I began running the Microsoft Office XP Developer's Edition on a system running Win98. The install problematic but on uninstalling and re-install it worked fine. On the Win98 system there were some serious stability problems which I encountered after installation of the XP Developer. I decided that as I would need to test my application on Windows XP that I would install Windows XP on my development system. Stability improved greatly running on Windows XP.

The Office XP Developers Edition offers Source Safe, Code Library and development tools used to write add-ins, runtime applications and other Office XP related applications. I used the XP Developer to write a stand alone Access Runtime application. (The Developers Edition includes a license for distribution of Access Runtime Applications) I used the included Access XP, Packaging Wizard, and various other XP tools to get my job done. (For reviews of the various Office XP applications please see the specific application here at Epinions).

Although the package ran smoothly on Windows XP I noted a conspicuous lack of useful references and help files. The new help system is truely ridiculous. Finding any specific references is like making a wish; you type your query and then youo look for possible answers. Often there are no answers to basic questions. My best resource for help is the online Tek-Tips Forums (http://www.tek-tips.com/, a community of very knowledgeable programmers and nerds like me.

The set up packager (packaging wizard) had a bug which I was able to find a patch for on the Microsoft site. But it took a day or two and elevated my BP a few millimeters before I found the fix. An additional bug was created when Windows Service Pack 2 rolled out. This created monsterous problems for my users who tried to reinstall my application on Service Pack 2 machines. I performed the workaround which I found on Microsofts Answerbase, but this workaround required that each user receive a new installation CD. Then I discovered that the workaround didn't work for all users. Very frustrating for Microsoft to create a problem and make me look like I created the error.

Activation of the product was a simple matter. Apparently Microsoft allows you to install Office on two PC's (desk and laptop) but I have yet to confirm this. I do not know if the developer’s tools are allowed to be installed on two machines or not.

Overall I would think that if you using MS developers edition for Office 2000 already you should stay put. If you are using Office 97 you may want to consider moving to XP (on a PC running WinXP). If you are new to VB and Office, you may find the Office XP Developers Edition is a good start.

UPDATE: 3/10/08
I have been distributing my Access based application for several years now using the Office XP Developer Extensions. Things have gone pretty well. There was and is a serious problem with WinXP service Pack 2. The XP Developers Packaging Wizard will not work with Windows SP2 or Vista. The fix recommended by MS did not work. The solution appears to be emptying the recommended file of its contents. (I will post the file soon once I relocate the proper info).


Recommended: Yes