Palm and ODBC Support in Microsoft Office 10

Palm and ODBC Support in Microsoft Office 10 — A miscommunication during my discussions with Microsoft about the two features missing from the initial release of Microsoft Office 10 led to some incorrect information in last week’s article about the forthcoming office application suite.

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In short, both Palm synchronization and ODBC support are slated for inclusion in Office 10, but they’ll appear as free add-ons that arrive some time after Office 10 itself ships. After apologizing for any confusion the miscommunication may have caused readers, Kevin Browne, General Manager of Microsoft’s Macintosh Business Unit, wrote:

"Microsoft in fact remains very committed to the ODBC API, as well as to ensuring that customers can continue to connect their Microsoft Entourage for Mac email/PIM program with Palm OS-based handhelds. Since delivery of specific components needed to enable these two features did not align with our planned ship date for Office 10, we will not include these capabilities in the box. However, we will release free add-on packs that provide these features, subsequent to retail availability of Office 10."

Kevin also noted that the MacBU is interested in talking with people who need ODBC capability to make sure they’re designing it to meet real-world requirements and impress its importance on Apple. If you have thoughts about ODBC support in Office 10, contact me at <[email protected]> and I’ll redirect you to the appropriate person at Microsoft. [ACE]