Microsoft Office to go online — for free
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| The last version of Office didn't include a free online version. The next one will. Image: Microsoft |
It’s too early to say Microsoft has checkmated Google in online documents – the latest version of Office hasn’t shipped yet. But the sleeping giant in Redmond has clearly woken up to the Internet threat.
Get this: Microsoft – the king of paid software – will announce today that it is going to give a version of Office away for free online. Both the online and desktop versions are scheduled to arrive in the first half of next year. Yes, you read that right. The latest version of its ubiquitous productivity software, dubbed Office 2010, will come as both a piece of software you can buy for your computer, and as a service you can access in your browser. [UPDATE: Microsoft says it will support the Firefox and Safari browsers as well as IE.]
For free. From Microsoft.
One could argue that the software giant is late to the giveaway party. Folks like Google, Zoho and SlideShare have been offering free equivalents to Word, Excel and PowerPoint for years. Unlike those companies however, Microsoft already has a very profitable $20 billion business selling desktop versions of its Office software. It would have been foolish to jump into the free game too hastily and watch that business evaporate overnight.
And that’s what makes this bold move to the web either the dumbest thing the company has ever done, or a stroke of genius. If Microsoft gets this wrong, it will cannibalize its own Office business, and investors will howl. If it gets this right, Microsoft will crush Google, Zoho, and all the other rivals who are nibbling away at Office’s dominance.My hunch is that this is a stroke of genius from Microsoft. Why? Earlier this year when I talked to Chris Capossela, the executive who manages Office, he had clearly thought hard about how to do this right.
Capossela told me that Microsoft has studied it closely, and Office Web Applications, the free, ad-supported version of Word, Excel and PowerPoint, will probably appeal to tightwads who weren’t going to buy a copy of Office anyway. This way, rather than force those folks into Google’s arms, Microsoft can hook them into its online world and tempt them with its latest technology.
And Microsoft can also tempt them to upgrade. Office Web Applications will work better if you actually purchase Office 2010. Users with the latest Office software will be able to more easily share documents and keep each other’s changes in sync. Add in the fact that the paid version of Office will come with a brilliant feature that lets Office buyers broadcast their PowerPoint presentations over the web (like Cisco’s WebEx), and the Microsoft’s online giveaway looks less like an oops, and more like an upsell.
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I've been a Linux user since it came on 6 floppies, I also run Vista and XP, and OSX (I have too many machines ROFL).
The abuse MS gets just because of it's name astounds me. Oracle/Sun/Open Office is a fine product, as are some of the others but face it – NOTHING is as good as Excel. Sorry just the way it is.
As a senior IT manager however I see potential here *IF* done right. The sharing of files is nice if security is there. I wonder how they will handle database fed docs though, or mail merge, or other integration issues.
I'd love to see some controls set by a business that sets permissions to a document storage area: some things scream for user level permissions, or basic sharepoing portal functionality like document review and released revisions. Or better yet Domain controls that allow a recently departing employee to automatically be locked out of the online stuff as well as corporate assets.
The use of version tracking and backup with this service are potentially appealing. My backups are too much for tape these days, so this has other uses for me too (IF DONE RIGHT..)
I do however wish that ANY browser will have access. My Linux desktop would like to be more integrated with this service without the need for emulators or virtual machines etc.
MS is an evil empire.. So live with it.
Google is too. Adobe, now theres a real borg organization. These businesses exist to make money. If your business needs a product from one of them, either pay for the product or find an alternative, or do without. Unless you work for free, don't expect these companies to do so. If they overcharge, SOMEONE will offer a more reasonable alternative.
Most professionals don't like the cost, but at the end of the day we just want the stuff to work, so WE can make money as a business ourselves.
I will never pay for software when free alternatives are available! When it comes to Microsoft, there is no free, just pay up!.
You should try SSuite Office for a free office suite. They have a whole range of office suites that are free for download.
Their software also don't need to run on Java or .NET, so it makes the software very small and efficient.
OpenOffice is only good for converting .doc files to .pdf. i hate people who send word files in the form of .docx
XP and Office came already installd on my Walmart purchased PC, I bought several years ago. I am now trying to establish an operational OCR process for a new Lexmarks printer, also bought at Walmart. BUT I can't get it to work. I have both Open Office and MS Works word processors installed, and operational. HOWEVER, the Lexmarks OCR appears to require OFFICE Word installed, and there exists no confiuration setup for the Lexmarks software which would allow me to select a word processor of choice for it to send the OCR data to. Allowing it to use MS Word in the existing MS Office I cannot do, as I don't have the means to register the MS Office I have, for not being provided with a disk, with a code number.
Looks like…. I got totally cheated… in more ways than one.
