Office 97 due next week

Microsoft's eagerly awaited, Internet-enabled, Office 97 is set to ship next week. Since the release of Windows 95, Microsoft has made the Internet its top priority and Internet influence is clearly felt in this new Office suite, which features hyperlink and HTML compatibility, Web export features, and other Web publishing capabilities. Office 97, which will ship in Standard, Professional, Small Office, and Developer versions, even includes an upscale version of the Exchange/ Windows Messaging mail client that combines the features of the now-defunct Schedule+ with Internet connectivity. Microsoft is pushing the suite as a slimmed-down, component-based product that avoids the bloat of previous offerings while offering a host of improvements. In many ways, Office 97 is the biggest improvement to the Windows 95 operating system since it first shipped in August, 1995. Office 97 will be available on January 16