Web-based version of office to work on all OS

Microsoft has confirmed that they will be releasing web based versions of Word, Excel and Powerpoint that will run on any browser, including Firefox and Safari. This new service will allow for creating, editing, collaborating, and sharing documents using the web.

Microsoft won’t say when the new version of Office, known as Office 14, will arrive, but Microsoft Business Division President Stephen Elop said that a technology preview of the browser-based products will come later this year and that a beta version will be released in 2009.

There’s a full Q&A with Microsoft Blogger, Sarah Perez here, including a discussion about whether the products will be free (unsure, but the indication is there will be an ad supported free version and a paid subscription version) and if a specific operating system will be required (not as long as you’re running a supported browser). Sarah answers all of the questions she came across most frequently misunderstood comments and questions here.

Edited to Add: The first release of the online versions of the products won’t have an offline option, so you’ll have to be connected to be able to use the online versions, for now at least.