Makes me wonder if there might be a conspiracy, eh?
Reading through the comments here I just laugh at all the people who actually think anything is free… when I say that I am talking about Google Docs, Office Live, or Open Office.
Google = marketing company – they make money off marketing and yes, your content are subject to adword/adsense searches for keyword / targeted ads.
They do not allow you the ability to encrypt your Google Doc documents outside of Google Doc Premium… (guess what? It's a paid service 
) wonder why? Because they do not want to allow you to encrypt information that can be adword/adsense scanned.
The cost: your privacy
Microsoft = software company – they make money off you buying their software. Because Google has began to trickle into its territory is is offering things like Office Live – yes it's ad driven just like Google Docs is.
Cost = either you pay for the application with $$$ or you pay for it with your privacy – it's a choice but still it's not free.
Open Office = an organization copying everything they can to make their application look like Microsoft Office to give customers the ability to use the "good enough tool."
Cost = support – when necessary is costly, integration into business system, and over headaches of a ME TOO package that doesn't offer any real compelling changes in worker productivity or advancement.
At the end of the day nothing is free… I shame Google big time for making the world think that what it offers is free. Nothing they do is free. If anything, Google has made options for breaking down the walls of privacy perfectly legit and they do it with the "Do no Evil" monger. It's a hoax – Google is interested in you losing your privacy and that's about it. See other free services as Facebook… your information is being sold to marketers.
All you MS bashers just want everything for free.
Nothing is free. Google stuff isn't free. It's all ad-based and Google just keeps right on collecting all your data. But go ahead and be a sheep and keep right on demanding everything be free.
Wow, tough crowd here. Most of the comments regarding this article are pretty cynical of Microsoft. And I would guess most of the people here are not too high up the ladder wherever they work (if they even have a job). Why would I say that? Because anyone who has ever run their own business knows you need Office in order to be efficient. There is no equivalent to Excel or Access and the competition to Word is limited at best when it comes to interaction with other software apps. The fact is Office is a proven software app that every successful business uses to some degree. If a business isn't using it directly then they are caught in the document conversion game.
Open Office is a cute toy, but for power spreadsheet users just doesn't provide the functionality needed.
Open Office is sub-par. The frame-based approach is incomprehensible to most non-techies (usually the people who use software to bring in revenue.)
My favorite part of reading there comments was actually seeing the words Linux listed as a serious threat to MS. I was told 10 yrs ago that Linux would defeat MS in 5 years. By the way, I have never had any problems with my Vista OS, nor have I had any security issues that affected me in any way. Dream on MS haters. Google is just a geek fad, just like Linux, and will never compete with MS in the OS market
Open Office is free, and always has been.
It's better maintained, better organized, and can be handed out without fear of reprisals from the Pirate Police.
Open Office has been around before MS Office – Open Office is free all the time and DOES NOT include any ads or any other junk. This is just a ploy by MS to make people think they are helping us out – they aren't. The best free office program out there is Open Office. Go to Openoffice.org and check it out – it's compatible with MS and other office programs.
Eh, figures Microsoft would copy the true industry inventors, reaffirming its position as a follower. When was the last time they created something original? I gave up on MS 18 months ago and haven't looked back since. That's the point I switched to the Mac platform, Apple iWork productivity suite, and Safari/Firefox browsers. We've kept a Windows machine around "just in case," but haven't found a need or desire to use it since the day we booted up our Mac for the first time. I'll be replacing it with another Mac and leaving behind MS altogether.
Yes, I've used some of these free MS product versions. They cripple them so much it's not worth using. They are hoping you buy the upgrade.
I'll stick with my Linux and Open Office combination. I like free. Not to mention stability. My system has been far more stable since my switch to Linux. I think it's about time MS offers something for free. Might be too little to late though.
Why would anyone invest any time learning another Office program when they can get the same basic product they have been USING FOR YEARS for free? The average "Joe" and "Josephine" employee/home user could care less about using another web-based Office suite because it is "superior" in your perfect estimation. You downloaded it and tried it because it didn't cost anything. Now MS won't either for the vast majority of home users out there.
I find it hilarious that in a discussion about Microsoft Office, people still find time to bash Apple computers, and those of us who choose to use them.
(Suite: iWork.)
Oh well, have fun folks.
I love the inference that those who are likely not to purchase Microsoft products (in this case Office 2010) are "tightwads who weren't going to buy a copy of Office anyway". What a great way to regard those of us who do not fall in line with the Software Giant. An applause for the deterioration of marketing strategy. Instead of attracting business, the new wave of the future is to insult your competitors and those who are in league with their products. And a second applause for the media and yet again more subjective news coverage.
