What happened to the Office Web Components?

The Office Web Components are both a client and server technology.  Hopefully answers relating to both can be had here.

Client: OWC11.exe for Office 2003 can be found here.

Server: STSPLPK.exe for WSS 2.0 can be found here. (Don't try to install this on your WSS 3.0 server)

First let me point you to the OWC roadmap.  We can mostly say goodbye since the client components still ship in Project 2007, but are depricated in the Office 2007 client and in WSS 3.0 and SharePoint Server 2007.

Office Web Components “Roadmap”

There is a few paragraphs on TechNet burried in a Office 2007 changes document.  I've copied the relevant paragraphs below for your reference.  Both the client components (activeX controls) and server dwps and cab are referenced on that page.

With the release of IE 7, WSS 3.0, and SharePoint Server 2007 the OWC or Office Web Components like the pivot spreadsheet, pivot charts, stock quote, etc...  The explanation and conversations I've had around these components was the fact that they required an activeX control.  The more we can do with server side that prevents users from having to accept controls, the better in my opinion.  I've been ok that these aren't in the box by default.  I've had to troubleshoot these a few times more than any other of the out of the box web parts.  Looking at trust and trying to manage this over SSL and for an FQDN for an external URL was a pain.  Glad to see this dependency removed and replaced with server rendering and clientless (reach) experience.

Here's a snippet from the comments in the blog post above (the roadmap) from the Excel team.

"Just to be clear, OWC will still be available via web download and supported per the timeline posted by Dave Gainer.  You still have the option of using OWC in your solutions. However, we will no longer be investing in new features for OWC."

If you look at it in terms of the overlap that we were giving you with Excel Services the majority of what you were doing with the activeX control/web components are now light weight.

Shane Young has a practical post on how to install them on your SharePoint Server. 

Here's a snippet.  First he identifies them...  They are in the MSI STSPLPK.exe, but they are compressed.  If you use them, you'll have to grab them off your WSS 2.0 server where they are currently installed.  This spanish post actually contains one of the cabs and appears to have additional data about the use of the OWCs.

<quote>

• microsoft.sharepoint.solutions.greatplains.cab
• microsoft.sharepoint.webparts.quickquote.cab
• microsoft.office.dataparts.cab

Now that you have the files you just need to add them using

stsadm.exe -o addwppack -filename "c:\program files\common files\micrsofot shared\web server extensions\60\wppacks\microsoft.office.dataparts.cab" -globalinstall

</quote>

I recently had a dialgue with a colleage about a customer deployment.  He asked if he thought he should upgrade and re-deploy the server side components and I told him that if he could... he should try to remove his dependencies on it.  Someone that is starting fresh, I would strongly encourage them not to use these.  In fact I'd consider it a poor practice this day and age to create web parts or portlets that have client components specifically controls (Java, JVM, or ActiveX) where they could otherwise build the components server side.  AJAX and clientside Javascript is another matter.

I hope no one minds if I take the applicable paragraphs out of this reference doc... 

From TechNet concerning the Office Client component OWC

<quote>

OWC11

 </quote>

Italics & empasis added.

<update>

Due to a couple of recent comments, I need to clarify my thoughts

I post these links because I know that these web parts are primarily heavy activeX controls.  So my commentary is... if you need this functionality, follow Shane's steps of adding the OWC assemblies that you need.  I recommend not deploying the ones you don't.  To tell you the truth, MS IT does run some of these on their Intranet.  They do not have any on any of the publishing platforms or on the extranet deployments.  That's basically how I would direct people as well.  If you need the functionality on your intranet and don't have a problem with ActiveX, then go for it.  The weather web part for example could be consumed from an RSS feed, Dustin Miller [MVP] of SharePoint Experts did an example of this at SharePoint Connections.

Wasn't my decision, but from a security standpoint and the usability in IE 7 in internet zone... it makes sense.

</update>