Microsoft tries free office suite

[movingtables]

Free copies of some of Microsoft's office software
will soon be available.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6927491.stm

Interesting.
Wonder if they will ever release a free operating system
if this takes off.

 

[marc2003]

hehe. i think a lot of people might argue there is quite a large gap between works and office.....

 

[Greenlizard0]

Bah, OO for the win.

 

[Bash]

Hmmm. Use a copy of MS works with ads all over the place or use software such as openoffice? No contest. Microsoft miss the mark yet again.

They really miss the point don't they.

 

[SB118]

How long till the ad-free patches appear then?

 

[TheVoice]

I'll stick with Office 2007. Best of the lot (albeit not free!).

 

[Glaucus]

Hmmm. Use a copy of MS works with ads all over the place or use software such as openoffice? No contest. Microsoft miss the mark yet again.

They really miss the point don't they.

I don't think they have, works includes a cut down version of word. For the non computer savy person. This free version will be very popular with normal home users.

trouble with OO and anything else non MS, is that users use MS products at work, they don't want to learn something new when they come home.

 

[Deleted member 58846]

Don't think so. No way would I use a package full of ads, even if its free. Definatly not a Microsoft product.

 

[taz488]

thats like downloading a load of pop up ad programs for a laugh, rather than just gettin some free, ad free office software.

 

[Energize]

trouble with OO and anything else non MS, is that users use MS products at work, they don't want to learn something new when they come home.

Learn something new? The only difference I've seen between OO and MSO so far is the colour, as well as the fact that OO takes up less than half the space MSO does and doesn't crash.

 

[Glaucus]

Learn something new? The only difference I've seen between OO and MSO so far is the colour, as well as the fact that OO takes up less than half the space MSO does and doesn't crash.

there's loads of compatibility problems, mainly in terms of OO messing up formatting in word documents.

the thing is for your average user, there used to word as they use it at work. They're not in the slightest bit interested in IT. Thus they will not change to OO and will stick with word.
However they are interested in a cheaper computer when they buy and as such I can see all new computers coming with the ad version, with the full version as an extra.