This article is a bit misleading. Yeah, free for home use. Not for the Enterprise Licensing folks. Those folks are likely to continue to find Google Apps Premier to be a steal in comparison.
However, the real question will come from the software. Google Docs are good, but they are no replacement for Office. Even most Google account reps don't pretend that Docs competes with Office. The features just aren't there… yet. But we're talking about Google here, and the reason they are where they are is because they never stop rolling out the goodies.
We'll see what Microsoft comes up with. If any company can compete with Google Apps, it is Microsoft, but I think this is one of those rare situations that Microsoft is far, far behind in the running. When you start going for online applications it isn't just the quality of the software that matters, it is also the infrastructure. There is a reason that when Google goes down people feel the entire Internet goes down. Does anyone even notice if Bing is not available?
I have a feeling that you will have to buy the software in order to use the site for free. I don't think it will be a free stand alone solution like Google Docs is.
Microsoft has never been one to give things away for free and I don't think that they will start now.
From the author: I know, it's hard to believe. But Microsoft swears it will be free. We'll see.
As a longtime professional in the IT industry, I have watched as this attitude of expecting software to be free has become pervasive. I may be old school, but we old timers used to have a saying that there was no such thing as a free lunch. I fear a "crash" of the IT industry may be in the cards before long. I know companies like Google show huge profits right now, but the smoke and mirrors behind this business model is eventually going to catch up to all of us. One of these days, the hoards of programmers who brought you linux, open office, and much more, are going to be staring at retirement age with nothing to show for their time and efforts but a Moutain Dew induced programmers belly, and a empty bank account. The "advertiser" model of paying for services cannot possibly hold up forever. (For those who think I completely out of touch, I am a former member of the programming hoards, who wrote a popular mobile game, gave it away for free, and watched as it topped millions of downloads, all the while my credit card debt grew).
Microsoft's cynical nature constantly scheming to exploit wouldn't suddenly have change-of-heart for charity/Free!! If at all anything, MS is trying to "perfects" its stealth-game to allure unsuspecting windows users in exchange of "free" online office for personal info, and track the genuineness of windows OS in use, so that black-mark/list the user for any slightest mismatch as a piracy OS copy. This is the only ONE focus — The Goal — is to justify its going after the pirates of windows OS or its other products.
I therefore think one should stay away from everything of MS, including so called FREE Office, otherwise one will pay a far higher "price" later (once registered)!!!!
Microsoft: Too little, too late. Those who have left the Windows platform will not be enticed to come back for any reason. Only the dolts who believe that Steve Jobs is God and the Mac the 10 Commandments would consider it………..OpenOffice has been free, and always will be, is easier than f'ing around with any MS Office application, so to all those enticed by Microsoft's offer, enjoy: nothing new for many of us!
I'm quite happy to be MS-free and have no plans to start using Office, whether it's online or not. There are just too many as-good or better alternatives (exception: Excel is still the best SS app).
I agree with Gary. I’m an old hat in this game, purchasing a $10K system back in 1982. I understand that MS wants to be progressive, but losing your customer by out pacing their knowledge base is ridiculous. I own a computer consulting firm and know for a fact that most office personnel understand minimal basics in order to get the job done. Office 2007 presents a learning curve that is steep and costly in terms of productivity.Microsoft should have polished 2003 and offered upgrade modules for those that had a need.
I use a lot of free software but I bought office. Wwhy? Because the free office software stinks. I know a billion people will write in and say it doesn't but it mostly does. $200 was not a lot to pay for a lifetime of office. And to be honest I really find the self congratulating 'we're so cool' attitude of open office irritating. I use (and contribute to some e.g. firefox) free software all the time so I think it really is just a quality choice.
Brian,
Have you tried Windows 7? Obviously not if you think it's a flop of vista…the performance is better than XP and has lower system requirements than Vista…So where did they fail? Also, who cares if Apple has computers that are 1k+ The MAJORITY of the computer market is purchases below 1k. As far as the "high end"…are you referring to the computer gamers, etc. who are moving to Apple? Because they most certainly aren't.
Apple computers are overpriced and aren't "immune" to viruses like the commercials depict. They just aren't as profitable as windows based OS's because the vast majority of businesses and home users are still on windows based machines. Microsoft controls corporate America and will never die. It was proven too costly to move over to MAC and Google will find the same.
