Four of the six security bulletins Microsoft will release on next week's Patch Tuesday are rated "critical" and will address vulnerabilities in everything from Windows 7 and Office 2010 to the .NET framework and Internet Explorer 9.

Several Australian Microsoft partners are claiming the vendor’s latest 2010 platform releases will provide stronger integration across the stack and drive new collaboration opportunities.

Thinking about purchasing Microsoft Office, but you want to wait until Office 2010 comes out of beta? Don't bother; just pick up a copy of Office 2007 between now and September 30, and you'll be eligible to get a free upgrade to Office 2010, thanks to Microsoft's Technology Guarantee Program.

Microsoft will officially launch Office 2010 to businesses at an event slated for May 12.

Microsoft's attempts to ensure better application compatibility for Windows 7 than its immediate predecessor, Windows Vista, had at launch appear to have borne fruit.

Microsoft posted the Office 2010 Beta to its developer and IT subscription sites today, another clue that it will soon offer the preview to the general public.

Office 2010's public beta has leaked to the Web, days ahead of its anticipated roll-out next week, searches of file-sharing sites showed today.

Microsoft announced today that it will abandon its decades-old Works entry-level suite, and will instead offer a stripped-down, advertising-supported version of Office 2010 on new PCs next year.

I'm looking forward to Microsoft's browser-based edition of Office. While the company isn't leading the trend to cloud-based apps, it's certainly in the middle of the movement. Microsoft's suite will be released next year, but you can save money by accessing online office-style apps right now. In-browser productivity suites are typically free. Plus, I like them for lightweight systems, such as netbooks, where Microsoft's desktop suite feels too bloated for even typing.

It has taken Microsoft a long time to bring its flagship Office suite to the Web and now it finally has with Office 2010. The software suite comes packed with meaningful improvements such as new cut-and-paste features for Word and new ways to broadcast your PowerPoint presentations online. But the most striking addition to Office 2010 is the introduction of Office Web Apps. These are light-weight versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote that are all accessible via desktop, mobile devices, and Web browsers Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari.

From what's been reported so far, I don't see much to like about Office 2010. The discussion thus far has lacked a single "killer feature" that makes me want to plunk down a few hundred dollars for an Office that seems only a teensy bit better than what I am already using.