Microsoft is set to release a trial version Monday of its first major update to InfoPath, the new electronic forms application released last year as part of the Office family.

The beta version of Service Pack 1 (SP1) will include several significant new features, said Microsoft product manager Bobby Moore, along with the typical performance enhancements and bug fixes included in a service pack. The final version of the InfoPath update will be included in the release of SP1 for Office 2003, set for late June. The release of an initial service pack is usually considered a milestone for a major Microsoft product, signifying the software is stable enough for broad adoption. Analysts have said SP1 will be less of a landmark for Office 2003 and related applications, however, as information technology managers will need more time to tie the software into backend computing systems.

News source: C|Net News.com