On Jan 27, 6:14 pm, High Plains Thumper <h...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
> John Bailo wrote:
> > Roy Schestowitz wrote:
> >> A source says:
> >> "Microsoft has said that it can't work with ODF format, because doing so
> >> would break Microsoft Office."
It wouldn't actually break Microsoft Office, but it WOULD break the
control
Microsoft has over corporate docuents.
> > So -- they turned the tables. Deal with it...
> > and come back with a better strategy.????
This is a HUGE gamble for Microsoft. Remember. OpenOffice has no
problem reading
Microsoft Office documents, at least those saved in Office 2000 format
or earlier.
Furthermore, OpenOffice has no trouble converting those documents to
ODF format.
Finally OpenOffice is free.
If Microsoft Office can't cut the mustard, then those wishing to
create documents
that can be predictably READ by recepients using OpenOffice - will
have to
download and install OpenOffice and use it to, at minimum, make sure
that it
doesn't look terrible when viewed by the recipient.
The problem for Microsoft is that there are at least 5 ODF suites out
there,
and we may even see ODF plug-ins for browsers - and eclipse. And at
least
one of them - OpenOffice - can be freely downloaded and installed on
either
Windows or Linux in less than 15 minutes when using a DSL ro Cable
modem
connection, or when visiting Panera and using their WiFi. In
addition, it's perfectly
legal to put that on your company LAN, and let everyone in the office
download from
the copy you have provided - one e-mail, and everybody is talking the
same language.
Microsoft, on the other hand, has these grand fantasies of force-
feeding everybody
new copies of Windows Vista, and Office 2007 - and making them pay
HUGE amounts
of money for the new applications and software.
I was hoping to beat the big Vista "rush" and get a cheap Laptop for
Linux (Z60p), but
at this point, everything is on reserve until after Vista comes out.
Got a chance to take
Vista for a test drive. Using an AMD 2-Core 64 and 1 gig of RAM, and
doing absolutely
NOTHING, the display gadget showed that the machine was using 70% of
the memory.
This thing is a HUGE Memory PIG!
Given all of these factors, it's quite possible that Microsoft's "All
Or Nothing" strategy
could backfire in the worst possible way. Customers might just settle
for "Works", or
nothing at all, and just download OpenOffice instead. When they
decide they want
a little more "ZING", they'll upgrade to StarOffice, WordPerfect,
Lotus Workplace, or
maybe even KOffice on Linux.
And if everybody is looking at applications that run on Linux AND
Windows, it's quite
possible that people will just opt for Crossover - for compatibility
with Windows 9x for
their old "Legacy" applications, and replace all of that Microsoft
"bloat-ware" with
Linux functional equivalents. The ISVs will probably we ready with
Linux versions
of products they created for Solaris and OS/2 - ported to Linux (since
they don't
have to worry about porting to both platforms anymore), in a few
months.
Microsoft has literally "Bet the Farm" on Vista and Office 2007.
Some people, including the current stock holders, are hoping
that these two products will reverse the declines in Client and
Business revenue. Especially since the Game machine revenue
is also generating huge losses for the company.
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