*sigh*
It appears that the "common knowledge" today is that MS is evil and Windows sucks. Really, though, I've used XP for the past 6 years of my life, and i've also used Macs for nearly the same amount of time. People are too critical of both. Although I prefer Windows over Mac any day, and would definitely buy Vista over XP on a new computer, all the different operating systems are GOOD SYSTEMS. The type of OS you'll use depends on what you'll use it for. Windows? business, gaming, programming, etc. Mac? Designed to be simpler to understand, for the simpler people who'd rather not learn how to use a different system. I'm sure Office on the web will be just fine, and I look forward to it (along with Windows 7, by the way.) It's not nessecary to flame a product before it's released, especially since it's just being announced. NOBODY knows what it will end up like. Once it's finally released, you can flame it and Microsoft if it really is THAT bad… which I'm sure it won't be.
So, it "works better with Office installed"…
Looks like the usual Microsoft strategy.
Give them a fake "free" tool so that they shell out more money for the real thing.
just too big to make a blunder??? ……….
Guy, you must have missed out on Window's VISTA, which is just a bit bigger and more important then the Office sweet no? (that is sarcastic, it is obviously much much bigger)
Whatever. OpenOffice has been free for YEARS and is a way better program that Microsoft Office or Google's solution, AND it runs better than both!
"Luke… real database developers laugh at Access!
Learn to use SQL Server, Oracle or MySQL then post about what developers need."
Speaking as a real database developer, no, I don't laugh at Access.
It is extraordinarily powerful tool that makes viewing and analyzing data quick and simple. The reporting engine in Access is in many, many ways superior to Crystal.
I'm guessing you don't understand the benefits or power of Access seeing as how you compare it to SQL Server and Oracle. Access is not for storing data, necessarily, though you can. Access shines as a front end for accessing data stored elsewhere.
Ad supported web service? I can be plenty productive with Google Docs and I don't have to deal with that kind of crap. Will be interesting to see how pervasive the ads are.
Once again all I can do is laugh however. Like almost everything Microsoft has done in recent years, it just takes something that another company had the genius to develop and produce, changes the interface and puts its name on it, and then sends it out. I haven't seen them do much of anything that hasn't already been done. Always a game of catch up. With the money Microsoft makes, you would think they would be the ones blazing new trails in the tech world.
Office Online has some practical value in the real world. What isn't being discussed is that Microsoft just cut the rug out from every corner IT Shop and consultant that is a reseller of their software. Many vendors make decent margin by selling Office products. The question is just how hard will this change hit small vendors? It may cut down on some piracy but Channel Partners & Autorized Resellers will take a direct hit.
POST NOTICE: Microsoft cripples end users who purchased computers "with" office but have no installation CD. They did this with "Updates". Avoid being crippled in the future, use OPEN OFFICE !!!
Microsoft is just too big and too savvy to make tactical blunders with something like this. They know what they are doing and we don't, yet. There will be a "gotcha" somewhere down the road.
In the meantime, I am quite content with OpenOffice.org and Firefox. I'll stick with them until I see something better coming down the road.
This looks to me like all it's really aimed to do is pull back some of the people who left Microsoft Office because they thought it was cool to do so, only to realize they didn't like frontier life and preferred their warm fire of familiarity back where they came from.
For those people who read this article and think that Microsoft is giving away this software FOR FREE – read more closely. MS is planning to provide this software AS A SERVICE, meaning that you will pay each time you use it. This strategy was outlined in an article in a computer magazine several months ago. Imagine needing to log in and pay for an hour's worth of usage for Word or Outlook just to read your mail – over and over again. Sure, the software is downloaded free – but you pay for its usage day after day after day. Think apartment rent vs. mortgage, or car lease vs. car purchase – in the end, MS is banking on you paying more for using than for owning.
From the author: Not true. Microsoft says it will be free, just like Google Docs is free.
Microsoft is really firing on all cylinders these days. They have listened to consumers & business customers to find and fix gaps in their products. Despite the Vista bashing, it was really quite good (I've used in on 4 PCs for over a year now), Win 7 is even better (I've been running the release candidate for several months), their live services are very capable althought not quite best in class yet, their consumer tools including windows movie maker are free and getting better with each release, live mesh is amazing (sync files & content between devices) and works well, their new search Bing is getting a bit more traction, Silverlight is fast becoming an amazing technology (check out this streaming video in HiDef http://www.iis.net/media/experiencesmoothstreaming1080p), and their developers tools continue to impress, the new Zune HD should make iPhone look old, and they continue to win in the automotive space with Sync. This company has really paid attention to their users and the competition and the results are showing. The only major hole they need to fix is windows mobile.
I think there's a group of us who would have a problem putting confidential documents, spreadsheets, etc. online. In this age of privacy concerns why take the risk? We're all much better off when we're off the grid.
What about the database piece? Getting Microsoft Access web enabled and sharing data across the Internet is where the real value would be.
Nothing on the web today compares to the ease end-users can perform in Access for creating queries, forms, reports ,etc. Eliminating the need for developers to create data driven web sites would be a real winner.
