Why Microsoft Office for Linux is a Good Thing
One of the most controversial points in my Our Linux Dream wish list was Microsoft Office for Linux. Just to clarify one more time, this is something I would like to happen, not something I think will happen. As I said, I don’t need Office and most geeks will not either. Thats fine, but not everyone is a geek. In order to attract more people to Linux (I could write a whole post on why more people using Linux is a good thing), Linux needs to offer as easy a switch as possible. For many people, that means having Office for Linux.
The most common response to this point is just make OpenOffice better. Even if we assume that OpenOffice is perfectly compatible with Office, Microsoft Office for Linux can still help. There are two things OpenOffice cannot do: be exactly the same as Office and be called Microsoft Office. While neither of those may seem important to you, both are important to less tech-savvy people, who don’t want to learn a new application or just don’t trust unfamiliar applications. In summary, the reason for Microsoft Office on Linux is marketing to the less tech-savvy.
December 29th, 2007 at 5:26 am
On your Linux Dream list you say “A fresh start on the desktop”. Why don’t you ask for a fresh start on office software? MS Office is a huge program with lots of features never been used by the average user. MS Office file formats are badly documented and also produce too large files.
OpenOffice is (unfortunately) an effort to build an office suite as large (bad) as MS Office is.
We (average and advanced users) need a new approach to office suites. We need faster and lighter applications (able to run on smaller and less energy consuming devices). We need new ways to interface with our applications. We need tight integration from our information sources (Sync standards, file and data formats…).
This is what I really need.
December 29th, 2007 at 10:11 am
Good idea. I just did not think of it. Thats why I asked other people to post what they want.