If it worked in a 1.5.x version of Wine, it's probable that it works in the stable 1.6 version of Wine. Most Wine releases (like the one in the article link) are basically snapshots of the beta tree, and while we do have extensive test-driven-development there are still regressions. Stable releases, however, pretty much have a no-regression policy.
As far as Wine "catching up" to the newest stuff Microsoft releases being an ongoing game, the news is a bit better for Wine than for Libre Office. Wine only needs to implement the crazy new APIs Microsoft creates when they're actually being used by applications. At the very least this gives us considerable time leeway -- not having a Direct3D 10 implementation didn't hurt Wine much when every game kept having a Direct3D 9 fallback for a few years.
Is there a way that you can package up Microsoft Office versions (with all relevant patches updated) into .deb/rpm ? I would still need to buy an Office key.
I would pay for such a packaging (separately from the key). What this gives me, is the latest compatible Microsoft Office in lockstep with a wine release. I would'nt even mind you charging a few bucks for every incremental packaging.
I daresay that this is a large enough pain point and people would'nt mind paying a few bucks. I would also argue that this would substantially improve the sell of Linux to enterprise customers who can have a decently working Excel at a click as opposed to the seriously cumbersome install on Windows.
You are more or less describing the exact niche the Crossover product from Codeweavers fills (originally called Crossover Office because Office was the main supported application). I'd give the free trial a try. You're paying for support, and it's free Wine underneath - the proprietary part is the Crossover UI which basically just speeds installation of Office and other supported apps.
As far as Wine "catching up" to the newest stuff Microsoft releases being an ongoing game, the news is a bit better for Wine than for Libre Office. Wine only needs to implement the crazy new APIs Microsoft creates when they're actually being used by applications. At the very least this gives us considerable time leeway -- not having a Direct3D 10 implementation didn't hurt Wine much when every game kept having a Direct3D 9 fallback for a few years.