Jalaj P. Jha

While browsing through my subscribed blogs on Google reader, I found a post from TechCrunch titled Microsoft Launches Art Of Office – Mac Users Pissed. What surprised me was that while launch date was given as 29th August 2007, I had already visited it on August 13th! and don’t remember it be described as one from Microsoft.

To be clear, I got a comment on 13th on my post Into BMP Format creating Excel Art stating

This is incredible work. Would you consider sharing it on Art of Office? http://aoo.bitcrossing.com

Since my blog settings hold all comments with links in moderation, the comment did not publish. While checking the moderation list, out of curiosity I visited it and found it to be a just opened site with zero response. Taking it as an attempt to get linked I ignored the comment to make it stay there.

Update : The comment mentioned above now stays cleared and is here

Now with Techcrunch’s post I was just surprised to know that it turned out to be a Microsoft site.

While the above link shows the site as accessible from http://artofoffice.com/, http://bitstream.com/ redirects to http://www.webcrossing.com/Home/, home page of Webcrossing a US based company. It seems that the Mac Business Unit of Microsoft found the concept interesting and purchased the site or something like that and thus announced it one their blog.

Well announcing the art of office has brought in a lot of criticism from Mac users for not being on time for releasing the Office 2008 for Mac, you can read about it on techCrunch’s post and the link above.

I found an interesting link on the MacBU post which described how they developed pixel art on their 10th Anniversary.

Those of you interested in developing Pixel/Excel art why not read Into BMP Format creating Excel Art. I feel that I should make available for download an executable for the same (The post features VB code for it).