Office 2003 Beta 2...InfoPath...etc...

A few weeks ago I turned my home PC into a "Beta-box" by installing Windows Server 2003 RC2, which has really been impressive so far. Obviously I threw on "Everett" final beta...but, the "sexiest beta" award has to go to my most recent install, Office 2003 beta 2.

Unable to wait for the MSDN CDs to arrive, I downloaded Office 2003 Beta 2 from MSDN subscriber downloads this week.  After installing, I instantly fell in love with the new styling of the Office UI, and enjoyed the many improvements and simplifications in Word, Excel, and especially Outlook.  So, now, after hearing all of the hype about InfoPath, I am starting to dig into that application a bit, but have one basic question....

Whats the big deal?

Or perhaps I should say, "I dont get it".   Can someone please evangelize me on the features/benefits of InfoPath?  Aside from being able to create forms using a diferent app than MS Word, where is the excitement?

OK, I admit I havent dug very deep so far, so I am very much a noob, but with all the hype, I expected an instant attack of goosebumps when I launched the freakin app.  :)

Any suggestions on how to get started with InfoPath?

2 Comments

  • Thanks for the comments guys...they helped alot.





    Don, you nailed me on #1...and now I am a bit further along, and see the nifty Webservice hooks and played with the DB data-entry forms.





    Is there more of a purpose other than for quickly creating admin-apps, web-service clients, or XSD schemas?





    I may be asking too much, but I guess I am trying to see what problem MS is trying to solve with this app.





    Thanks again!

  • The combination of form fields and true word processing (which is stored as HTML) will be a boom for knowledge management. The ability to create content, apply metadata to the content, then use xsl to present that content via a browser, will be a good thing.

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