OpenOffice.org for Mac OS X Goes Final Beta

WizardOfFoo writes "Time to break out the bug hammers, the Final Beta of OpenOffice.org for Mac OS X is now ready for testing. It still requires X11 though... I want my Quartz OpenOffice.org..." I tested it, and it works great with Apple's new X11 for Mac OS X.

Comments

Eventual iOffice, anybody?

[Dark Paladin]

Something I've been looking over for the last little bit, and especially since the last Keynote address (as a recent convert from Linux desktops to OS X desktops early last year).

Apple seems to be straddling the Open Source thing perfectly, using it in a way that should benefit everybody. (Granted, they aren't perfect, but who is?) They're using the power of OS to build their items (such as kHTML in Safari, Darwin for OS X, etc), then putting on a nice wrapper on the front, and contributing their improvements to the core system. Which is just as it should be - they're not trying to break interoperability with an OS item and claim they did it to make it better, but don't submit the changes to the community (like Kerebros and one company we won't mention).

So I'm watching the X11 and Open Office thing with a lot of interest. Keynote, the new application which is really a Powerpoint replacement, uses XML as its native file format - which again is a Good Thing(TM), as it will allow others to tweak, make improvements that both Apple and the rest of the world could use.

I'm wondering how long it will be until Apple starts up with something like iOffice. Oh, I know they have Appleworks - and there hasn't been any new announcement yet. I can see Keynote this year, maybe Keynote 2 in about 18 months with a dual announcement of Counter (an Excel like system) - powered by the work in Open Office, or some other OS project core.

My current calculations show that Linux will overtake Microsoft in about 3-4 years on the server end. With Open Office, just about every business I've talked to recently has been installing the system, and only getting Microsoft Office for 3%-5% of their business (after all - if you don't have to spend the money for 100% of the company, why bother?).

If Apple/Sun/Open Office/other contributors eventually make the Open Office system as good as Excel (and really, it's all about the Macros, ask any accountant) - then what then? Will a business look at the 3%-5% of their business and say "Well, let's just switch them over too?"

With that, MS Office itself will eventually face the same compition that Microsoft Server products are really starting to face now, and within 7-10 years, MS Office may become marginalized.

Now, think of what happens then. You don't need Windows to run Office. You don't need MS Office - Open Office/Star Office/iOffice does the same, and since they all tie into the XML file format, who cares if you decide to put your business on Linux/Sun/Mac? People who want to stay cheap can go to Linux, others can go to Apple and get a good GUI/easier administration with the same ability, but with a higher cost in hardware/software. Because applications are now spread across operating systems, the operating systems themselves become nearly worthless.

I think Steve Jobs/Apple Co know this, and they're putting the chess pieces on the board. Microsoft will always be around - they'll be like Intel. But I honestly believe that 10 years from now, we'll talk about MS just like we did about IBM back in the early 90's. "Oh, yeah - remember when every computer had Windows on it?"

Microsoft makes money from 4 things: Windows client, Windows server, MS Office, Exchange. (There may be others, like their hardware, but overall, all their other huge investments (Xbox, MSN, handheld, etc) are losing money, boyed by the 85% market we pay for Windows/MS Office). If Windows Server and Microsoft Office become marginalized or have true competition they can't buy out/bully out, how long until the other two become insignificate as well - or until Microsoft truly starts making Office/Exchange for other platforms not as a token "Look, we're not a monopoly", but because they must.

Competition. I believe about 10 years - a long time it may seem, but it feels about right. And Apple is making the right moves to be right there when it happens.

Re:Usual care taken with story

[exp(pi*sqrt(163))]

Apple's new X11 DOES take advantage of Quartz Extreme

Quartz Extreme != Aqua. Eg. OO doesn't use any Aqua widgets.