Office Enterprise 2007 package, as well as two packages that have been renamed.

Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007 will be comparable to the former Office Professional Enterprise Edition 2003, and Office Home and Student 2007 is an update of the former Office Student Teacher 2003. Suites rounding out Office 2007 are Office Professional 2007, Office Small Business 2007, Office Standard 2007 and Office Basic 2007.

Microsoft anticipates that Professional Plus will be the suite that most corporate or volume-licensing customers will use.

Office 2007 also represents Microsoft's remake of its collaboration platform.

Microsoft intends to provide users a single platform for real-time communications that can be integrated with traditional desktop and network applications, mobile devices and the business processes that run across all three.

Office 2007 also will include server technology among the 13 new products available in the Office 2007 product family. New are the Microsoft Office Project Portfolio Server 2007, which provides project and portfolio management, and Microsoft Office Forms Server 2007, an electronic-forms platform.

Microsoft says that 3.5 million people downloaded Beta 2 of Office 2007. On Dec. 1, Microsoft is expected to make free product trials available to users in the United States and Canada.