Revamped Microsoft Office Will Be Free on the Web

NYTimes - Microsoft has created a chimera in its new Office 2010 software, part desktop software and part Web app. This latest version of Office, which includes applications like Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint, is Microsoft’s long-awaited effort to modernize one of its most lucrative products and to thwart rivals like Google that are nipping at its heels with free Web software. For the first time, Microsoft will provide a free online version of Office that lets people store their documents on the Web rather than on their personal computers.