Luke… real database developers laugh at Access!
Learn to use SQL Server, Oracle or MySQL then post about what developers need.
Don't know if anyone stated this in earlier posts, but Microsoft became dominant with Office by giving it away.
Back in the late 80's/early 90's Microsoft offered office for free (bundled with the OS if I remember correctly) and by doing so stomped out all the competition at the time, i.e. Word Perfect, WordStar, Lotus 123, etc.
It's ironic that Microsoft's competition is using their own business model against them!
I think this could be a smart move by Microsoft, since Microsoft is late to a web-based solution. Though, I think Microsoft should make it free/ad-supported for students and personal users and charge for business features. The free student option will make sure that students get familiar with Office and Microsoft can also promote Bing at the same time and get search revenue from Bing.
Lots of little questions here will determine whether it sinks or swims. It needs to be fully featured, more-so than Google Apps which is really hit-and-miss in terms of functionality. Also, they need to execute the online/offline architecture well so that version control doesn't get complicated. And they need to make it truly cross-browser compatible, unlike Sharepoint, which claims to be cross-browser compatible but keeps the useful stuff as IE-only. That said, there's definitely room for them in the online office environment, and at worst, they'll spur development in Google Apps, and we'll all benefit from that as well.
I'll reserve judgement until I see how its going to be ad supported. If the ad's interfere with the information thats typed into the engine in any way, its a massive failure right from the start.
Knowing Microsoft, their online version would be barely tolerable so that you would consider buying the desktop version. Google Docs are great for creating quick spreadsheets or maintaining budgets but when I need real power I use OpenOffice. I used to think that Excel was the hottest thing since Quatro but after they came out with the ribbon they pretty much forced my hand to install OOo across my network and at home. That is one of the downfalls of a big corp, the people in house that were warning that the MS Office ribbon was a POS just weren't heard. I consider myself an Excel and Access expert but could barely use it after I upgraded to 2007. Now I am brushing up on my Python in Linux with OOo.
Free Open Office 3 seems to work great and I don't have to deal with Ads like the MS free version will have.
MS is not evil, it is a company selling products that you can choose to purchase or not.
Why is MS evil for giving away some of its tools for free? What in that is evil?
Seriously…that is like giving some homeless guy half your sandwich and having them complain because they did not get the bigger half…
I use MS office and Open Office in the office. In a few instalations of Open, it perminently switched all other loaded software dictionaries to French only…not very helpful. I have never had an issue with with MS office, I think it is fantastic. Open office generally works fine, I honestly have not had many issues there either.
Google…well…if you are worried about a company taking over the world…I think Google dropped its "will do no evil" policy a long time ago. It became a mega-corporation and forgot many of its ideals. It is now just another big company just like MS and Apple only maybe more powerful in some regards and has the ability to track everything you do.
Many large corporations and online banks don't support Google Chrome or Safari or Firefox. Hence, this is why I actively use all of the web browswers because some offer better suitability for some websites than others do.
Take Google Chrome. Very fast for general browsing, but try and logon to the educational online system of some online colleges and the blackboard webware will not work correctly because it's optimized for IE.
But, it's great for surfing because it's fast and you can even go incognito.
Eh. I much prefer WordPerfect and Lotus123 anyway. Much more intuitive programs. Without the need to "upgrade" every year to get rid of bugs.
Ohhhh kay, so how many of you are going to repeat the same crap over and over again? Wait… let me make sure I understand the 1st 20 comments or so: Cloud computing will not be sufficient for power users. Did I get that right? Does someone else want to post yet ANOTHER comment stating the same exact thing? Please? it might help me more.
Wow… you guys are… just smart enough to get that… and then you drop off a cliff. Ok geniuses… let's do the math then: If cloud computing is not intended for the POWER user (such as those of us who rely on Excel or Access at their jobs), then one can assume that initial cloud computing is directed at— WAIT… WAIT FOR IT…. A LITTLE LONGER… WAAAIT…. HERE: THE CASUAL USER!!! Holy god and baby jesus, you know, the good chunk of consumers that already exist out there? The college kid who just needs to write an essay or 2? All you net nerds keep forgetting there is a whole world filled with other people out there who do not make up the bucket of "power users".
Furthermore, what's to say that 10 years down the line, the cloud versions of some of these programs will rival or be equal to the installed versions? With 4G/Wimax, Internet2 and USB 3.0 all in the works, things are going to change.
Personally, I still use OpenOffice and have dabbled w/ GoogleDocs. I would say for the basics, the only problem w/ GoogleDocs is simply getting used to it.
