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Open Office making strides on MSOffice

rcbarr83@... 13th Jan 2009

I am relatively new to open source materials such as Open Office, but what I have seen is inspiring. A tool created by enthusiasts in writing code, taking on a giant as MicroSoft. But what I think is the best thing is the cost. When a person purchases or builds a computer, they either have to purchase an O/S and if it is MicroSoft, the addition of MSword or other office suites cost extra. With Open Office, a person could (if they chose MicroSoft Windows XP or Vista) could get the most economical version and download Open Office suite, with near the same abilities as MS Office with no out of pocket expense. Using Open Office with an Open Source O/S, the costs are significantly less without sacrificing performance. The nice thing about Open Office and Open Source in general is it gives everyone a choice. I know there are people that would prefer to use MicroSoft products only, this is the power of choice, but for those who are not married to MicroSoft, provides an alternative. I do not think Open Office is a dying horse. I think it is gaining steam and could eventually take over as #1 in Office Suites. This will all depend on Sun Micro Systems commitment to giving what customers want and the success of their business model.

In our free society, competition is healthy for consumers. Open Office gives MicroSoft competition and the consumer wins. The challenge for both Sun Micro Systems and MicroSoft is satisfying the customer by exceeding their expectations--at a reasonable cost, while still making a profit.

"MicroSoft is too big to compete with," I have heard said. A little nugget to ponder: over twenty years ago, General Motors and Ford where thought to be invincible, and the little Japanese companies and their tiny economy cars did not have a chance against these giants. Many of these "Japanese Automobile companies have done what everyone thought impossible. How? By giving the customer what they wanted, and exceeding their expectations with quality and continuous improvement. This is what I see happening with Open Source, Sun Micro Systems, Linux etc...and what is nice again, we can choose for ourselves what works best.