Sun Microsystems is expected to announce this week that it will make StarOffice available as open source. Sun plans to release the suite under what is generally considered to be the purest of the open-source licenses.
Sun has had a rocky road with open source. While open source has powered Linux, a rival operating system to Sun's own Solaris, Sun has been reluctant to embrace it. Until now.
Sun Microsystems is leading the development of an open-systems competitor to Microsoft .NET, Bill Gates' sweeping initiative to deliver software as a set of services over a wide range of Internet-connected devices.
Sun comes up against Microsoft once more with competition for Passport, in the online digital identity space.
Developers of alternative office software need to place more emphasis on ease of conversion if they ever wish to dethrone Microsoft. We test six office suites in the market.
So you've done the math and decided there may be a good business case for Linux after all. Just make sure you don't dive into the world of open source without fastening the rope securely to the bridge.
StarOffice 6.0 is relatively inexpensive, but it's unlikely to win over existing users of Microsoft's Office products.
The Linux, Windows and Solaris versions of StarOffice share file formats, finally making it available to most computer users. Like its predecessor, StarOffice 6.0 is a full-fledged office suite and won't cost a cent when you download it from the Net.
Developers of alternative office software need to place more emphasis on ease of conversion if they ever wish to de-throne Microsoft.
Sun would like to think it can succeed where others have failedÂÂâ€"in breaking Microsoft's stranglehold on the office productivity marketâ€"by offering a product that's almost as good as Microsoft Office at a much lower price. Do the sums add up?
Microsoft Office may be the standard, but there are a variety of competitors--old and new--that look like giving it a decent run for its money.
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