eXpresso and Microsoft Office Web Components
Recently I have had several users ask me about eXpresso’s use of the Microsoft Office Web Components for online viewing and editing of spreadsheets. Particularly, I have been asked if our use of the Office Web Components is a violation of the Microsoft license agreement for this software.
Without getting into too much technical or legal detail, let me explain. Microsoft’s Office Web Components are powerful web controls that preserve much of the power and interactivity of Excel and allow eXpresso developers to expand on its base functionality without sacrificing any of our innovative Web 2.0 functionality. Microsoft has made the Office Web Components freely available to any user who has one or more “qualifying Microsoft products” installed on their PC. For most eXpresso users, that qualifying product is Excel.
While eXpresso takes advantage of the Office Web Components, we do not provide this software. In most cases, it is installed along with Microsoft Office. If not, users with qualifying products can download it from Microsoft. The license for the Office Web Components is between the user and Microsoft. eXpresso users without the Office Web Components installed will be able to view, but not edit spreadsheets.
Why would Microsoft let us use their software in this way? Because eXpresso is not intended to be a replacement for Excel. In fact, eXpresso extends Excel and brings it into the Web 2.0 world. Users now have a way to build communities around shared spreadsheets and interact in real time without having to give up use of the world’s favorite spreadsheet application.
You have gotten your facts wrong…While any user can download the OWC component itself (without having to validate that their instance of Office is a legal one), companies such as Expresso cannot serve web pages that run on OWC which is where you are violating the licensing terms. Microsoft specifically forbids allowing running the web server for OWC that are accessible to anyone…these web pages can only be served for internal networks…
Take a look at the licensing terms here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/243006
Can any Web server run the Office Web Components?
No. Only Web servers hosting Web pages viewable on an internal network (that is, an intranet Web server) can run the Office Web Components.
Dear Jim,
I tried to reply to your email address, but saddly it bounced. If you want to discuss this further, please drop me a line. I’m happy to tell you more about our meetings with various Microsoft managers involved in OWC. You can email me at anewman@expressocorp.com. Anyway, thanks for reading our Blog.
Amber