Mark your calendar: November 30

Of course, perhaps the biggest announcement in the software world (read: “the world”) this week was nothing more than a reason to circle the calendar: Microsoft announced the release date over what is commonly described along the lines of “the long-awaited business version of Vista, the latest incarnation of the Windows operating system” as November 30; implied therefore, too, is that the inevitable massive promotional product launch campaign will be at full swell on that date.

Included in the release are the latest versions of Microsoft Office and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. Naturally, industry media outlets had their choice of quotes to run. Among them…

Jeff Raikes, Microsoft business division president, on the Reuters feed of the story: "We’ve crossed the development finish line.”

Gordon Frazer, Microsoft UK managing director, in VNUNet.com: “We expect Vista to be the fastest adopted operating system we have ever released. Within the next year 100 million PCs will be deployed with Vista. That is a huge percentage and much higher than XP.”

Raikes again, in TMCNet: “The 2007 Microsoft Office system release to manufacturing completes the most significant improvements to the products in more than a decade. It’s rewarding to be able to send this release off to our customers and help them take the next big leap forward in productivity.”

Answering questions about Microsoft’s … ahem … relationship with the European Union vis-à-vis Vista, Frazer was quoted at VNU as stating that “the company had consulted with the European Union on the development of Vista, to ensure that embedded security and search functions do not breach monopoly rules.”

VNU also says that “The office assistance comes with nearly 50,000 new help articles, a how-to refresher through one of the 35 new demos, online training through any of the 24 new courses. Users have the option to download one of the more than 400 new templates or access other product downloads and tools.” The only question one might have is why the new office might need 50,000 new help articles, eh?

The New Zealand Herald’s article provided a neat statistic on Microsoft: "Windows and Office account for more than half the company’s revenue and nearly all of its profit."

Three of the many dozens (perhaps hundreds by the time you read this) pieces written on the Vista release date include the following. “Microsoft adds final touches to new Office,” based on Reuters wire reportage can be read at (for example) the New Zealand Herald; the uncredited “Vista sets sights on 30 November release date” can be read at VNUNet.com; and the TMCNet take on the hoopla is “Microsoft Introduces 2007 Microsoft Office System” by Niladri Sekhar Nath.