Microsoft launches attack on OpenOffice
Summary: Microsoft has a long-established practice of disarming competition by not acknowledging it, because acknowledging the competition gives it power. Well, the Redmond giant has changed stance when it comes to OpenOffice and launched a video attack on the free alternative to the Office software suite.
Microsoft has a long-established practice of disarming competition by not acknowledging it, because acknowledging the competition gives it power. Well, the Redmond giant has changed stance when it comes to OpenOffice and launched a video attack on the free alternative to the Office software suite.
Here's the video:
Most of the quotes used in this video relate back to press releases and case studies hosted on the Microsoft website. The quotes revolve around higher support costs, interoperability issues, decreased performance and efficiency, and increased frustration. Then there's a selection of quotes gushing over Microsoft Office.
[UPDATE: Ars Technica has done the digging and found links to the quotes used.]
[UPDATE #2: Glyn Moody writing for ComputerWorld UK has the following to say: "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."]
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Talkback
OpenOffice vs. MS Office 2010
Now, if you are a home user...just typing up an occasional document or keeping a little spreadsheet for your home finances... You are a moron if you pay the huge fee that MS Office 2010 costs.
However, for companies using Exchange, Active directory, and deploying to hundreds or thousands of users... MS Office 2010 is worth every nickel. All those Enterprise level full time users will use the bells and whistles daily.
Home users have an extra option
New PC's have Office Starter 2010, which are just limited, ad-supported versions of Word and Excel for exactly the purpose that you mentioned. If home users need something more, or need PowerPoint for kids oral presentations, they can get Office Home & Student in a "Family Pack" for 3 PCs for $150, which still isn't bad.
Businesses pay more, but as is the case, businesses usually do pay a lot for software because if IT runs their business and profitability is determined by IT effectiveness, of course software vendors want a piece of that. If you think Office is expensive, you've never priced business software before. Ask any business what they pay for Adobe or Autodesk software licensing, or an LOB app, or perish the thought, ERP seat licensing like SAP or Salesforce.com, and then I challenge anyone to tell me that Office is expensive.
RE: Microsoft launches attack on OpenOffice
I don't want ad-infested crapware on my machine.
[i]If home users need something more, or need PowerPoint for kids oral presentations, they can get Office Home & Student in a "Family Pack" for 3 PCs for $150, which still isn't bad.[/i]
That's still $150 [b]less[/b] than Open Office.
The bigger question is why does M$ feel so threatened by minuscule OpenOffice in the first place that they had to come out with a FUD video like this. Are they afraid they'll lose 'market share'?
lol...
RE: Microsoft launches attack on OpenOffice
Even 1 cent spent on MS Office is a waste.
RE: Microsoft launches attack on OpenOffice
And OpenOffice costs .....$0
RE: Microsoft launches attack on OpenOffice
A lot of times if MS has a large contract with your company they usually extend a benefit to you. In my case, MS gave me the opportunity to buy one copy of office 2007 for $19.99. The only restriction is that only one license can be purchased per employee.
My manager is a stupid apple fanboy and is constantly trying to make everyone switch from office to whatever crud apple is using. His boss and other managers he works with are constantly telling him to shut up with the apple stuff because 'everybody' in the company uses office and if a couple of people started writing documents in some other format people are going to get annoyed. The fanboys response is usually "well you can save it as word" and the response to that is usually "then why don't we just stick with word to begin with and not deal with the whole conversion nonsense, this topic is closed". I love it when he gets smacked. Fanboy's problem is that he fails over and over to understand that the umbrella license by the firm is not just for the software but for ongoing maintenance and firm support. To companys that means more than cheaper price of software. This is why MS is successful in the enterprise. They have those established business relationships and understands the other nuances of a sale is more than just the physical product.
RE: Microsoft launches attack on OpenOffice
No I don't. I think it's a sign of weakness. I think it's a sign that some people inside M$ are unsure of itself in the marketplace.
Which is also why Linux is the greatest 1% in the whole wide world.
:)
RE: Microsoft launches attack on OpenOffice
The huge hole in your entire argument is: M$ makes Office for Mac OS. And yes, the formats are the same, although M$ took out macroing and switched to scripting.
At his point, it's not so much a format thing (you main argument) but a bias against Mac's, Apple, or both. Until someone with your company crunches the numbers, you won't know if it's truly a bad thing to switch or not.
RE: Microsoft launches attack on OpenOffice
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Myself, I prefer OpenOffice because I am used to it, and it works better
RE: Microsoft launches attack on OpenOffice
Ok...what do you mean by bloated? MS Office 2010 performs better than OpenOffice. Feature bloat? Please no...don't give me features! I think condelirios
nailed it. If you are a home user who occasionally has to whip up a flyer for a garage sale or do your home finances on a spreadsheet Open Office is the way to go. If you are a full time user as part of your job, MS Office all the way.
RE: Microsoft launches attack on OpenOffice
There is also online versions of word that is what I consider a light version of word. It works extremely well and has the added benefit of having the documents stored in the cloud so its remotely accessible. I find it much more robust than openoffice.
RE: Microsoft launches attack on OpenOffice
I used Office 2003, and Office 2007 daily at work, and I won't say that it's the perfect Office suite. I find Open Office more reliable, particularly for documents.
RE: Microsoft launches attack on OpenOffice
RE: Microsoft launches attack on OpenOffice
RE: Microsoft launches attack on OpenOffice
I was trying to get feedback from the previous post on why he preferred OO over MSO. What you don't like about that? In your opinion, you don't like the ribbon like many people. But at the same time there is a lot of people who love the ribbon (my self included). Even companies like Autodesk looks like see the ribbon as a positive GUI based on the latest release from Revit, that is ribbon based. But if you don't like the ribbon, good for you...
RE: Microsoft launches attack on OpenOffice
I prefer OpenOffice.org Writer to Word because it is a better implementation of calculating tables. The pdf button is very handy.
As for reliability, it saved my boss's bacon when Word suddenly wouldn't open an important document done in Word on the eve of a business trip. OpenOffice.org opened it, and wrote out a .doc file that, granted, required some formatting. But everyone felt that was far preferable to not being opened.
A couple of things about Excel make me prefer it to Calc. If I have that I'll use it.
If one is all about best tool for the job, then it is a trivial cost to add the OpenOffice.org arrow to the quiver. On my personal computers, the cross-platform nature of OO.o trumps my preference for Excel as a spreadsheet program.
RE: Microsoft launches attack on OpenOffice
So if there's no competition, why bash the FREE guy?