They know the OS is the key to the monopoly, not Office. Now their hand is forced, they are going to give away Office (not just in China) to try, desperately, to maintain this monopoly. It won't work. The high end has moved to Apple (over 2/3rd the over $1000 market is using OS X) and they are going to lose the low end to Google OS as Windows 7 is shown to be another flop of Vista proportions.
@ Paul in Torono. Welcome to planet Earth. Glad to hear you are now suddenly interested in this thing called computer technology. Might I suggest reading more than just textbooks and Microsoft manuals? You could learn a thing or two…
of course everybody who likes office, fails to see what a lack of competition has done to hinder any new developments, that we had in the 80's & early 90's.
Everyone assumes the Cloud will change everything. Everyone forgets that Broadband except for the left and right coasts, is not easily or inexpensively found and there are still millions on dial-up. Unless there is infrastructure improvements and less expensive access. These Cloud services have little to offer except buzz
Matthew: if you have "never had a problem with any Microsoft product", it's hard to believe you've done anything more than turned your computer on. I agree with you that Office is Microsoft's best work to date, and I have no significant complaints about it. Windows, on the other hand…
Sadly the author isn't smart enough to realize the real reason MS wants to put Office online for free – they maintain their monopoly through use of secret file formats. They would rather those tightwads save their files in MS formats and help perpetuate the monopoly….
It won't be free.
MSoft must be panicked by Google, Linux, and Apple. They are characteristically late to the dance, as seen with the failed Zune player.
Their two cash cows are in major jeopardy: Office & Windows. I think it's ironic that open source is shattering MSoft's foundation. Considering how Microsoft gutted Netscape by giving away IE for free, they are now faced with a similar fate from Open Source.
It's about time. I'm not fooled by their offering. The basic service will undoubtedly sell advertising to compensate. They are going to try and imitate Google. And, as usual, they're late to the dance
What everyone is forgetting is that businesses make up a huge portion of Office users not the average consumer. This is a good move by MS in my opinion.
Microsoft Office for "Free" What a deceptive title for this article! The online version will only allow Microsoft more control and power over the end user. Microsoft left many of us high and dry with their updates which disabled office by trying to re-install itself and culminating in the error message " 'office application' has not been installed for the current user". This problem has happened to many of us who purchased a computer "with" MS office on it, but have no installation CD to correct this problem. Due to this intentional attack on the end user I will do everything I can to keep from being crippled by Microsoft again. Thankfully I found "OPEN OFFICE".
"Folks like Google, Zoho and SlideShare have been offering free equivalents to Word, Excel and PowerPoint for years."
No mention of Open Office!!
That is a good move in the right direction. I wish they would do the same with Windows Vista Ultimate though because for those of us who spent a whole lot of money to own it so as to get the "Extras", we feel like we were fooled. I own a Vista Ultimate that's running on my laptop but the way things are going lately, I can't wait for the free Google Chrome OS to come out. If Microsoft wants to keep disgruntled Vista Ultimate customers like myself, they should give us a free upgrade to Windows Vista 7 Ultimate or else we'll be staring at the door…
"What about the database piece? Getting Microsoft Access web enabled and sharing data across the Internet is where the real value would be.
Nothing on the web today compares to the ease end-users can perform in Access for creating queries, forms, reports ,etc. Eliminating the need for developers to create data driven web sites would be a real winner."
It's alled SQL Server. There is also something called Reporting Services which is leap years ahead of access, LOL Access is riddled with bugs and all the "ease" comes at a price
I am a power user of spreadsheets and there is really no competition to Excel. Other office competitors really fall short in this area. I don't see the power users giving up on Office.
Microsoft and FREE aren't words you see together very often. I'm sure it sill still fail miserably, it is Microsoft.
"Office Web Applications will work better if you actually purchase Office 2010."
That is why it is not a stroke of genius. Microsoft's product works better if you purchase it. The other offerings don't try to hound you to buy an upgrade.
This is why the free market works. Imagine if Mr. Obama were to federalize software vendors – what a friggin' catastrophe that would be.
As a Mac user, Office has always been a reasonable product, except for PowerPoint, as I have had no end to issues with MS PowerPoint for Mac opening files generated on its Windows cousin (ironically, Keynote actually opens the Windows files better!). But the other components in MS Office are far superior to anything from the competition. I simply could not function without Word and Excel.
There's one huge problem with using an online version of MS Office. I'm not sure I want to create documents containing personal data that MS will have access to. And if you think MS would never use said data to its advantage, you've been living under a rock for quite some time.
Is it possible that this is exactly what Google wants to happen? Google continues to get all its search revenue. Meanwhile Microsoft cannibalizes its primo desktop suite. So what if MicroSoft wins this battle. Google has forced them to make changes that could severely compromise their revenues for desktop products. Even though I think the Office products are very good, I think MicroSoft is going to battle with Google on Googles home court. Microsoft does not come out of this a winner.
