CrossOver Office allows Microsoft Office XP's productivity suite -- with the exception of Access and Outlook components of the package -- to be run on versions of Linux that use the Gnome or KDE Graphical User Interface.
Tony Wilkinson, product manager for Office at Microsoft Australia, said the company would only assist customers running Office XP on Linux platforms using intermediary software (such as CrossOver Office) if they can prove that the glitches experienced with its office productivity package occur on the Windows platform as well.
"If there is an issue that's reproducible on Windows then we will help to resolve it but if the issue only exists when you're running Office with CrossOver on Linux, then that's a problem with their implementation and we're not going to resolve it -- it would be up to them," said Wilkinson.
The onus for proving that an issue affects installations of Office XP running on both the Windows platform and the CrossOver implementation for Linux would lie with the customer said Wilkinson.
He said Microsoft did not issue documentation or an agreement explicitly stating the support condition with copies of the Office XP but maintained relevant licensing information concerning its after-market service on the company's Web site. He added that supported platforms are listed unambiguously on packaging for boxed consumer versions of the Office XP.
Microsoft would apply the same set of conditions for supporting Office XP on Linux to all variations of its licensing agreements, including deals with major enterprise customers.
Office XP is widely considered to be the bulwark protecting Microsoft's overwhelmingly dominant share of the operating system market. Many enterprises are hesitant to switch to an open source platform for fear of losing compatibility with the productivity suite.
CrossOver Office is priced at around US$55 (AU$89) and is significantly cheaper than the AU$599 asking price for Windows XP Professional. Enterprises can obtain open source licenses for many distributions of Linux at no cost. Prices for commercial boxed distributions of Linux range between AU$30 for personal versions and around AU$300 for professional editions.
It is a welcome move to have Microsoft Australia support (with caveats) their products under Linux. This opens the door for greater choice of platforms to consumers.
As Linux moves onto the desktop in larger numbers, it's also in Microsoft's best business interests to support the platform with MS Office etc., much as they do with the Apple Mac.