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August 2, 2007
don't these people ever learn?
There are times when Microsoft makes a product announcement or a business decision, you look at it, and think, that's a cool idea. Then there are other times when it sounds like the inmates have truly taken over the asylum. This is one of the latter:
Free copies of some of Microsoft's office software will soon be available.The software giant said it would make ad-supported copies of the Works package available within "months".
The programs will not run in a web browser but will be installed on a PC and have their cost offset by running adverts while in use.
The move has widely been seen as an attempt by Microsoft to counter the growing number of rivals offering web versions of popular office programs.
(via /.)
The Beeb refers to MS Works as an "office suite," but anyone who has tried to use that junk knows it for what it was originally intended: bait-and-switch. Works has always been cripple-ware, designed to hook you and get you to buy full-blown MS-Office. Now it's bait-and-switch with ads. Lovely.
The article also points out that MS is facing very real competition from web-based office suites such as Zoho, or Google's products, as well as OpenOffice (whether released by Sun or via www.OpenOffice.org.
If Microsoft had any sense, they'd make a free version of real Office. Limit the features a bit if you want, but make it real Word and Excel. There are folks who would look at commercials to use Word, but will say no way to Works and opt for OpenOffice.
Posted by Edward J. Branley at August 2, 2007 12:50 PM
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