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Microsoft To Try Works As Adware
Several readers noted that Microsoft has announced plans to pre-install an ad-laden version of Works on some manufacturers' PCs in coming months. Works is Microsoft's lightweight docs-and-spreadsheets software. The manufacturers involved were not disclosed. The adware Works will come with a pre-installed cache of ads that will be refreshed when the machine is online. Microsoft will decide by mid-2008 whether it can afford to forgo the $40 normally charged for Works.
Even more people using a program that saves to proprietary formats that can't be used by other programs.
Sigh.
...Rob
The American Dream isn't an SUV and a house in the suburbs; it's Don't Tread On Me.
Has any one actually shelled out money to buy works? It is installed as crapware by the vendors. How out of touch with reality is MSFT really?
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
A lot of people just don't know about OpenOffice. People will use this because they don't feel like paying for the full thing (MS Office). Sure, they'll mumble and groan about the ads and etcetera, but they'll use it.
This is a great time for OpenOffice to get out there and let the common person know about them. Firefox had ads in the newspaper, why couldn't OOo?
My only question is how long before we see ads in Windows.
"Just Smile and Nod." --Huck
I don't think works even lets you write .doc files-- Openoffice supports most MS formats fairly well. Seems like the market just isn't there for Works, even if it was free and ad free.
Or OpenOffice, for christ's sake. I mean, come on, MS Works doesn't even read MS Office documents. It doesn't have the features of a full office suite. There is absolutely no good reason to continue using this crap, even if it's free.
Why? because it costs 1/10 what Office costs. If you're a student and only need basic functionality, it's enough
It won't cost manufacturers anything
Except their Windows OEM license!
the Vasoline.
That's still the consumer's responsibility.
What amazes me is that so many are still willing to bend over for this abuse... AND PAY FOR IT!
Running with Linux for over 20 years!
Can't think of a better reason to try Linux or Mac.
Thanks, Microsoft!
Seriously... Isn't Works already bundled with new PCs for free (to the end user) anyway? So isn't this just extra revenue for MS and/or the vendors, while reducing the value of the product?
Jerks. Not that I've ever used anything in Works for more than 45 seconds, but still, it's the principle of the thing.
The only good idea in this case is getting a free Office suite, even if it is not very good, and finding a crack that will cut out the ads. Otherwise it will be a good incentive to find a different app to do the same job.
I agree the open source world needs to pick up on good ideas. And a great idea is to never touch adware with a very long barge pole.
It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it.
That's ok, the rest of us will just look at more, bigger, more obtrusive ads to cover for you and the rest of the freeloaders.
Really, it's ok, we don't mind.
MS Works appeals to home users who want to do some very ordinary, everyday things, without a lot of hassle. Print a greeting card, a poster for a garage sale.
The Print Shop has been around for twenty years.
But I've yet to see an open source replacement for this ageless "killer app" on any platform.