What about the database piece? Getting Microsoft Access web enabled and sharing data across the Internet is where the real value would be.
Nothing on the web today compares to the ease end-users can perform in Access for creating queries, forms, reports ,etc. Eliminating the need for developers to create data driven web sites would be a real winner.
I'm in a mixed PC/MAC world. I really think that Office is the best thing MS has ever done. I have used Open Office and Apples Numbers/Pages and I always go back to the MS versions. They have been very stable and endlessly powerful. I look forward to being able to use a basic online version for quick views and revisions without paying hundreds of dollars.
I have never had a problem with any Microsoft product. The MS Office Suite, especially Excel, is one of the most functional groups of programs ever developed. The net version of this software will be severely lacking in functionality for power users, but will be perfect for exactly the people who don't need to pay for the tools offered in the full suite.
It also sounds like some of you are experiencing "Deficient End User" maladies. Computers don't do anything without YOU. That narrows down the culprits quite considerably.
Microsoft should get a version of Office that actually works between computer platforms, then worry about online.
The comments about the current online competition to Office are valid–they're good, not great–but any comment to the effect of how MSFT will blow them away would be to assume that they can actually get anything close to the functionality of the desktop version to work on the web…without bugs.
They have enough trouble doing that without dealing with different browsers, platforms, etc. Add to the mix that it will be ad-supported?
One word: Yikes!
its a very smart move:
google is going to come out with its crome GUI browser, many people will want to swich (that is if its a good product, which I believe if you have a fast connection it will be great) M$ needs something, anything to keep users buying windows. This "free" online office app will, I am sure, only work with a windows OS. Thus making people upgrade to windows 7 and shell out the $ for it. Office, or windows the money still gets to M$ and they need all they can get to keep the city of Redmond running 
Online, meaning my documents will be processed on another computer over the internet before being saved on mine? No thanks, I will stick to a program on my own computer.
I have to go with KD on this one – let's save all the fanfare about game changing strategy until we see if there's any value in what's being given away.
I've been an OpenOffice User for years now, and am 90% satisfied with that suite of tools as an alternative to MSOffice. Sorry Microsoft, as a longtime user, I'm taking every opportunity to shed myself of your clunkware. You're a bit late to the party, and no amount of freebies or paying for eyeballs is going to stop your steady slide.
Wow, I'm as MS skeptical as the next guy, but if you think that Google Docs can compete with MS Office then you're not stretching the envelope of what Office 2007 can do at all.
Now that that's taken care of, I'd say the most exciting thing about this development, is the possibility of easily having basic access to your Office docs from anywhere. On the list of things that could potentially squashed by this add one: Evernote because OneNote 2007 is awesome.
Paul in Toronto:
"To all those who are in the Microsoft is evil camp. Grow up."
You must be joking, or a shill. Microsoft is the most evil company on the planet, or haven't you been paying attention? (Look at the OOXML fiasco or the riduculous patent threats against Linux).
"Honestly.. That's just sad."
Yeah, it is.
"If you have not been paying attention to the products coming out of MS these days, you missed out on some of the best technologies out there."
Yeah, right. Like .NET. That's a good one. And now they're trying to poison Open Source with Mono.
"Grow up guys, you are starting to sound pretty foolish."
Anyone who knows what is going knows who sounds foolish.
Brilliant! One thing we can always count on with Microsoft is their ruthless marketing strategies. It's fine with me if Office dominates the document world because it's one of their better products.
They like to think they're a monopoly, but they're not. No one has been able to come up with a real competitive product, so they deserved to get squashed.
Apple is the only direct competitor that Microsoft hasn't been able to squash yet. They tried with XP and Vista, but on each attempt Apple embaressed them with a few clever commercials.
You can't build a cheaper alternative to compete with a company like Microsoft. You have to build a superior product. MS knows that. That's why they are marketing their Zune player at the same price as the ipod with more features. That's the reason the xbox overtook the Sony Playstation.
Perhaps there is a yet-to-be developed new type of app that will "WOW" the world that an open source developer will put out on the net for free… I don't think so!
My guess is that the MS Office offered free online will be gutted, scaled down version of their MS Office software sold in stores. I cannot imagine MS offering for free the same product that they sell with such high profits.
As such, this move by MS is neither brilliant nor dumb; it won't be a game changer at all.
People who use MS Office now will realize that they need to buy MS Office anyway to get all the features and people like myself will continue using Open Office and other free alternatives.
@Tony-
I think you hit it on the head. This will keep users like you (and me when I update my system) using Microsoft products.
