Short Take: MS ships Office 97 small business version

has shipped a version of its Office 97 desktop application suite tailored for small businesses. The Small Business Edition, which costs $249, includes the standard business applications plus a financial analysis tool, a street-level mapping program, the Internet Explorer browser, and a booklet entitled "Doing Business on the Internet." The company has also struck a deal with 6 ISPs to offer 60 days of free Web site hosting to purchasers of the suite.