Posted on 07/13/2009 1:36:46 PM PDT by JoeProBono
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) said Monday it would offer a free, Web-based version of its Office tools, the company's most significant acknowledgment that it needs to alter a decades-old model of selling boxed software as it battles competitors like Google Inc. (GOOG). The announcement is the latest milestone in an 18-month-old strategy by the world's largest software firm to offer more of its core products via the Web.
The Office suite of products includes the Word word processing application and Excel spreadsheet. In offering Office over the Web, the Redmond, Wash.-based company is trying to grab a larger slice of a burgeoning market for online software services without damaging the profitability of its products, the large majority of which are still run on PCs or corporate servers.
Most of Microsoft's profitability comes from two business units, the ones that make its Windows operating system and its business tools - like Office.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
I downloaded a copy of the free Open Office from what was formerly Sun Microsystems. Works real nice.
Hmmm. Free Office just might be worth the price.
Another gurgle in the death rattle.
Microsoft for free is still not a deal.
Bookmark for later.
I like open office a lot myself as well. Other than the price, MS Office was ok until Office 2007 came out and have not been able to stand it since.
See post #4 on this thread. It likely won't be available to everyone...
Welcome to the cloud computing wars.
This could change everything. Imagine in a few years, where your computers are as disposible as a cell phone and you just take something like a SIM card from computer to computer to access your data and applications ‘in the cloud’.
Open Office is great for your average joe who isn’t using it for business (and even some small businesses it works great for). Much better than MS Works many people settle for.
“Web-based version”
does that mean that to use it one must go to MS site every time” (as in “web-based” email etc?)
that would be worse than the many “call home” aggravations already in windows OS’s...
“does that mean that to use it one must go to MS site every time””
As I understand it, that is exactly what it means. Maybe there is an advantage for corp. networks to do cloud computing, but for the home user, I’m not so sure.
groan......thanks........I’m so tired of XP calling home and me trying to prevent it that I’ll just keep the open ofc I have......
Great. We can run office applications while being assaulted by pop-up messages and ads.
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