It was first announced as a package by Bill Gates on August 1, 1988, after the early success of MS Word (launched in 1983).Ī staple software package for schools, universities and workplaces, almost everyone who has been to school in the last 15-20 years will likely have had some familiarity with using MS Office.įollowing Microsoft’s initial domination in the world of software and operating systems, Apple came to the fore. Microsoft Office (comprising of Word, Excel and Powerpoint) is an old-timer when it comes to word processing, spreadsheets and presentations. Word documents, spreadsheets and presentations are files we often use on a regular basis, whether at home for general life admin or at work.