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MS Planning Free Web-Based Business Software

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the word-gets-online-calls-some-folks-newbs dept.

nieske writes "In response to Google Apps for Your Domain, Microsoft is also planning to release free web-based business software. The software will be ad-supported, but a paid, ad-free version will also be available. From the article: 'Revenue from software licenses for Office and the Windows operating system accounts for a bulk of Microsoft revenues. The challenge for Microsoft will be to make sure a free or, possibly, a subscription-supported version of Works won't hurt sales of its dominant Office software, which accounted for a quarter of the company's $44 billion in sales last year.' Would you choose an ad-supported online version of Microsoft Office over other free options like OpenOffice or Google Apps for Your Domain?"

8 of 132 comments (clear)

  1. Spin Alert! /. Title is Misleading by eldavojohn · · Score: 5, Informative
    Microsoft Corp. said on Thursday it may offer a free, advertising-supported version of its basic word processing and spreadsheet software, in an apparent bid to fend off a nascent challenge from Google Inc. in the business software market.
    Microsoft is not "planning" this. The title of TFA is "Microsoft mulls free Web-based business software." The definition of 'mull' is "to consider at length." Nowhere does it say this is for sure or that they are planning it. They are considering it. There is a difference. They are trying to figure out if it would be feasible to port MS Works to be accessible over the web generating revenue through in product advertising.

    Maybe they'll decide to work on this. Maybe they'll decide the market is too crowded already. Right now, it's all up in the air -- I have found no sources claiming they are already planning it.
    --
    My work here is dung.
  2. Oh wonderful.... by KoshClassic · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Knowing Microsoft, it will have features like:

    a) it only works with Internet Explorer
    b) documents saved with it will never load on anything but Microsoft products
    c) shortcuts to it will be placed in highly visible locations in all future versions of Windows
    d) it can only be accessed from PC's running licensed copies of Windows

    etc. etc. etc.

    I'll stick with Google.

    --
    Understanding is a three edged sword. - Ambassador Kosh Naranek, Babylon 5
    1. Re:Oh wonderful.... by z0idberg · · Score: 4, Funny

      you left out

      e) Everything you create with it will be DRMed to within an inch of its life. (You will be able to use your document again, but only if you call Microsoft first and ask if its OK).

  3. Silly Question by eikonoklastes · · Score: 4, Funny

    Would you choose an ad-supported online version of Microsoft Office over other free options like OpenOffice or Google Apps for Your Domain?

    Of course we wouldn't. But then again, this is slashdot you're trying to troll.

  4. Your secrets are double super safe... by Duncan3 · · Score: 4, Funny

    [Bill G] Muhahahahahahahahahhaha...

    [Steve B] Oh look, this guy is working on a patent for a new chair.

    [Bill G] Muhahahahahahahahahhaha...

    [Steve B] Yes Bill, now we'll have all their secrets, stop that.

    [Bill G] Muhahahahahahahahahhaha...

    --
    - Adam L. Beberg - The Cosm Project - http://www.mithral.com/
  5. In beta now by Grant,thompson · · Score: 4, Interesting

    A coworker of mine is in the closed beta program for the online office applications. He says it is pretty slick. So, I would say they really are planning, instead of just 'mulling'.

  6. Re:Yes. I would choose MS over the others. by chroot_james · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I've tried Open Office. I used it all through college, actually. The thing that excel has is the vba programming. Before everyone flares up, we simply can't avoid vba and excel. All the business people learn to use it and it makes some heavy duty calculations TRIVIAL to model in a programmatic way. These people know excel and don't care to learn the best way to do things. They don't even care about making the spreadsheet clean and easy to read. If they can make it crunch the numbers correctly, they're happy. Since these are the people who also bring the dough into the system, we have to adapt to what their needs are. It's not necessarily sharing the data, though it would be easier than having to worry about actual files. It's about how quickly something can get the job done and when people already know excel, excel wins.

    --
    Reality is nothing but a collective hunch.
  7. Re:and long term... by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 4, Funny

    Your term "bran power" does a pretty good job of explaining MS's output. They have a lot of "bran power" which is why they can squeeze out so much Office regularly.

    --
    You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.