Slashdot Mirror
Google To Steal Office Web Apps' Thunder?
Barence writes "Google has stepped up its assault on Microsoft's productivity software with the acquisition of a start-up company that allows Office users to edit and share their documents on the Web. The search giant has acquired DocVerse for an undisclosed sum. Product manager Jonathan Rochelle said DocVerse software makes it easier for users and businesses to move their existing PC documents to the cloud, and that Google 'fell in love with what they were doing to make that transition easier.' Microsoft said in an emailed statement that Google's acquisition of DocVerse acknowledges that customers want to use and collaborate with Office documents. 'Furthermore, it reinforces that customers are embracing Microsoft's long-stated strategy of software plus services, which combines rich client software with cloud services.'"
All these customers running to our competitor proofs that there is(was) a market for our product!
Most developers don't realize this, but average users absolutely hate web apps. They typically aren't anywhere near as easy to use as normal desktop applications.
The ones who hate them the most are the long-time users who once were able to use real applications, but were forced into using "upgraded" web-based versions. They saw their productivity drop, and they're not happy about it. After all, they're the ones who then get stuck putting in longer hours to do the same job, just because of a supposed software "upgrade".
As long as Google focuses only on the web, then Microsoft has absolutely nothing to worry about. Their desktop applications will always be superior to whatever web-based apps Google or anyone else might put out.
'Furthermore, it reinforces that customers are embracing Microsoft's long-stated strategy of software plus services, which combines rich client software with cloud services.'"
Ok, that doesnt look well. Let me correct it:
'Furthermore, it reinforces that customers are embracing Microsoft's long-dead strategy of software plus services, which combines rich client software with cloud services.'"
There.
NO SIG
Great, more JavaShit-ridden bloatware that stores all your stuff on someone else's server while feeding you a steady AJAX-based stream of ads.
The only reason this stuff is so popular now is because people won't pay $99.99 for a MS Office license anymore so instead MS/Google are writing server-side adware to try and get the $99 from advertisers over a couple of years. Stuff your anti-spyware scanner would automatically delete for you if it was being run locally.
Web application == Remotely accessed spyware
What isn't in Microsoft's press release and what I'm sure Google is actually doing is making it easier to get your Information out of Office. Whittle away, bit by bit.
Shh.
Rob Malda's tranny died under mysterious circumstances
New details about Rob Malda's past may come out in the divorce proceedings with his wife of 8 years, Kathleen. Page 6 speculates that she may fight the prenup, citing Malda’s infidelity with various street trannies.
In 2007, Malda was caught by Dexter police with a transvestite hooker in his car. He told his wife that he “stopped to help a person crying.” Several other hookers sold tales of Malda’s solicitation to the tabloids, and all of them were convinced to recant, with one exception:
Paul Barresi, a private detective who claims he was hired for damage control by Malda when the scandal broke, tells Page Six: “I called [Malda attorney] Marty ‘Bull Dog’ Singer and told him I could round up all the transsexuals alleging sexual dalliances with Malda.” And they would all recant their stories.
“In less than 10 days,” Barresi says, “I got them all to sign sworn, videotaped depositions, stating it wasn’t Malda himself, but rather a look-alike, who they’d encountered - with the exception of Suiuli.” In 1998, she fell to her death from her Dexter roof.
Atisone Suiuli was the tranny found in Malda’s car in 2007. After being caught by police, she had proof that she was with Malda and wouldn’t change her story. How convenient for him that she died soon afterwards.
Ah, young love. "Google 'fell in love with what they were doing to make that transition easier.'
Nothing like falling in love to heat up the corporate personhood debate.
-kgj
"...it reinforces that customers are embracing Microsoft's long-stated strategy of software plus services, which combines rich client software with cloud services."
"...it reinforces that customers will be pushed into our long-stated strategy of software plus services, which combines bloated software and half baked DRM to nightmarish effect."
Come on, bub. Show us some of these "real web apps". I sure as fuck haven't seen them. Every web app I've worked with has been shit.
Google's web apps are good compared to most other web apps, but pale in comparison to real desktop apps. Thunderbird is much nicer to use than GMail's web UI. Even Outlook is more functional, and Outlook is a piece of crap itself.
DocVerse says: That's right ladies, I'm dating Google now. I know there are rumors of him having other girls, but what can I say? He doesn't follow any of the rules! Besides, I hear his data centers are HUGE!
Google: Yeah boys, DocVerse is a cute little thing to be sure. I'll protect her as long as she puts out.
Microsoft: You damn kids with your free spirited sex and cloud-computing-rock-and-roll! Get off my lawn you patchouli-scented, long-haired hippies!
Motorcycles, Robots, Space Gossip and More!
Anyone else hearing the Titanic's dance band playing in the background?
Microsoft just wants to control the world, Google just wants to watch your every moment.
One just has to look at what happened to Microsoft over the past year, layoffs, projects and teams getting axed, to imagine what even a 10, 20 or 30 percent hit to their massive office software revenues would be like.
I think back to most of the computing jobs I've had over the past 10-15 years. Every single one of them it was standard to get a full Microsoft office suite that I never used or anyone else in development used. All just to be able on the off chance of reading some trivial spreadsheet or Microsoft text document.
If Microsoft continues to lose their ability to lock people into their office software they are going have start axing their large scale multi-billion dollar clusterfuck products like the 8 billion dollar Xbox fiasco or Ballmer's new multi-billion a year losing turd of a search engine.
It is funny to think back over the disastrous decade Ballmer has been in power at Microsoft. Back when Apple was on the verge of fading into irrelevance Microsoft was seen as basically having infinite resources that could buy anything.
And now Apple is getting close to topping Microsoft in market cap. The day that happens will be epic.
For now, users have got used to slow mechanic hard drives and network latency is roughly in the same ballpark.
That's going to change when solid state disks arrive to normal users' desktops. They will love the snappy operation and start to hate "old" and slow (web) applications.
Powering up the hype. Great to see how the next internet bubble grows, and grows...
Religous speak to God. Insane are spoken to by God. When all shut up, one can finally hear Shostakovich in peace
Rather than doing things in HTML, Ajax, etc. Why not use the best of both worlds and use Java based web start apps. They would work as well as off-line apps and can be kept up to date and will just work better.
I find Google apps are fine and I don't even bother with Office anymore when I can use Google or Open Office but I think there would be real value in someone creating a super sweet java web start office suite.