Microsoft delivers Office via the Web

Microsoft this week launched new software that lets customers “install” all of its Web-based office applications with a single click.

The beta release of the full suite of Windows Live Software (download it here) represents a major step forward for the software giant as it accelerates the move of its Office productivity apps off the desktop and onto the network.

While Web-based Office apps may seem out of the sweet spot for service providers, it’s just a small jump for vendors like Microsoft, Google or Yahoo to add communications-oriented apps—including VoIP calling—to such suites. That makes the move of Office apps online a trend worth watching for carriers.

For now, the suite of Windows Live services includes Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Photo Gallery, Windows Live Writer, Windows Live OneCare Family Safety, Windows Live Toolbar and Windows Live Messenger, among other services.

The suite is actually a mix of desktop and Web-based software, with links between that aims to blur the line between the two worlds. For instance with e-mail, Windows Live Mail has both a desktop client (formerly Outlook Express) and a Web-based interface (formerly Hotmail) with tight integration between the two. Windows Live Writer, meanwhile, lets users write on the desktop but publish easily to blog-hosting sites including Microsoft’s own Windows Live Spaces.

The new download lets customers “install the entire suite of these downloadable Windows Live services at one time, from one place, instead of going through separate installations for each service,” said Chris Jones, vice president of the Windows Live team in a blog post announcing the new software.

Not only does the single install download give users all the Windows Live apps in one package, it also sets Microsoft up to be able to upgrade and deliver new applications seamlessly to users. Microsoft stopped short, however, from making the Windows Live applications part of the Windows operating system or its Windows Update process, which automatically downloads and installs important updates—usually service packs or bug fixes—to users automatically.

Microsoft faces strong competition in this area, most notably from Google which has been releasing its own suite of office-type apps under the name Google Apps. Google’s Web-based applications include versions of a word processor and spreadsheet, email, calendar and more. In addition to bundling its individual apps together as Google Apps, the search company has also created linkages and common navigation to tie its whole Web-based “suite” together. Google also offers a download of “Google-picked” desktop software, dubbed Google Pack, that includes direct Microsoft Office competitor StarOffice.