Microsoft Office
Overview
Microsoft Office is a suite of productivity software developed and marketed by Microsoft. It was first announced by Bill Gates on August 1, 1988, at COMDEX in Las Vegas. The suite includes a range of applications, services, and servers. The most popular applications include Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint.
History
Microsoft Office was first announced by Bill Gates on August 1, 1988, at COMDEX in Las Vegas. Initially, it was a marketing term for a bundled set of applications. The first version of Office contained Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint. Over the years, Office applications have grown substantially closer with shared features such as a common spell checker, OLE data integration, and Visual Basic for Applications scripting language.
Applications
Microsoft Office includes a variety of applications, services, and servers. The applications include:
- Microsoft Word: A word processing application with robust tools for creating, editing, and formatting text documents.
- Microsoft Excel: A spreadsheet application used for data analysis, financial modeling, and other numerical computations.
- Microsoft PowerPoint: A presentation application used for creating dynamic slide presentations.
- Microsoft Access: A database management system that combines the relational Microsoft Jet Database Engine with a graphical user interface and software-development tools.
- Microsoft Outlook: A personal information manager that includes email, calendar, task manager, and contact manager features.
- Microsoft OneNote: A note-taking application that allows free-form information gathering and multi-user collaboration.
- Microsoft Publisher: A desktop publishing application that emphasizes page layout and design.
- Microsoft Project: A project management software product, developed and sold by Microsoft.
- Microsoft Visio: A diagramming and vector graphics application.
Features
Microsoft Office has several features that are common across all the applications. These include:
- Spell Checker: Microsoft Office has a built-in spell checker that helps users correct spelling errors.
- OLE Data Integration: Office applications can share data through the OLE feature.
- Visual Basic for Applications: Microsoft Office uses VBA as its macro language. Users can create automation scripts with VBA.
- Smart Tags: Office applications use smart tags to recognize certain types of data, like dates and names, and give you options for appropriate actions.
Versions
Microsoft Office has been released in several versions over the years. Each version introduces new features and improvements over the previous ones. Some of the notable versions include Office 95, Office 97, Office 2000, Office XP, Office 2003, Office 2007, Office 2010, Office 2013, Office 2016, and Office 2019. The latest version is Office 2021.
Licensing
Microsoft Office is licensed under a proprietary commercial software license. The terms of the license vary depending on the version of Office and the specific applications included in the suite.