Google Declares War on Microsoft

hajmola writes "According to an article in The Inquirer, 'Google has confirmed that it will launch free spreadsheet and word-processing software online and take on Microsoft in one of its biggest markets. Under the deal, Google will allow web users to access Sun's OpenOffice from a toolbar.'" This is full confirmation of a story from Tuesday. Forbes thinks this isn't anything to write home about, while InfoWorld disagrees.

Comments

Re:Sun's OpenOffice?

[Phroggy]

Excuse me. StarOffice is Sun's. OpenOffice is ours.

Not only that, but the name of it isn't OpenOffice, it's OpenOffice.org (which is incredibly stupid-sounding and I wish they'd figure out a way to fix that). If Google and Sun were partnering on this, they'd use StarOffice, not OpenOffice.org.

You'd think journalists would be more careful, this soon after the single-use DVD hoax...

Re:How is this a confirmation?

[Sheriff Fatman]

Google's official statement is that "Sun will include the Google Toolbar as an option in its consumer downloads of the Java Runtime Environment on http://java.com./ In addition, the companies have agreed to explore opportunities to promote and enhance Sun technologies, like the Java Runtime Environment and the OpenOffice.org productivity suite available at http://www.openoffice.org./"

Somehow, the media seem to have spun this into "Under the deal, Google will allow web users to access Sun's OpenOffice from a toolbar." OK, fair enough - if you type "open office" into the Google toolbar, it'll help you 'access' it by telling you you can get it from www.openoffice.org - but it'll do the same for any other office suite, product or search phrase you can think of.

And then the Inquirer actually goes a step further with "Google has confirmed that it will launch free spreadsheet and word-processing software online and take on Microsoft in one of its biggest markets." Um, no. Google has confirmed nothing of the sort.

The actual Google press release is at http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/pressrel/sun_t oolbar.html/. You'll notice it doesn't make any reference to Google launching free software or taking on Microsoft.

But hey. Who needs facts when you can use hype instead?

ThinkFree Office

[lunadog]

Thinkfree office has exactly the same service (a MS compatible office program available online, with document saving on their server for free)..

http://www.thinkfree.org/

But I imagine Google/Sun will get more publicity.

Microsoft's dinosaurs

[kupci]

According to this article from Yahoo News, the reporter asks the question, but Schmidt doesn't exactly deny the rumour. Hence the confusion. Microsoft has used this to great effect, to "test the waters", for example when they were going to kill FoxPro. The resulting public outcry from diehard Fox users forced Microsoft to keep enhancing FoxPro. Consider this cheap market research.

Instead of quibbling over nuances, consider this: Is it technically feasible to do this? Would there be any benefit? You betcha. Roger Kay's dinosaur quote below is great. It's funny, whenever you see one of those Microsoft adverts with the dinosaurs, it makes me think what a great OpenOffice add it would be, with Microsoft's Bob being one of the dinos.

"Is this a threat to Microsoft? Not today," said Roger Kay, president of market research firm Endpoint Technology Associates. "But mammals weren't a threat either when dinosaurs were kings of the earth."

[snip]

Google Toolbar is a small header bar that fits within a computer user's Web browser which makes it more convenient for desktop PC users to use Google search and link to other tools with a single mouse click.

Asked whether Google might feature Sun's OpenOffice on the Google Toolbar, Schmidt responded: "That's speculation. We don't pre-announce our products," he said.

Sun declined to comment on whether OpenOffice would become a Web-delivered application