Microsoft Office 2010 has finally hit release candidate, and Redmond has distributed the productivity suite to members of the technology adoption program (TAP). Although there are more "planned milestones," the latest build won't be available broadly, according to a Microsoft representative. Nevertheless, it's only a matter of time before the RC build is widely distributed via BitTorrent. In the meantime, you can download the beta here.

In other Redmond news, an alleged roadmap (PDF) shows the software giant is pushing to release Windows 8 by July 2011. The document also pegs Office 2012 for a July 2012 release. The roadmap is rather extensive, so if it's not legit, someone desperately needs a new hobby.

For what it's worth, many previous dates are accurate and scattered reports nearly a year ago said Windows 8 would arrive in 2011. Microsoft has also been actively compiling post-RTM builds of Windows 7 since last year.