But WHY web-based? I don't understand the push behind Office Live and competeing Google office web apps. I don't want my data going out over the Internet (ie: restricted-access research spreadsheets or letters to a lawyer). Can I code macros/VB to manipulate web-based data?

On the flip side, I'm flat out desperate for a way to prevent my coworkers from e-mailing files to eachother. If they could simply give eachother access to their web-based files and send URLs, that would be great. But the whole reason to stop e-mailing files is to keep them from flying across the Internet, which is what web-office data would be doing.

With all the VB coding/hacking I'm doing for a database I'm creating, I'm learning to appreciate how MS Office apps link together on their undersides. And at work, these links exist in the simple user interface. It's nice to instruct my users that they can copy and paste Excel tables into Word and PowerPoint, leaving them fully editable in "Excel mode". Can I do that on web-office apps?