This actually shouldn't be newsworthy, and users of Google Docs will probably just shrug, but Microsoft's decision to omit the editing function from the initial technical preview of its Microsoft Word Web App means that it's interesting to catch a glimpse of it in action. LiveSide.net has an "exclusive" look at the feature in this post today.

The Web-based application uses an adaptation of the "ribbon" interface from newer versions of the Microsoft Office desktop software, but as one LiveSide reader notes in its comments, it also uses a "file" menu familiar to users of older versions of the software. At the same time, LiveSide found some peculiar approaches in the app.

"From the screenshot of the File menu above, we found it quite strange that there isn’t a Print option in Word Web App’s Editing View," the post says. "What this means is that to print a document directly from the Web App, you’ll need to return to Reading View to access the Print options. Of course, what we’ve shown here are all subject to change when it gets released to the public, so perhaps the Print mode might make a return by then (hopefully!)."

More features are expected in the beta release of the Office Web Apps, scheduled for the fall, with the final versions slated to debut in the first half of 2010.