O2K links

Microsoft's ever-popular Office suite is ready for the new century, but are you ready for Office 2000? Office 2000 (or O2K for those who love acronyms) has generally been welcomed with good reviews. The question hasn't been, "Is Office 2000 any good?", but, "Do you really need to upgrade if you're already using Office 97?" You'll find most of the sites listed here will tackle the upgrade question.

If you do decide to make the move to O2K, you're faced with another challenge....which version to get. There are five different versions to choose from: Premium, Professional, Small Business, Standard, and Developer. If you're upgrading, chances are you'll stick with the same version of your current Office suite. However, if you're a newcomer to Office, do you ever have some choices to make!

Here's a list of all the individual programs that make up Office 2000:

• Microsoft Word (word processor)
• Microsoft Excel (spreadsheet)
• Microsoft Outlook (e-mail and contact manager)
• Microsoft Publisher (desktop publisher)
• Microsoft Access (database)
• Microsoft PowerPoint (presentation creator)
• Microsoft FrontPage (web designer)
• Microsoft PhotoDraw (photo editor)
• Microsoft MapPoint (map maker)
• Microsoft Project (project planner)

And here's an overview from Smart Computing on features that are new to each application.

Whew! Fortunately, most of the sites below will outline which programs are in which editions. In many cases, you'll also see comparison charts showing what features are included in O2K that aren't currently in Office 97. You'll note that much of the O2K improvements revolve around better integration with Web publishing.

Microsoft -- It's their product and they know it best. You can examine what's new with each individual program, what programs are in each version, download add-on programs and get help from their support pages.

ZDNet's Office 2000 Guide -- ZDNet is a CyberWalker favorite. When they tackle a subject, they go all out and this site is no different. Look for great overviews of O2K as well as individual looks at each program in the suite.

Inside Microsoft Office 2000 -- This is a print publication that you can subscribe to, but they also offer a number of articles online for free.

Office 2000 Help -- The Beatles probably said it best...."I get by with a little help from my friends." In this case, you may need a little help from your friends at Ziff-Davis. Fortunately, they have a site dedicated to Office 2000 tips.

Smart Computing -- Speaking of help, Smart Computing Magazine has been providing monthly columns covering different features of the Office suite for some time now. Many of these helpful articles are available online.

If you're still undecided about whether to make the move to Office 2000, here's a couple of helpful reviews from CNET and PC World.

And don't forget our own, general, Microsoft Office links page here at CyberWalker!

For you book lovers, we wouldn't leave you without a few good recommendations:

• 1001 Office 2000 Tips
• Easy Microsoft Office 2000
• Master Microsoft Office 2000 Visually
• Microsoft Office 2000 Complete
• Microsoft Office 2000 Secrets
• Office 2000 Made Easy: The Basics And Beyond
• Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Office 2000 in 24 Hours

If you're ready to upgrade, or looking to buy Office for the first time, you can buy online at Beyond.com. Along with full and upgrade prices for all editions, you can also take another look at the features of each program and what's included in each edition.