Tradeoff: Desktop OS v Office Suite at Robert Pogson

Tradeoff: Desktop OS v Office Suite

Published by Robert Pogson February 5th, 2013 in technology. 5 Comments

"heard this weekend in #Brussels that #Microsoft might release a native #Linux version of #Office in 2014."

see [Phoronix] Microsoft Looking At Office For Linux In 2014.

What it means is that M$ is willing to sell expensive licences/subscriptions of its office suite to addicts who plan to leave M$’s desktop OS rather than let them be lost forever. Since the chief cost of migrating to GNU/Linux may well be escaping the office suite, this could result in less net blood-loss to M$’s cash-cows.

- Robert Pogson

5 Responses to “Tradeoff: Desktop OS v Office Suite”

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1 George Hostler Feb 5th, 2013 at 4:10 pm

Microsoft is within their power to do so, and I think it is a step in the right direction. It is a different direction than they first pursued, which was total market domination of server, desktop and applications along with anti-competitive monopoly maintenance.

I think it is a good sign to signal that Linux is here to stay.

Now if AutoCAD and other software houses move in that direction, the more the better.
2 Robert Pogson Feb 5th, 2013 at 4:17 pm

George Hostler wrote, “if AutoCAD and other software houses move in that direction, the more the better.”

If M$ leads, they will follow. I think M$ is seeing the writing on the wall. The web-stats are way low and the reality is that GNU/Linux is already closer to 10% share than 1%. M$ is seeing it’s office suite lose share to GNU/Linux. If it can run on GNU/Linux some of the bleeding will stop, at least for another year or two…
3 oiaohm Feb 5th, 2013 at 5:10 pm

This is exactly the kind of signs that do suggest the Linux Desktop is coming in some form.

Microsoft Office release on Apple over doubled there desktop market-share at the time.

Largest cost for Munich migration to Linux was leaving MS Office behind. Biggest road block to Migrating to Linux MS Office.

Really the number of people who need items like AutoCAD, Photoshop… is less than 10 percent in most businesses. Office suite is kinda higher up.

Interesting the timeline by the way 2014 fairly much lines up with Wayland progress.
4 oiaohm Feb 5th, 2013 at 5:15 pm

Also it will be interesting to see if MS Office on Linux has the same document transfer problems what plague MS Office on OS X.
5 Mats Hagglund Feb 6th, 2013 at 3:09 am

Linux is globally near 5-6% of non-mobiles and near 60% of mobiles (and near 70% of newest mobile devices Q4 2012).

This move – MS Office to Linux – is another example how the Redmond Empire is near total collapse.

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My observations and opinions about IT are based on 40 years of use in science and technology and lately, in education. I like IT that is fast, cost-effective and reliable. I do not care whether my solution is the same as yours. I like to think for myself.

My first use of GNU/Linux in 2001 was so remarkably better than what I had been using, I feel it is important work to share GNU/Linux with the world. I have been blessed by working in schools where students and school systems have benefited by good, modular software easily installed in most systems.

I have shown GNU/Linux to thousands of students and hundreds of teachers over the years and will continue in some way doing that until I die in spite of the opposition.