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Microsoft Admits OpenOffice.org Is a Contender
ChiefMonkeyGrinder writes "Microsoft has unwittingly admitted that OpenOffice.org is a rival, by launching a three-minute video of customers explaining why they switched to Microsoft Office from OpenOffice.org. Glyn Moody writes: 'You don't compare a rival's product with your own if it is not comparable. And you don't make this kind of attack video unless you are really, really worried about the growing success of a competitor. [Microsoft] has now clearly announced that OpenOffice.org is a serious rival to Microsoft Office, and should be seriously considered by anyone using the latter.'"
Um, MS is not saying openoffice is a contender; they are pointing out the reality that openoffice is complete garbage compared to MS office. I use open office at home for personal stuff, word processing and simple spreadsheets. It's slow, lacks features, and there is zero way anyone could exist in the 'real world' with it. And now the project has forked. As soon as I can get a sweet discount on the latest version of office i am going to convert everything over and not look back. The project had so much ope, but in the end they just produced something only an asshat could love.
The problem I have with this video is that it does not only attack openoffice, but open source as a whole. This was a mistake all around and will just piss some people off, while not causing FUD. There are plenty of open source projects that are great replacements for commercial software.
A contender in it's own mind...
You could, but then it wouldnt actually hold true. Openoffice is garbage.
This is stupid. They may just want to give the impression of competition to mislead regulators. MS is a convicted monopolist.