Sorry guys, but the free systems online suck, and you know it. I've used Google's spreadsheet thing before but its slow, choppy, and the functionality isn't quite there yet. Microsoft is going to just reclaim the users that the article mentioned who just don't want to purchase a huge suite of software for a chunk of change.
@Jay: Google Docs can cache documents for offline usage. You need to install Gears (Firefox and Safari versions exist, but I'm not sure about IE) and it will cache Docs, Reader, even Gmail, all for offline use.
As for OpenOffice: Yes, it's free and it's usable, but it does have compatibility issues with MS Office when the formatting gets complex. If your entire organization makes the switch then it's not an issue, but it's it's piecemeal then that can cause some major headaches for users and support staff.
I totally believe this is an oops moment. MS lost its sheen after Bill Gates and 100% of thier decisions after him have been oops, this one is no exception. Here comes the fall of a Giant.
I wouldn't hold my breath.. As a PC user who finally had it and made the switch to Mac, I was still hesitant to give up on Microsoft completely so I went with MS Office for Mac, only to discover that MS Office for Mac is completely inferior to the PC version.. I now use Google Docs about 90% of the time even with MS Office installed on my mac.. I've pretty much given up on Microsoft. Google Docs meets my needs, and if it didn't, I would try every other online app before trying anything from Microsoft.
To all those who are in the Microsoft is evil camp. Grow up. Honestly.. That ‘s just sad. If you have not been paying attention to the products coming out of MS these days, you missed out on some of the best technologies out there. Pretty much every developer demo I’ve seen by MS presents for the past year has actually been run on Firefox but hey.. Microsoft does not support it.. Right. Grow up guys, you are starting to sound pretty foolish.
This is great news for my net book Eee that I paid $225. I do not intend to buy $200 package for it.
"Chris Capossela, the executive who manages Office, he had clearly thought hard about how to do this right."
Yes, its clear that he has figured out the right way to torpedo any possible alternative document format so he can maintain Microsoft's abusive monopoly.
Google? Zoho? Slideshare?
Ever hear of OpenOffice?
Granted OpenOffice hasn't made a much bigger dent in Office than any of the others, but at least acknowlege it's presence as major alternative.
Good luck using the web version with anything but MS's own browser. If it won't work with Chrome, Safari, or Firefox, they'll lose out on a a large part of the market. To win in the long term, they'll need to be able to compete on all of those platforms. When users can't access their MS "web" apps on their new ARM netbook running ChromeOS, they'll go to Google or another online doc provider that works in the most popular browsers.
MS competes best when they lock the user into their own platform and they have no competition. Expect this to fail.
Tightwads. Hahaha. There are plenty of individual users as well as organizations – that have BOUGHT office – only to then switch to google docs. Myself and our company included. Mr. Capossela better brush up on his research.
Two big questions
Will Offfice Web require users to use IE over other browsers?
Why would anyone buy MS Office for Home when Office Web will be available for free? Seems they are cutting their own revenue stream just to not lose market share to Google, would rather give it away than let Google have it.
What Google needs to do to beat MS at it's own game
http://montysmuse.com/2009/07/googles-path-to-success-with-chrome-os/
I'm surprised that OpenOffic by Sun Microsystems was not mentioned. Sun with its free Office type applications are taking the steam out of Microsoft Office paid for applications. In fact, our company is dropping Microsoft Project for Open Project as this is being written.
Looks to me like this could be a positive for Microsoft on a couple points. One – if you get people to try it for free, and then they lose an internet connection, they may be willing to buy the full program to work on- or off-line. (I don't think Google Docs can do this.) Two – one issue with using Office has always been how to share the document, hence the popularity, at least in part, of Adobe Acrobat. Providing a free office suite also means providing the ability for people to distribute a document that everyone will be able to open for free.
I'll just say this, I don't like the we're so cool attitude of open office. I'll admit, it's a good suite, and Linux is great as well, but for some people, their needs go beyond what these products have! Some people need wordart…. well, actually, mainly school students for projects, but access is oftentimes essential for how someone works. It all depends on the user. Sure MS is in it for the money, I can't really think of an organization that isn't!
All the hating about whether mac, windows, linux, open office, google, are pointless, what matters is what works for someone. If someone wants to use Microsoft Office, don't hate on them because you use open office and it suits your needs better! I use acrobat.com at school, office 07 and 08 at home, google docs a little at times… Firefox is great! But some need IE for ActiveX. Don't hate on them! Linux is great! But some need the apps made for windows or mac exclusively! Macs are great! Well some people want to play games with the most high-end computers out there!
So…. Back on topic, people use what they need. Sure, encourage them to try new things, but don't say stuff like "Just Use Open Office It is WAY better!!!"