Office Newswire: Can Microsoft Office 2013 become a cash cow for developers?

I think the news coverage surrounding Office 2013 is setting a record. I don’t remember this much news for previous releases. No, it has nothing to do with my age thank you very much. I think it has something to do with the overall level of expectation and enthusiasm regarding the upcoming release. Call it the E&E factor… I don’t know. We gotta call it something so I’ll go with that for now.

Given the information onslaught, we will pace ourselves. I might select a topic each week and cover it in detail while ignoring others. We’ll see. There is just a ton to cover and it will be fun to go through it together.

It will be a journey. In the meantime, enjoy today’s doodle. Can you guess which news item inspired it?

Office news & editorials!

• The new SharePoint :: Starting things off today is an item from the official SharePoint team blog. This is a lengthy post that is worth your time. There are several insights here from the team. There are even better comments from those who use SharePoint. There is a bit of controversy regarding the SkyDrive Pro.
• Midsize Insider: Can Microsoft Office 2013 become a cash cow for Microsoft :: Who Cares? The Question is – can Office 2013 (and SharePoint 2013 along with it) become a cash cow for developers? That’s the real question. The article is terrible… especially the opening paragraph where the author explains who Microsoft is. It was written for IBM so I shouldn’t be surprised. I don’t know why I’m including it but I am.
• Microsoft has 99 problems, but Office ain’t one :: Funny headline and good investor analysis of MSFT.
• Office 2013 brings BI, Big Data to Windows 8 tablets :: What was missing with the first wave of Office 2013 coverage? Well, besides an announcement of Office iOS? That’s right, Business Intelligence. MSFT continues to invest in BI tools. Excel keeps getting better in this area.
• Why you’re still stuck using Microsoft Office :: Is it love or is it the laws of physics? I like to include articles like these because their comments are always… shall I say… “enthusiastic”?
• Outlook and PowerPoint for iOS spotted in Microsoft job postings :: This is some good sleuthing. This gives me hope that 1) my hunch is correct and 2) MSFT is indeed a software company… not only a Windows software company. It’s just a matter of time. We’ll have Office for iOS soon enough. The question really is… will we do anything with it besides read documents?

Office tips, tricks & tools

• Outlook Attachment Reminder suite 1.0 RC – Outlook 2007/2010 :: It happens to everyone. You send an email telling the recipient, “I have attached the SomethingOrOther.zip” file… ” and then forget to attach it. You notice this oversight immediately after clicking send. You are then forced to send a follow-up email that contains the words “Oops” and “This time, here is the attachment.” This handy tool will help you stop this silly nonsense.
• Microsoft Office 2013: Everything you need to know (FAQ) :: Well not everything. Be sure and read our Office 2013 User’s Guide as well.
• How to add an app from the SharePoint Store to your SharePoint 2013 site :: Apps are a big deal with Office & SharePoint 2013. This quick tip shows how to add an app from the currently limited inventory available on the app store.
• Explore SharePoint 2013 Preview :: Curious to know all that’s in it? This is landing page for you. From BCS to WCM and more, dig in.
• Office 2013 feature focus: Start experience :: The Office Back Stage has undergone another change as seen in what is now known as the “Start” experience. Paul Thurrot offers his thoughts on the subject.

Office developer items of note

Be sure and check back Friday for our in-depth Office 2013 Developer Guide.

• How to install SharePoint 2013 prerequisites without an internet connection :: One word: magic.
• What’s new for developers in SharePoint 2013 :: I’ll have much more coverage on Friday. This is just to whet your appetite. It’s a high-level overview of the new developer features. At the very least, you’ll have a general idea and can spout-off buzz words at the water cooler. Something like, “Hey Bob, have you had a chance to check out the new Napa tools for SharePoint 2013? Yeah, I hooked 'em to my SharePoint 2013 VM (after installing the pre-requisites… get this… without an Internet connection!) and wrote an app that took full advantage of the REST api. Don’t feel bad, You can read it about it on my activity stream.”
• Introducing the new Office cloud app model :: Good insight into the goals of the cloud app model. This isn’t VBA, COM, or VSTO. Stop worrying and learn to love the JavaScript.
• New and improved Office integration pack extension for LightSwitch :: I continue to be intrigued with LightSwitch… especially when integrated with Office. Learn more about it from the super cool Beth Massi (a fellow devotee of the Oakland A’s)
• Creating Outlook 2010 task, appointment, note from email: VB.NET sample :: Shameless plug #1. I won’t lie. This is quality code you can steal.
• Support for Office 2013 and Visual Studio 2012 coming soon :: Shameless plug #2. Great stuff coming very soon!

Cutting room floor

• 20 awesome office gadgets and must-haves
• Microsoft Surface can’t come fast enough