Access Support from Microsoft

[TKnight]

I heard a (nasty) rumour that Access is on borrowed time in terms of continuing support from Microsoft. Future versions of office (even Longhorn in 2006) may not include Access.

Firstly, Is there any truth in it? and if so what are the likely implecations?. Obvioulsy we'll still be able to use exising versions of Access but would it still be faesible to carry on developing in an unsupported product?

Thanks, Tom

 

[GabrielR]

Well I have not heard anything about MS Access dissapearing from the market anytime soon....

I am sure ACCESS Is a product that produces profit, as it is, and will be around for a long time, anyway only Bill Knows that, but I guess that in a near future, JET (MS Database Engine) will be modified, or replaced by a better one, but Access itself is not only a trademark, is a way of doing business and, in a way MS needs it as they need to have a word processor in their Office Package.

 

[Pat Hartman]

If the rumor has any basis in fact it may be that future versions of Office won't contain Access. The implication of that should be that Access would be marketed as a separate product rather than being dumped.

In any event I'll be talking to Clint Covington who is the team manager for Access development at Microsoft tomorrow evening. He's going to talk to my Access User's Group a little about what is in the pipeline. The Access development team is as big as it has ever been if that tells you anything. If Access is going away, it won't be in 2006.