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NEWS - 05.28.2008

It's official: Office 2007 (Windows) and Office 2008 (Mac OS X) are coming to the labs for Fall 2008

The Fall 2008 lab load set will include Office 2007 (Windows) and Office 2008 (Mac OS X). The decision to upgrade was based on the feedback received from the Fall 2008 lab software review and requests for an updated Office suite to better match what students are using at home.

More details will be made available here as the upgrade project progresses. Important notes:

- Office 2007/2008 will be setup to save in a file format this is compatible with what the rest of the campus uses.
- IT does not currently have plans for a campus-wide migration to the new version of Office.
- Training in the use of the new Office suite is not currently available, but we will compile a list of online resources to help with the transition. One of the best we have found is Microsoft Office Online.
- The new versions of Office looks very different from older versions and you should take this into consideration before requesting an upgrade.
- Only one version of Office can be installed on a computer.
- Some Mac OS X machines will need to be re-imaged to work with Office 2008.
- There is no downgrade path from Office 2007 to 2003. If you get Office 2007 and want to go back to the old version, your machine will need to be re-imaged.
- IT will begin to accept requests from users to have their Office suite updated. First priority will be given to faculty that teach in the labs and the staff that support them. Upgrading other, non-academic, computers will be a secondary priority.
- Office 2007/2008 will be part of all new desktop/laptop loadsets starting in Fall 2008.