Quick Tips - Summer 2001
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Here's the latest
greatest in the world of information technology...
Microsoft Office XP, Windows XP and Microsoft’s new
Upgrade Strategy
One of our goals at Data Systems is to make technology a "hands
off" affair for you. We know things change daily in our crazy technology
world and we want to help you make sense of it all.
Many things will be changing in Bill Gate’s puzzle palace known as
Microsoft. New Office suites, operating systems, and a new upgrade policy will
soon be available. We've been able to obtain some information on all three.
This is a summary of what we have found and, as always, feel free to call us
at 405.495.9900 or email us at support@datasystemsokc.com
with any questions you may have.
Microsoft Office XP
As some of you may already have noticed, Microsoft has released their
latest Office suite, Office XP. We have been in the process of evaluating the
new package and would like to share some of the new features with you.
Smart Tags
The first and most noticeable difference with XP is the handy little paper
clip is gone. Microsoft has done away with this little guy constantly asking
you if you need help. They have been able to do away with him and add more
user input to the design of documents by adding "Smart Tags." Smart
Tags are little icons that will appear in your document. They contain extra
features linked to a specific word or action. For example, let’s say you are
typing a letter and you type the name "John Doe." A Smart Tag will
appear, and by clicking on it, you can send John email, schedule a meeting
with him, or just populate your letter with his address from your Outlook
contacts. The options and possibilities for smart tags are virtually endless.
Task Panes
Ever get tired of looking for that format option? Look no more. Task Panes
will save you tons of time. Task Panes are windows to the side of your
document with commonly used tasks. For example, you can view your clipboard,
view formatting styles, even view mail merge options. The Task Pane takes some
getting used to, but once you do you will find yourself working more
efficiently.
Auto-Recovery
How many of you have worked on a document for hours on end only to lose it
due to a lock up or power outage? Well, those days are gone. XP has integrated
an auto-recovery feature that will automatically recover any document that was
open at the time of lock-up or power failure.
Team Services
The last feature we will highlight is a new one. It is called Team
Services. Team Services is essentially a company Intranet in a box. It allows
you to create a shared space on your server, which is accessible by everyone
with an Internet browser. Some ideas are a shared space for documents,
calendar of events, company memos and contacts. It is fully integrated with
the Office XP Suite. Previous versions of Office had similar
capabilities but... Well, they didn't quite work. All reports indicate
that Team Services is a great improvement over Outlook's folder sharing.
We'll be receiving production versions of Office XP shortly and will
provide more information as we dig it out.
Windows XP
This October, Microsoft will be releasing its latest operating systems for
both home and office. Their names are Windows XP Home and Windows XP
Professional. Along with the graphical interface, Microsoft has made many
other changes to make the Windows "eXPerience" more user friendly.
(Yep. That's what XP stands for. What ever happened to simple
version numbers?)
All the reviews and evaluations we have found send rave reviews to Bill and
his developers. Microsoft is attempting to make the entire computing
experience "nicer." Data Systems will be receiving a beta copy of
Windows XP in a few weeks. We will be able to provide more information and
answer any questions you may have at that time.
Upgrade Policy Changes
Along with the introduction of Office XP and Windows XP, Microsoft’s
upgrade policy will be changing. Microsoft will no longer be selling a
straight upgrade. "Straight upgrade" would be like upgrading from
Office 97 to Office 2000. That will soon be impossible as there will no longer
be an upgrade product offering. In fact, Office 2000 is limited to what is
left in stock with vendors.
What Microsoft does have is a new program called the Upgrade Advantage.
Now, what you buy is not just a software upgrade. It is an upgrade program.
For instance, to upgrade from Office 97 to Office 2000, you would buy the
Upgrade Advantage and not only receive Office 2000, but also any Office
product that comes out within 2 years. Essentially upgrades are still
available, but they are now part of a continuing upgrade program.
To answer the #1 question, yes, the Upgrade Advantage will be more
expensive. But not right now. Right now, for most of Microsoft’s products
the Upgrade Advantage is usually the same price and, in some cases, cheaper
than the currently available straight upgrades. This is until October 2001,
when prices for Upgrade Advantage are expected to increase. The amount of the
increase is not yet known. Microsoft is trying to reward customers for
upgrading software earlier rather than later.
With all that said, are we at Data Systems saying you should upgrade? Not
necessarily. Many things must be considered first. What we do suggest is that,
if you are looking to upgrade from Office 97, or from Windows 98 to the 2000
line of products, then this may be a good time to think about it. The money
you spend now will save you more money in the future.
As we get more information we will pass it along to you. If you have any
questions regarding these new products, new policies, or upgrade questions,
please call or email us. We want to do all we can to ensure you have all the
information needed to make a sound decision on the products that are right for
your business.
Data Systems Welcomes James Gordon
Please join us in welcoming the newest member of the Data Systems
team! James Gordon came on board as a Senior Systems Analyst in May and
is currently learning the ropes for a few client development projects.
Jim and Dan will be making the rounds one of these days to give you a chance
to meet him and we're sure you'll be very pleased with Jim's expertise and
professionalism. In other words, if he can impress super cynical Dan,
you guys are a cinch.
You can take a look at Jim's bio to
get a feel for the expertise Jim is bringing to Data Systems. As you
will see, Jim's expertise will allow him to be a key player in your custom
development projects and in future web enabled applications we'll be
developing for you. Jim will be responsible for project management and
will eventually be managing Data Systems’ Systems Analysis and Consulting
division.
Jim can be reached by email at jgordon@datasystemsokc.com
or by phone at 405.943.5908.
Getting Forgetful? Memory is Cheap!
Have you found that your older machines are starting to run a little slower
than you would like. The problem could be lack of memory. Adding memory, in
some cases, can improve the performance of your machine. And with the price of
memory dropping, this may be a perfect time to upgrade your workstations or
server. If you are not sure what kind of memory you will need or if extra
memory would help, please contact us for help.
As Always... Thank You!
As always, we want to take the opportunity to let you know just how much we
appreciate your continued business. We also appreciate your passing our name along to your friends
and business associates. Word of mouth advertising is always the best and we
promise to maintain our excellent quality of service to justify your
recommendations.
Until next time...
The Data Systems Staff
support@datasystemsokc.com
www.datasystemsokc.com
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Copyright © 2001 by Data Systems Consultants, Inc.
Microsoft, Windows, Windows XP and Microsoft
Office are registered trademarks of Microsoft, Inc.
