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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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9

Microsoft to Give Away New Web-Based Office

Goes head-to-head with Google's online apps

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(Newser) – Microsoft, the “king of paid software,” is going free with an online version of Office next year, Fortune reports. “The sleeping giant in Redmond has clearly woken up to the Internet threat,” writes Jon Fortt. Microsoft is risking “cannibalizing its own Office business,” but it sees the online version’s market as “tightwads who weren’t going to buy Office anyway,” and now won’t go to Google’s rival applications, Fortt notes.   

Google released its online productivity software 3 years ago, Reuters notes. “Microsoft is in a tough spot. Their competition isn't just undercutting them. They are giving away the competitive product.” The ad-supported Office will encourage users to buy the standard version of Office 2010: the purchased program will make the online applications “work better,” writes Fortt, making sharing documents easier, for instance.

Steve Ballmer, Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft Corporation, is seen during a speech in Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, June 24, 2009.
Steve Ballmer, Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft Corporation, is seen during a speech in Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, June 24, 2009.   (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau)
In this Jan. 8, 2009 file photo, Microsoft's Windows 7 is demonstrated at the Microsoft booth at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
In this Jan. 8, 2009 file photo, Microsoft's Windows 7 is demonstrated at the Microsoft booth at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
In this Jan. 10, 2009 file photo, the Microsoft logo is seen at the company's exhibit at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
In this Jan. 10, 2009 file photo, the Microsoft logo is seen at the company's exhibit at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
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9 comments
VIEWING:
 
Timinator2K
Jul 13, 09 11:33 AM CDT
Beware of Billy Gates bearing gifts. Reply
Vote up! Vote down!
+1
IN RESPONSE:
BeatBlaster
Jul 13, 09 11:49 AM CDT
Don't hate the player. Hate the game.
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IN RESPONSE:
Ioptout
Jul 13, 09 12:46 PM CDT
I hate advertisements. I created a .dll file so my firefox wouldn't produce sound. The "hello you have won" ads were scaring the pants off my girlfriend. I think an online office sounds like a great idea minus the advertisements. The only way it will work is if they give you space online to store your information. Important papers, LOST NO MORE.
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0
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2-bits
Jul 13, 09 2:41 PM CDT
loptout: Wouldn't ad-block or some such be far less invasive? I meant what do you do when you want to watch a movie?
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+1
IN RESPONSE:
Ioptout
Jul 13, 09 4:01 PM CDT
I know that add-block doesn't stop banner ads that are hard coded in the site, so that's why I made the .dll file. I never watch a movie through my web browser. Recommendation if you do, OVGGUIDE (google it). The only think the .dll file affects is Mozilla. If I wanted to watch a youtube clip I would use the Opera browser.
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