Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 18

Thread: Google formally declares war on Microsoft

  1. #1
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Posts
    3,171

    Google formally declares war on Microsoft

    Don't know if this really qualifies as a security issue but it could be I suppose...

    GOOGLE HAS confirmed that it will launch free spreadsheet and word-processing software online and take on Microsoft in one of its biggest markets.

    Under the deal, Google will allow web users to access Sun's OpenOffice from a toolbar.

    The other day, when Sun's Scott McNealy and his former employee now Google chief Eric Schmidt met up, Sun was wary about doing that.

    When asked point blank, McNealy said it was something to be investigated. However Sun's Australian spokesman Paul O'Connor was a little more forthright about the deal which he said was "huge".
    http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=26734
    Google formally declares war on Microsoft

  2. #2
    I use StarOffice on the laptop. It rocks, as far as I'm concerned. I have no need of the MS Office bloatware on that system.

    Google taking on Microsoft? That's probably one company that has the moxie to do it.

    /me ... polishing armor and sharpening blades

    "I love the smell of napalm in the morning!"
    Apocalypse Now

  3. #3
    Frustrated Mad Scientist
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Posts
    1,152
    "Anything free is a win for consumers" said ZDNET Australia technology analyst Fran Foo
    Is it really going to be free?
    Or is your StarOffice Doc going to be in a Google Mail folder getting getting picked over for juicy keywords for adservers.
    Is Google going to retain a copy of all your docs/ keylog everything you type in.

    Maybe not but you don't get anything for free really.

  4. #4
    Kwiep
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Posts
    924
    I wouldn't call it a war yet... They're just gonne add a few buttons and a toolbar... I don't see any scary bites towards microsoft just yet.

    Also corporations pay for support and stuff. Home-users using ms office isn't that big an income for microsoft I believe.
    Double Dutch

  5. #5
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Posts
    188
    The point is Microsoft Office stills rocks, no other office suite matches
    its features and ofcourse the price, but i wish google best of luck and would like
    to see an office suite better than that of Microsoft.

  6. #6
    Intriguing news. If Google can get corporate users to switch, you'll probably see a lot of home users switch too.
    \"The future stretches out before us, uncharted. Find the open road and look back with a sense of wonder. How pregnant this moment in time. How mysterious the path ahead. Now, step forward.\"
    Phillip Toshio Sudo, Zen Computer
    Have faith, but lock your door.

  7. #7
    I doubt very much that corporate users will switch, Wolfie. But, if home users find that OpenOffice or StarOffice work as well and can read and save MS Office files, that will go a long way toward opening the market up.

    Gates, some time back, said that competition was still alive. Just don't try to create another wordprocessor or spreadsheet. Do other things. He didn't think you could compete with Word/Excel/Office. Granted, MS has "useabilitied" the Office apps into what they are today, and you have to admire the effort to make them useable and integrated. But, I started with PerfectWriter and WordStar (CP/M), then moved to WordPerfect. The transition to Word in the early 90's was a very painful process.

    I, for one, like to see things open up a bit. And, I like leaner, more nimble applications.

  8. #8
    AO Senior Cow-beller
    Moderator
    zencoder's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Mountain standard tribe.
    Posts
    1,177
    Originally posted here by warl0ck7
    no other office suite matches its features and of course the price
    What do you mean 'of course the price'?!?!? Of course, the price is obscene? You know how many people I've known, personally, who have gone and bought a COTS version of Office for personal use? ZERO

    From CDW.com:
    Microsoft Office 2003 Professional $469.00
    Microsoft Office 2003 Standard $369.40
    Microsoft Office 2003 Professional version upgrade $319.95

    I would wager that MS Office is, not considering OSes, the single most pirated suite of software, worldwide. Microsoft couldn't care less about this, unless they see it impacting their commercial sales, which is probably where ALL of their Office revenue comes from, the commercial/gov't sector.

    As for "MS Office still rocks"... *shrug* we all have our opinions. I think it's bloatware myself.
    "Data is not necessarily information. Information does not necessarily lead to knowledge. And knowledge is not always sufficient to discover truth and breed wisdom." --Spaf
    Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made president should on no account be allowed to do the job. --Douglas Adams (1952-2001)
    "...people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right." - Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

  9. #9
    Ninja Code Monkey
    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Location
    Washington State
    Posts
    1,027
    I only like microsoft excel, and that i don't use directly. It's nice for whipping up a script to pull data from a db, slap it in an excel file or excel formatted xml, and tossing off to a bunch of business monkeys.

    Word blows goats, access is the devil, powerpoint is for business monkeys.
    "When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes." - Erasmus
    "There is no programming language, no matter how structured, that will prevent programmers from writing bad programs." - L. Flon
    "Mischief my ass, you are an unethical moron." - chsh
    Blog of X

  10. #10
    AO Senior Cow-beller
    Moderator
    zencoder's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Mountain standard tribe.
    Posts
    1,177
    Originally posted here by Juridian
    I only like microsoft excel, and that i don't use directly. It's nice for whipping up a script to pull data from a db, slap it in an excel file or excel formatted xml, and tossing off to a bunch of business monkeys.

    Word blows goats, access is the devil, powerpoint is for business monkeys.
    Tell us how you really feel Juridian. Please, no holding back. "Access is the Devil." Come now, even The Devil has STANDARDS!

    I'm unfortunately forced into using them, since our digital certificates are all IE based, and thus plug nicely into absolutely nothing, but work moderately less offensively with Office app's, without serious difficulty and moderate derision from the helpdesk.

    But I'm just as likely to whip out some text in Vi[m] than Word. And one more Paperclip animation and I go postal! I actually enjoyed the little Einstein-esque "Genius" guy, and of course, what does MS do but go and drop him from the lineup of helper crap-ticons.
    "Data is not necessarily information. Information does not necessarily lead to knowledge. And knowledge is not always sufficient to discover truth and breed wisdom." --Spaf
    Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made president should on no account be allowed to do the job. --Douglas Adams (1952-2001)
    "...people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right." - Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •